Looking back at the NFL's QB roulette

The quarterback troubles from the nation’s capital have been well documented. No starter has manned the team for a majority of its games for more than three seasons in a row since Mark Rypien, who quarterbacked Washington from 1989-93. Since the start of the 2018 season, 10 different quarterbacks have started a game for the now-Commanders, and none had any sort of long-term success.

That led Dan Snyder and friends to bring in Carson Wentz, after swinging for a bigger name on the trading block didn’t pan out (more on where the biggest target landed soon). The former No. 2 overall pick is back in the NFC East after turbulent stays with the Eagles and Colts, who individually preferred to go younger and older with Wentz’s successors. That’s the vote of confidence Washington is looking for.

Some, if not most, believe Wentz is a band-aid until another quarterback can develop to help the team. Wentz is clearly delaying the inevitable if his play from Indianapolis shows up in Landover. Help is around. Wentz hasn’t had a receiver as talented as Terry McLaurin around him ever. And the Commanders’ defense is underrated. They’re a stable secondary away from taking a decent amount of pressure off Wentz, who clearly needs assistance in stabilization.

The biggest thing helping Wentz’s case is the lack of other options for the Commanders. Taylor Heinicke got his shot to be the team’s starter. Ron Rivera and Snyder felt comfortable enough with that prospect to trade for Wentz. The team also drafted former North Carolina QB Sam Howell in this year’s draft but he’s very much a long-term project.

Wentz’s former team turns to 37-year-old Matt Ryan. The No. 3 overall pick from the 2008 NFL Draft hasn’t taken a snap that wasn’t hiked from a Falcons’ center since he was at Boston College. Likely the final run of his professional career comes in a city that outside of Wentz has treated quarterbacks incredibly well this century.

Ryan might go from the hardest division to win in the NFC to the easiest in the AFC. Playing six games against the Jaguars, Titans, and Texans makes his task easier. Probably the most helpful tool in playing at Lucas Oil Stadium is Jonathan Taylor. Having one of, if not the best, running backs in the league beside you is a tremendous plus.

Can the Colts expect to contend with Matty Ice calling the shots? Absolutely not. He hasn’t inspired much confidence since appearing in the Super Bowl five years ago. Unlike Ryan, his backup Nick Foles has led a team to a Super Bowl. Jack Coan and Sam Ehlinger round out the rostered quarterbacks in Indy. This is definitely a band-aid situation. Maybe Arch Manning suits up for the Cols in 2025 like Uncle Peyton?

After moving on from Ryan and missing out on bigger names in the quarterback market, Marcus Mariota takes the helm for the Falcons. After winning the Heisman Trophy with Oregon in 2014, his NFL career hasn’t lived up to that hype. There were a few successful seasons with the Titans but he got the cold shoulder in favor of Ryan Tannehill.

His time as Oakland’s backup was meant to be a fun time, not a long time. Now is likely his final chance at a long-term starting job in the NFL in Atlanta. With Feleipe Franks and Desmond Ridder serving as his backups, there’s no pressure going into the preseason that he’ll be surpassed for the starting job.

Mariota has far from a prolific offense around him and he’ll be tasked with carrying Atlanta from irrelevance back to contending for a championship. That doesn’t appear to be likely, regardless of how talented Mariota is. He can’t do it alone. The Falcons have given him little help to elevate the team’s status.

Cam Newton round No. 2 didn’t pan out. Teddy Bridgewater didn’t stick. Sam Darnold returns but isn’t the clubhouse favorite to be the primary starter in Charlotte for a second straight year after the team acquired Baker Mayfield in early July. Regardless of the label as an “open competition,’’ Mayfield has the better pedigree. Unless a switch to the NFC South completely disrupts his behavior, the former Oklahoma QB should start for the Panthers.

Carolina drafted in the top 10 of this year’s NFL Draft and has plenty of talent on defense. Add in a healthy Christian McCaffrey and the Panthers aren’t as far away from contention as some might think. A true dark horse to the quarterback competition is former Ole Miss starter Matt Corral. He had a much higher draft grade before suffering a severe leg injury in his final game as a Rebel.

Yes, Mayfield didn’t lead Cleveland to a winning record as a starter in three of his four seasons with the Browns, only hitting six wins in those losing seasons. In 2020, an 11-5 record stands out in terms of Mayfield’s potential. In the easier conference for quarterbacks to stand out from their competitors, don’t sleep on the Panthers. Not a lot has to fall their way to get back into the postseason.

Predicting the circus that is the quarterback situation in Cleveland is asinine. If it wasn’t for Deshaun Watson’s alleged sexual misconduct and incoming suspension from the league, he’d be a lock to start. And despite him being a dirtbag, if the ban isn’t for the entire 2022 season, he’ll be inserted into that spot once he’s eligible to play.

Also on the Browns roster are Josh Rosen, Jacoby Brissett, and Joshua Dobbs. The starting job in Watson’s deserved absence likely goes to Brissett or Rosen, which inspires the least confidence on this list. That’s what Cleveland gets for trading such a huge package to acquire a signal caller who’s wrapped up in trouble.

Looking at the Browns’ roster outside of quarterback, it’s not bad. There are difference-makers in most of the position groups. There’s no real standout group but that team with an elite quarterback could have plenty of momentum toward a playoff run. Without one, here comes mediocrity as a ceiling.

This one’s a toss-up but guaranteed to be a new veteran starter. After the grand prize of this offseason’s quarterback roulette left the Seahawks, it appears to be a coin flip for his heir-apparent between Geno Smith and Drew Lock (yuck). Losing one of the elite quarterbacks in the league is never an easy replacement but Seattle isn’t up shit’s creek here.

After John Elway courted Lock straight from Mizzou to Denver, he forgot to pair a good head coach with a talented quarterback. Lock’s clearly had a guy in charge of calling the plays that despised him. I don’t think Pete Carroll is that immature. And that could unleash a better result from Lock.

Should Smith — best remembered for getting punched in the face by a teammate — win the job, I think the ceiling is lowered and the floor is raised. It’s the safer move and the one with the lower maximum yield. He’s been with the Seahawks since 2019 and not much would have to change with the former West Virginia quarterback pulling the strings. This season does appear to be a rebuilding year no matter which player is behind center.

And the quarterback sweepstakes winners were the Broncos, getting Russell Wilson from Seattle. As big of a prize as Wilson is, you could make the argument he’s now the worst quarterback in his own division. Only Patrick Mahomes has won a Super Bowl besides him, but the potential of Justin Herbert and Derek Carr is huge.

Wilson inherits no DK Metcalf-level receiver and a fledgling defense. His play by itself provides an incredible cover for the low points in Denver. Yet based on overall talent, the Broncos will be destined to finish last in the AFC West. Wilson’s addition doesn’t disrupt that trajectory in one season.

At 33, the best years of Wilson’s career may be behind him with this change. Even a minor drop-off for Wilson keeps him among the best quarterbacks in the league. Denver was investing its near future in the Wilson trade paying off. It’s a risk but keeps it out of another quarterback roulette for a few years at least. The Broncos should be back in the playoffs within a few seasons.