With the 2018 NFL Draft approaching this April, Niner Noise takes a look at the five teams most in need of a new quarterback next season.
Cross the San Francisco 49ers off the list of teams needing a quarterback in the 2018 NFL Draft.
This, after the Niners traded for former New England Patriots backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo, subsequently starting him and riding a four-game winning streak in the process.
The 49ers are lucky. They appear to have their franchise guy for a long, long time — the dream of every NFL franchise.
San Francisco 49ers
Yet other teams aren’t so lucky.
More than a handful of squads are going to be seeking their next signal-caller, very likely via the NFL Draft. Unlike last year, the 2018 crop of quarterbacking prospects is pretty deep. So if you’re comparing various needs to a football-like version of “supply and demand,” you’ll understand how both have increased after what we saw in 2017.
In this slideshow, we’ll take a look at the five most-needy teams looking for quarterbacks and why.
But first, let’s look at some who may not be as desperate, yet may find themselves on the hunt for a QB sooner than later.
New England Patriots
Trading away Garoppolo means the Pats no longer have an heir apparent to future Hall of Famer, Tom Brady.
Brady, via The MMQB’s Peter King, indicated he’d like to play until his mid 40s. At 40 years old now, it’s certainly possible. But as we saw with former Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, the drop off from being one of the elite to merely a struggling game manager can be both quick and steep.
Washington Redskins
Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins is on his second consecutive franchise tag, and he’ll be in line for what looks to be a lucrative contract.
Somewhere.
The way Washington has handled this situation is odd, although the team would be wise to lock up a more-than-capable QB for the long term.
If the Redskins don’t, though, this need jumps to the top of the list.
Los Angeles Chargers
Quarterback Philip Rivers is playing well enough to suggest he’s good for another year, or two, with the Chargers. He’s had a healthy wide receiver in Keenan Allen, which has been beneficial, and the Chargers should be able to protect Rivers better in 2018 after offensive guard Forrest Lamp returns from a knee injury.
But Rivers is 36 years old, and the countdown to his NFL finale is getting louder.
New Orleans Saints
Like Rivers and the Chargers, the Saints eventually have to think about replacing future Hall of Famer Drew Brees. He’ll be a free agent this offseason, although there’s no logical way New Orleans lets him walk.
Brees has continued to supply Pro Bowl-level performances this late in his career. But at 38 years old, the end is sooner than one would like to think.
Buffalo Bills
Who knows what Bills head coach Sean McDermott will want to do under center next season. The incumbent, Tyrod Taylor, is signed through 2018. But McDermott’s benching of, Taylor in favor of rookie QB Nathan Peterman in Week 11, went about as poorly as one could have imagined.
McDermott may still not be sold on Taylor, though, which could be enough to suggest Buffalo will be on a quarterback hunt in this NFL Draft
No. 5: Arizona Cardinals
Current Position in the NFL Draft: No. 13 Overall
With veteran quarterback Carson Palmer, the Arizona Cardinals are a moderate playoff contender.
Without him, they’re no better than a .500 team. And that’s pushing it.
Palmer was lost to a season-ending arm injury in the Cardinals’ Week 7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams — a game where they were shut out 33-0. Filling in for Palmer, the Cardinals have experimented with a tandem consisting of Blaine Gabbert and Drew Stanton.
Not exactly an awe-inspiring duo.
The oft-injured Palmer just turned 38 years old this month, and 2017 will mark the second time in four years where he’s missed at least half the season.
And with rumors suggesting head coach Bruce Arians will leave the organization after this season, the Cardinals will want to usher in a new era of offensive playmakers to handle Palmer’s former duties.
No. 4: New York Giants
Current Position in the NFL Draft: No. 2
Perhaps no other team in the NFL this season went through more turmoil and underachievement than the New York Giants.
Hello, head coach Ben McAdoo. Goodbye, head coach Ben McAdoo.
McAdoo’s controversial decision to bench veteran quarterback Eli Manning arguably got him fired, although Manning’s 2017 campaign hasn’t exactly been stellar. His 57.9 passer rating is the lowest of his career. And while a slew of injuries at wide receiver, paired with bad offensive line play, has played a role, one can easily suspect the soon-to-be 37 year old is regressing beyond the point of acceptability.
The Giants are going to endure a massive overhaul this offseason, and the pressure of being in New York will make this process all the more scrutinized.
Fortunately, it appears as if UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen has the Giants on his hot list of preferred teams, as indicated in the video below:
If that’s the case, it’s good New York is currently slated to pick second overall in the NFL Draft.
No. 3: Cleveland Browns
Current Position in the NFL Draft: Nos. 1 and 4 (from Houston Texans)
Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson messed this thing up.
Jackson, of course, elected to give the team’s second-round pick, DeShone Kizer, the starting job after training camp instead of going with the veteran, Kevin Hogan.
The Browns are terrible — no breaking news here — so Hogan could have easily been that QB to take the lumps as Cleveland built up a roster over this season and into the next. Meanwhile, Kizer could have spent his rookie season developing and not being exposed to wholesale NFL ineptitude.
Simply put, Kizer wasn’t ready to start in 2017. Not even on a good team with adequate talent to surround him.
As such, Kizer’s 53.6 completion percentage and 58.0 passer rating both rank dead last among all qualifiers this season.
Cleveland just destroyed another quarterback.
Who knows whether or not this choice, combined with all the winless Browns’ issues, results in Jackson being dismissed after the end of this season. Additionally, the Browns have secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and will also be armed with the Houston Texans’ top pick, which is currently at No. 4.
One can all but guarantee one of those two selections will be on a quarterback.
Let’s just hope the next one doesn’t suffer the same fate.
No. 2: New York Jets
The New York Jets rank slightly higher than the Browns on this list for a number of reasons.
First, there’s the pressure of playing within the top media market in the country. That alone generates interest here.
But more importantly, the Jets were supposed to be terrible in 2017, especially after the mass jettisoning of players leading up to the regular season. Yet the Jets currently boast a 5-10 record and have turned into one of the more surprising teams in the league this season.
While the record is nothing to brag about, head coach Todd Bowles’ job is likely safe next year. And this team could be in line for some resurgence next season.
To find an anchor point — a player to build around and to establish a true “face of the franchise” — New York needs to find a young, flashy quarterback in the NFL Draft. The veteran, Josh McCown, handled these duties well enough before landing on season-ending injured reserve with a hand injury in Week 14.
A free agent in 2018, McCown isn’t the long-term answer, though. And it doesn’t look like backup QB Bryce Petty offers up much more confidence.
With a top-10 pick in the draft, adding the next signal-caller would help keep this once-laughable franchise heading in the right direction.
No. 1: Denver Broncos
Current Position in the NFL Draft: No. 6
It’s a weird thought, but the only significant quarterback addition Hall of Famer John Elway made in his tenure as the Denver Broncos general manager was landing Peyton Manning in free agency back in 2012.
Since then, the Broncos have been subject to quarterbacking play by the likes of Brock Osweiler, Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch.
Lynch arguably has some promise, although his stock hasn’t exactly risen after being selected at No. 26 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. In only four games played, Lynch has a passer rating of just 73.3 and has completed only 59.8 percent of his passes.
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The reason why the Broncos are ranked No. 1 on this list of teams is because they’re only two seasons removed from a victory in Super Bowl 50. While their 5-10 record under first-year head coach Vance Joseph suggests a massive drop off, the window remains open for this talented-yet-underperforming franchise.
And it’s a shame if they don’t try to rectify the quarterbacking woes soon.
Next: Full 7-round mock NFL Draft for the 49ers in 2018
Currently armed with the sixth overall pick in the draft, it wouldn’t be a shock at all to see Elway target yet another quarterback, putting pressure on Lynch and giving the franchise a shot to turn things around before the organization falls on even harder times.