There are a handful of teams across the NFL that have built respectable rosters, or even made it to the playoffs in 2022, but still feel like pretenders rather than contenders. The reasons for those doubts center around the men they have lined up under center or in the shotgun every week.
That’s not to say these quarterbacks are terrible, bottom-of-the-barrel talents. Rather, they leave plays and potential scoring opportunities on the table, and their teams need more from them going forward. Before we get into them, though, there are a few honorable mentions. Quite a few teams in this little predicament, so Desmond Ridder, Kenny Pickett, Justin Fields, and Jordan Love — you can run but you can’t hide.
Now, on to the list.
Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
We’ll start with the obvious, and most uncomfortable one. It feels like Browns fans have been screaming “It’s Our Year” since the Obama administration. But, alas, it has yet to be “their year.” Then, an act of desperation straight out of a WWE storyline, the Browns turned from the lovable underdog baby faces to the biggest heels in sports by trading for Deshaun Watson and giving him more guaranteed money than most small countries in the wake of two dozen accusations of sexual misconduct.
Cleveland banked their future on Watson being the same player we saw before he missed the entirety of the 2021 season. After a 10-game suspension, while he had some quick flashes of being that guy, there wasn’t anything there consistently that gave light to those hopes. Of all quarterbacks with at least 200 attempts, he was 31st in EPA/play, 30th in success rate, and 32nd in CPOE, per RBSDM.
Now, for Watson, it doesn’t matter how good he plays, how poorly he plays, or if he never plays again- he’s owed $230 million regardless. For the Browns, though, their roster has very few holes. They have a good offensive line, especially on the interior. Their weapons are above average, especially after acquiring Elijah Moore from the Jets to pair with Amari Cooper, and their defense features one of the best edge rushers in the game and a secondary full of talent and depth. Their season, and playoff aspirations, all fall on the play of Watson. And in a loaded AFC, he’s going to have to be special to have Cleveland playing deep into January.
Sam Howell, Washington Commanders
If Sam Howell produces, the Commanders could sneakily be a playoff team. The former North Carolina quarterback was at one point projected to be a top five draft pick in 2021. Then, after playing a season in which all of the talent around him had left, his numbers took a small hit, and all of a sudden everyone was out on Sam Howell.
We only saw Howell once last season, and it came in the season finale against the Cowboys in a game Dallas couldn’t have been bothered to care about. He showed off his abilities as a deep ball passer, made a few rookie mistakes, but his athleticism shined in a Commanders win. Washington brought in veteran competition in the form of Jacoby Brissett, as well. We’ll have to see how the former fifth-round pick performs in preseason, but with the likes of Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, and a good defense to lean on, Howell could surprise many. If he does struggle, though, Washington will be in the market for a quarterback once again.
Mac Jones, New England Patriots
What a toilet souffle of a season 2022 was for ole’ McCorkle. He threw just 14 touchdowns to 11 interceptions, finished 26th in EPA/play, and was briefly benched for Bailey Zappe. Now, before you say it, I’m tired of the Joe Judge-Matt Patricia excuse.
While Beavis and Butthead calling plays certainly didn’t help Jones’ cause, he made plenty of bad throws himself and is limited as a quarterback. Will the introduction of Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator help? Probably- it can’t really get worse than what it was before. That said, how much better can Jones really get? It feels like his peak was as a rookie in 2021, and even then, the Patriots were dealt a good hand in terms of playing injured and bad teams, as well as playing in a wind tunnel in Buffalo.
The defense will be superb, as per usual with the Patriots, but I think it’s time we truly acknowledge Bill Belichick’s incompetence when it comes to building a worthwhile modern NFL offense. A lack of a true No. 1 target is only going to hurt Jones more. As weird as it may sound, the Patriots aren’t scary anymore.
Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos
It’s almost impressive how bad Russell Wilson and the Broncos’ offense was in 2022. They were held to 10 or fewer points five times last season, and were last in the NFL in scoring. Because of that, Nathaniel Hackett was fired before making it through his first full season as head coach, and Sean Payton was hired to save Denver, and at least make Wilson look like something that resembles an NFL quarterback again.
The former Seahawk was 25th in the NFL in EPA/play, 29th in success rate, and threw just 16 touchdown passes. From the way the Broncos have gone about their business this offseason, Sean Payton doesn’t plan on letting Russ cook. Denver is going to run the ball a lot. They signed right tackle Mike McGlinchey from the 49ers,as well as guard Ben Powers from the Ravens — both of whom are tremendous run blockers. Don’t count out Denver in the Dalvin Cook sweepstakes, as a duo of the former Vikings back, and Javonte Williams, would certainly give Wilson a reliable ground game.
Is Wilson as bad as 2022 showed? One would think that’s not the case. It’s hard to believe a quarterback with a Hall of Fame trajectory would just plummet off a cliff in such an abrupt manner. If Payton can salvage whatever elite play Wilson has left, while also taking a lot of the pressure off of him, the Broncos will be an interesting team to watch.
Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Daniel Jones is the walking equivalent of a ham sandwich. If you’re hungry, it’ll get you through lunch, and there are certainly worse things you could eat, but goodness would you love a steak instead.
The good news for the Giants is they won a playoff game with Jones last season. The bad news is they paid five-star prices for three-star production. Now, credit where it’s due to Jones. After being one of the most turnover-prone quarterbacks in the league, he turned the ball over just eight times in 2022. However, he was 15th in the league in passing yards and threw just 15 touchdowns. He also only threw the ball more than 20 yards downfield 26 times all season which ranked 34th in the NFL, per PFF. So while it was great that he protected the ball, it goes to show why teams like Buffalo and Kansas City are willing to live with a few extra interceptions because their quarterbacks are going to make a handful of ridiculous throws each week that keep them in games, or just outright win games all together.
That lack of explosion in the offense, especially if Saquon Barkley is serious about not playing in 2023, severely limits what the Giants can do offensively. Not to mention, their schedule is more difficult than it was last season, and their division is still strong.
The way Jones’ contract is set up, it looks as if the Giants know his limitations and gave themselves a potential out after the 2024 season. If it becomes evident that 2022 was his peak, they can draft someone in April and basically have Jones be what Alex Smith was to Patrick Mahomes in his final season in Kansas City. If he wants to see the entirety of that contract, though, he needs to be more of a playmaker for the Giants.
