Every team in the National Football League has at least one position of need, if not many more, but there is no more pressing position to resolve than starting quarterback.
The signal caller is the leader and heartbeat of the offense and is clearly the most important player on the team when in possession of the ball.
Therefore, finding a franchise quarterback of the present, future or ideally, both, is a quandary that many NFL teams will find themselves in each season.
Fortunately, every year there are a slew of quarterbacks that reach the end of their contract with their current team and become either franchise tagged, or free agents.
There is also the forthcoming draft class to peruse, with 2023’s class being particularly well-blessed for quarterback talent.
A quick look at the latest odds for which player will be drafted first in the NFL Draft at the end of April reveals that quarterbacks dominate the shorter priced options.
Bet365 Sport has Ohio State signal caller CJ Stroud as 2/7 favourite to be taken first ahead of Alabama’s Bryce Young at 11/4 and there are two other quarterbacks in the shortest priced options with Florida’s Anthony Richardson a 9/1 chance and Kentucky’s Will Levis the outsider at 30/1.
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However, there are also other quarterback options further down the draft that could be a later round pick for a number of teams. This includes the likes Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker, who could have been a first round pick if not for a nasty ACL injury sustained late in the season.
Other potential options include Tanner McKee (Stanford), Aidan O’Connell (Purdue), Jake Haener (Freso State), Jaren Hall (BYU), Max Duggan (TCU), Clayton Tune (Houston), Stetson Bennett (Georgia), Tanner Morgan (Minnesota) and Todd Centeio (James Maddison).
Bennett and Duggan were the two quarterbacks that faced off in this year’s College National Championship game, with Bennett’s Georgia Bulldogs being the comprehensive winners.
That lengthy list of quarterbacks in the draft is supplemented by other quarterbacks in the NFL that are either free agents, or who could potentially be traded to another team.
We know that Aaron Rodgers intends to play for the New York Jets this coming season, if a trade can be agreed between the Green Bay Packers and the Jets, plus Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has asked for a trade.
While some teams with a need at quarterback have already made their move for a Free Agent, such as the Las Vegas Raiders who have signed Jimmy Garoppolo to replace Derek Carr, who himself has joined the New Orleans Saints.
Others to have made moves include Jarret Stidham (to the Denver Broncos), Taylor Heinicke (to the Atlanta Falcons), Andy Dalton (to the Carolina Panthers, but most likely as a back-up), Mike White (to the Miami Dolphins), Case Keenum (to the Houston Texans), Jacoby Brissett (to the Washington Commanders) and Marcus Mariota (to the Philadelphia Eagles).
Despite that, there are a number of teams still very much with a need at quarterback as we head towards the latter stages of free agency and the forthcoming NFL Draft.
The NFL’s teams that require a franchise quarterback at the moment are as follows:
Andy Dalton’s been signed to back up the QB they will select at the top of the draft after their mega trade with the Chicago Bears to acquire the first pick.
The Davis Mills experiment hasn’t really worked out so the Texans are going to be all in on a franchise-leading quarterback with the second pick in the draft.
You could make a case for the Cardinals picking a quarterback, but I think they are heavily invested in Kyler Murray and so will go on defense with the third pick. That leaves the Colts in a position to take their franchise QB of the future with the fourth pick, or they could trade up to third to ensure that they get the QB they want.
Jared Goff has played very well for the Lions after being a makeweight in the trade the Rams made for Matt Stafford, but he is contracted through to 2024 only and doubts remain as to whether he can take the Lions where they want to go. The Lions have other needs to address in the draft, but a second round move for a QB looks an appealing option.
Kirk Cousins doesn’t seem to be the long-term option in Minnesota and there are plenty of experts predicting that the Vikings will take a quarterback later on in the first round of the draft.
Lamar Jackson has made it clear that he wants to move on and it is possible if he doesn’t, then the Ravens may find their QB sits out this season. Either way, the Ravens are likely going to need to address their QB situation in this draft and I would not rule out them trading away Jackson in the draft for a couple of first rounders from the likes of Arizona or even Seattle or Detroit.
The Titans seem to be ready to go with Ryan Tannehill once again next season, but he isn’t the long term answer in Tennessee and rumours abound that the Titans could be looking for a new leader at QB to be the face of a new-look rebuilt franchise moving forward.
The deal for Aaron Rodgers is in the pipeline but until he signs, QB will be a position of great need for Robert Saleh and his team.
Outlined below is how we think the QB’s currently available in the NFL and the forthcoming Draft may well end up playing their football next season.
How accurate these quarterback predictions are will all be revealed in the coming weeks and months of what will be a hectic time in the NFL!
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