More Quarterback Changes

With two weeks left in the season the quarterback moves continue. The league has seen big-time quarterbacks get hurt and many being benched for poor play. The latest moves this week come in Denver, Washington, and New Jersey. 

Broncos 

After a poor season last year, Russel Wilson is bouncing back this season as he has Broncos Nation sitting at 7-8 (started the season 1-5). One game back of a wildcard spot, and two games back of the AFC West. Russ has thrown for just over 3,000 yards and is sixth in passing touchdowns with 26. 

Despite Russ being in the Comeback Player of the Year conversation for most of the season and having the Broncos on the verge of their first playoff run since their 2015 Super Bowl season he has been benched for backup Jarrett Stidham. Stidham, who signed with Denver in the offseason will close out the final two games of the season. Why the QB change? Wilson has a $37 million injury guarantee in his contract that will paid in 2025 if he is still on the roster come mid-March, 2024. If the Broncos decide to exercise his contract then he will be on the team for two more seasons and if he gets hurt then he will automatically get the $37 million. The Broncos organization reached out to Wilson and his team months ago hoping to take this out of his contract. Wilson continued to play knowing he would most likely lose his starting job and end up being cut in the offseason. 

The Broncos are coming off a tough 26-23 loss to the Patriots. I wonder if the Broncos had beaten the Patriots if they would have continued to keep Wilson as the starter. They would be 8-7, tied for a wildcard spot, and then would need to win out and would need the Chiefs to lose one of their last two games to claim the division. 

Current odds for the Broncos to make the playoffs (+920) However, playoff hopes are not completely out of reach after the quarterback change. Stidham looked solid in the few games he played last season and the Broncos have one of the easier remaining schedules (Chargers & Raiders). However, they will need some help from other teams. 

Commanders 

Sam Howell will be benched for the veteran backup Jacoby Brissett. This is the second straight game Brissett has come in for Howell. Brissett almost led the Commanders to a comeback win against the Jets but fell short after a Greg Zuerlein 54-yard game-winning field goal. 

Howell is like a mix of Jameis Winston and Brett Favre. The dude has the arm talent but will throw a lot of interceptions and continue to sling the pigskin no matter what. He needs a better o-line (sacked 60 times) and a better defense. The team is always losing so the opposing team can anticipate pass plays being called and dial up the necessary pressure and coverage. He has the weapons so that is not an issue. 

He has been very inconsistent this season. 

Big Games 

Week 5 vs Chicago 37/51 388 yards 2 touchdowns 1 interception 

Week 8 vs Philadelphia 39/52 397 yards 4 touchdowns 1 interception

Week 9 vs New England 29/45 325 1 touchdown 1 interception

Week 10 vs Seattle 29/44 312 yards 3 touchdowns 

Bad Games

Week 3 vs Buffalo 19/29 170 yards 0 touchdowns 4 interceptions

Week 13 vs Miami 12/23 127 yards 0 touchdowns 1 interception

*Week 15 vs Los Angeles Rams 11/26 102 yards 1 touchdown 1 interception

*Week 16 vs New York Jets 6/22 56 yards 0 touchdowns 2 interceptions

* indicates being benched 

There is definitely potential with him and I think he can be a top-10 quarterback in three years. Some adjustments in the offseason and hopefully the team can fill in the necessary pieces to help him develop. 

The Commanders take on the 49ers and Cowboys to close out their season. Facing the Jets and then those two teams is brutal for any quarterback. I would prefer Howell to play the remainder of the season. You don’t want your quarterback’s last game of the season to end with him being pulled from the game and now his confidence heading into the offseason is low. 

Giants 

The fun run of Tommy DeVito seems like it has come to an end…maybe. After a poor performance in the first half against the Eagles (60 total yards on 9/16 throwing) Coach Daboll turned to Tyrod Taylor to spark a comeback. Taylor was decent in the second half finishing with 133 yards and a 1:1 TD: INT ratio. He helped the Giants move down the field and get scoring chances and that was enough to get the starting nod moving forward. Taylor was the backup to Daniel Jones to start the season, but after Jones went down Taylor filled in until he ultimately was replaced by DeVito after an injury of his own. 

DeVito finished his run with a 63.6 completion percentage, 1,087 passing yards, 9 total touchdowns, and 3 interceptions through 8 games played. 

I think DeVito should remain the starter. Yes, Taylor looked better against Philly, but that doesn’t mean anything. Now I’m not saying DeVito is better than Taylor, but he is fun to watch and the Giants fans love him and this team seems rejuvenated with DeVito commanding the offense. 

As stated before the league has seen a lot of changes at the quarterback position. Below is a list of quarterback changes throughout the season. 

(the list consists of quarterbacks who started or will start a game)

Indicates Injury

Indicates Benched

Indicates Traded

Indicates Filled in Until the Starter was Healthy

AFC

Ravens – Lamar Jackson 

Bills – Josh Allen 

Bengals – Joe Burrow – Jake Browning 

Browns – Deshaun Watson – Dorian Thompson-Robinson – PJ Walker – Joe Flacco 

Denver Broncos – Russel Wilson – Jarrett Stidham

Texans – CJ Stroud – Case Keenum 

Colts – Anthony Richardson – Gardner Minshew 

Jaguars – Trevor Lawrence 

Chiefs – Patrick Mahomes

Raiders – Jimmy Garoppolo – Brian Hoyer – Aidan O’Connell 

Chargers – Justin Herbert – Easton Stick 

Dolphins – Tua Tagovailoa 

Jets – Aaron Rodgers – Zach Wilson – Tim Boyle – Zach Wilson – Trevor Siemian 

Patriots – Mac Jones – Bailey Zappe 

Steelers – Kenny Pickett – Mitch Trubisky – Mason Rudolph 

Titans – Ryan Tannehill – Will Levis – Ryan Tannehill 

NFC

Falcons – Desmond Ridder – Taylor Heinicke 

Cardinals – Josh Dobbs – Clayton Tune – Kyler Murray 

Panthers – Bryce Young – Andy Dalton – Bryce Young 

Bears – Justin Fields – Tyson Bagent – Justin Fields 

Cowboys – Dak Prescott 

Lions – Jared Goff 

Packers – Jordan Love 

Rams – Matthew Stafford – Brett Rypien – Matthew Stafford 

Vikings – Kirk Cousins – Jaren Hall – Josh Dobbs – Nick Mullens 

Saints – Derek Carr 

Giants – Daniel Jones – Tyrod Taylor – Tommy DeVito – Tyrod Taylor 

Eagles – Jalen Hurts 

49ers – Brock Purdy 

Seahawks – Geno Smith – Drew Lock – Geno Smith 

Buccaneers – Baker Mayfield 

Commanders – Sam Howell – Jacoby Brissett