Sage Rosenfels column: 4 teams with the biggest question marks at QB
Sage Rosenfels is a former 12-year NFL quarterback who writes, does radio, and podcasts about the NFL and college football.
Every team in the NFL has strengths and weaknesses. The reasons teams have voids at certain positions can be a reflection of poor drafting, mistakes in free agency, coaches who aren't great at developing talent, or injuries.
No position has a greater impact on the outcome of a game as a quarterback, yet many teams still find themselves without a consistent starter heading into OTAs and minicamps.
Today, I'd like to break down the rosters of four teams, that, for various reasons, have a distinct disadvantage going into the 2017 season. Winning in the NFL is hard, and because of various missteps in the past, these teams have big question marks as to who will be their starter going into the future.
New York Jets
Sorry Jets fans but your team has the worst set of quarterbacks of any NFL roster. Gone are the days when you had consistent rostered multi-year quarterbacks leading your franchise. Remember when many of you hated Chad Pennington because he didn't have a strong arm nor was he "exciting" to watch. I bet you would take Pennington in his prime right now. If you disagree, you probably should have your head examined.
The Jets' quarterbacks consist of a veteran well passed his prime and two young and raw hopefuls. The problem with the "aging vet" is that Josh McCown doesn't have the resume to make you believe he will play at a high level this season.
This isn't similar to when the Cardinals and Giants signed Kurt Warner to play for a year or two while Eli Manning and Matt Leinart waited to take the reins. The highly drafted rookies got to sit and learn while a future Hall of Famer, who still had plenty left in the tank, showed them what it took to compete in the NFL. McCown will give the Jets great leadership, and be a valuable asset to the futures of the youngsters, but it's highly doubtful he will help the team win while he is on the field. McCown had a great career, but shouldn't be expected to start 16 games this year. Those days are in the past.
The two quarterbacks who were drafted in 2015 and 2016, Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg, respectively, have yet to show they can lead the franchise in the future. Petty, a fourth-round pick in 2015, played poorly last year in his six starts. His QBR and win/loss record are nothing to be proud of. I will give him the benefit of the doubt in that the Jets were a bad football team last year, and Petty is still very young. For many quarterbacks, it takes years to figure out the complexities of the NFL game.
Petty did show the Jets' coaches enough to play him in front of former Penn Stater Hackenberg. Drafted in the second round in 2016, Hackenberg continued his consistent tradition of being oversold and then underperforming. Out of high school, Hackenberg was a prize recruit for the Nittany Lions and never lived up to the hype in Happy Valley. The year after he left, Penn State had a sensational season and ended up a few plays from being in the College Football Playoffs. Whenever a "talented" quarterback leaves a school, without having much team success, and then the program prospers, my warning antennas go way up.
Even with the poor play of Ryan Fitzpatrick and Petty, the Jets still didn't put Hackenberg into a game. Like Petty, I will give him the benefit of the doubt as I have stated in the past that I would have failed miserably had I been expected to play in my first few seasons. The Jets are relying on a lot of unfounded hope this season. They are hoping McCown finds the fountain of youth, which was never that great in the first place, and that two talented but unproven youngsters can somehow get them some wins. I love Todd Bowles as a coach, and I hope he isn't blamed by the Jets' lack of success until they can find him a quarterback good enough to win consistently in the NFL.
Jacksonville Jaguars
One year ago, Blake Bortles was known as an up-and-coming NFL star. In only his second season, Bortles had thrown 35 touchdown passes which put him among the elites of the NFL. A year later, Bortles is taking plenty of heat for his abysmal 2016. His 79.2 career quarterback rating is even behind yours truly, and I never became a full-time NFL starter.
Jacksonville did pick up his fifth-year option, valued at roughly $19 million, but this can be easily erased if the Jaguars decide to release him after this season. Basically, Bortles is on a one-year-and-prove-it contract. If this season is similar to 2016, Jacksonville will be taking a quarterback with a high pick in the 2018 draft.
Chad Henne is one of the better backups in the league. He has plenty of starts under his belt in both Miami and Jacksonville, but has never shown himself to be a consistent NFL starter. His 75.5 career quarterback rating is respectable for a backup, not a starter.
Brandon Allen is an intriguing prospect as the third quarterback, but has never played. If things start going sideways or backwards for Bortles, I hope the Jaguars throw Allen in some games and let him compete. He could be a future starter, or less expensive backup to Henne.
Cleveland Browns
Surprisingly, the situation at quarterback in Cleveland has a chance to be good. Playing quarterback starts with the offense that is installed. I have always liked Hue Jackson's offenses. They are designed well, and the details in his concepts are precise. The right quarterback can succeed in this system if the right players are around him. Last year, Cody Kessler played very well as a rookie. I think this is one of the biggest non-stories of the offseason.
The Browns chatter regarding their search for a quarterback moved from Jimmy Garoppolo to the first overall draft pick. While there probably was, and still is, interest in upgrading this position, the Browns and Jackson know how well Kessler played in his first season. He started eight games and finished with a solid 92.3 rating. He only threw two interceptions in those eight starts and completed two thirds of his passes. Not bad for a third-round pick. If he can continue his progression, and the rest of the Browns can improve, he may be the quarterback they have been searching for this offseason.
Behind Kessler will be either Brock Osweiler, second-round pick DeShone Kizer, or untested Kevin Hogan. There is no need to go into detail as it relates to Osweiler. He wouldn't be on the team if the Browns didn't also receive a second-round pick from the Texans. The honeymoon of his 5-1 Broncos season of two years ago is almost completely gone. That's how bad his short-lived career was as a Houston Texan.
Kizer is a second-round draft pick with potential, which puts him in "we shall see" status. Remember, the Jets drafted Hackenberg in the second round, too. Hogan's best chance of making the team is if the Browns flat out release Osweiler.
Per usual, it's not pretty in Cleveland. But there is some hope on the horizon with both Kessler and Kizer. It's too bad that this year neither of them will be throwing to Josh Gordon, who was denied reinstatement by the NFL. He would have made both quarterbacks better.
San Francisco 49ers
I don't deem the 49ers quarterback situation as dire, but it may be a disadvantage for them this season. Brian Hoyer has never consistently shown he can be a multi-year starter for one franchise during his nine-year NFL career. The good news is that he knows this offense extremely well as he had a career-best 3,326 passing yards in 2014 when he played for Kyle Shanahan.
This offense fits Hoyer's skill set well. He is fairly accurate, very smart, can throw well on the run, is detailed with his footwork, and isn't scared to compete. When Hoyer and Shanahan last hooked up, Hoyer only had four NFL starts under his belt. Since then, Hoyer has started 27 games. He is still in his prime (31 years old), played well in this offense once before, and is now more experienced. The more you look at Hoyer as the starter in 2017, the better a 49ers fan should feel about the situation.
After Hoyer, the 49ers have C.J. Beathard, who they drafted in the third round this spring. Though he won't wow you with his arm or athleticism, Beathard's style of football from his days at the University of Iowa fit well with Shanahan's system. Those who follow the Big 10 know the Hawkeyes are one of the rare college teams that like their quarterback under center, and that run a traditional pro-style offense. They use the zone running scheme, play action, bootlegs, and West Coast offense passing concepts.
Of all the rookie quarterbacks who could function in their new offense on the first day of OTAs, Beathard may be the most prepared. The hope for Shanahan is that he will be the next Kirk Cousins. That comparison is fair except Beathard doesn't have the strong arm or quick release of Cousins. He could be the future of the franchise or he could be a solid backup. Right now, nobody knows, including the 49ers.
Matt Barkley is the other quarterback on the roster. While he showed some flashes last year in Chicago, his six NFL starts include a whopping 18 interceptions. Playing quarterback in the NFL means taking care of the football first and Barkley is one of the worst in the league. Again, there is some potential but his initial signs for success aren't positive.
There are other teams in the NFL that have big question marks at the quarterback position. How will Goff play in year two for the Los Angeles Rams? Who will be the starter for the Steelers, Saints, Giants, and Chargers after their HOF starters retire? Will Glennon/Trubisky succeed in Chicago at some point? Is Denver sold on either of their two candidates? Will DeShaun Watson be the answer in Houston? What is Arizona's long-term plan?
Because the position is vital to the success of a franchise, all 32 teams are analyzing their roster of quarterbacks. No teams have bigger question marks for the 2017 season and beyond than the Jets, Jaguars, Browns, and 49ers. It's not a surprise these four teams won an average of 2.75 games last year. Their goal of being more competitive in 2017 relies more on hope than on their quarterbacks' history of success.
(Photos courtesy: USA TODAY Sports)