3 NFL QBs who could lose their job as starters midway through the 2022 season
Holding a starting position in the NFL is extremely fickle. Even more so when it comes to the quarterback position. While most signal-callers have developed enough rapport with both their teammates and organizations to hold onto their starting spots until the end of time, several players are forced to look over their shoulders.
When the 2022 NFL season begins, countless quarterbacks will draw moans and groans from the crowds and their coaching staff. The whispers and urges to bench those starting quarterbacks will only intensify as the mistakes or worse, the losses begin piling up.
Although a number of their supporters will look up incredulously to the skies and ask why their team hasn't summerily given the starter the boot, there will be at least three franchises that have seen enough.
With countless names to choose from, we believe we’ve come up with three NFL quarterbacks who will start the season as the unquestioned leader in their starting role but will very possibly be benched during the season.
#3 Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans
Ryan Tannehill has the look of a franchise quarterback. Standing at 6’4,” Tannehill towers over oncoming pass rushers before lofting bullets over their outstretched arms. Tannehill also tips the scale at approximately 220 pounds, allowing him to shrug off would-be tacklers in the pocket.
In terms of Tannehill’s arm strength, he’s second to none. Still, despite the superlatives used to describe his game, the 33-year-old has never truly put it all together. In five postseason games, Tannehill has eclipsed the 200 passing yards mark just once.
This past season, with Derrick Henry hitting the mend, the Tennessee Titans were hoping to ride Tannehill’s arm to a Super Bowl appearance. But, of course, he faded down the stretch. The former Pro Bowler completed just 62.5% of his passes while throwing just one touchdown and three interceptions during a disappointing loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the postseason.
In an effort to take the next step, the Titans quietly got their hands on arguably the best quarterback in this past year’s NFL draft, or at least the most intriguing - Malik Willis.
Willis is a speedy signal-caller and he wrapped up his final year in college by throwing for 2,857 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Willis was also a threat when he tucked and ran with it, rushing for 878 yards and 13 scores on the ground.
At some point, Tannehill's tenuous play could come back to bite him and if it does, Willis is primed and ready to take full advantage.
#2 Carson Wentz, Washington Commanders
Carson Wentz has been tossed aside twice in two seasons. After being moved from the Philadelphia Eagles at the start the 2021 NFL season thanks to his innocuous performance and injury history. Wentz landed with the Indianapolis Colts.
Any thoughts of Wentz rebuilding his image in another location were immediately washed away following back-to-back losses at the end of the season to the Las Vegas Raiders and the Jacksonville Jaguars. When the Colts needed Wentz to be at his best, he folded, averaging just 139.5 passing yards in the final two games of the season. As a result, the Colts missed the playoffs.
Another reclamation project is set to take place as the Washington Commanders have him officially pegged as their starter for the 2022 NFL season. Yet, with Wentz's propensity for fumbling the ball, making mistakes in clusters and his inability to remain healthy, there’s a good chance that Washington will hand the reins of their team back to Taylor Heinicke.
Heinicke played last year following a season-ending injury to Ryan Fitzpatrick in the opening game. During his lone year in the NFL as a team’s signal-caller, Heinicke played well. He threw for 3,419 yards, 20 touchdowns, and completed 65% of his passes. With numbers such as those, Washington arguably did not need to add another quarterback, especially one the caliber of Wentz.
#1 Daniel Jones, New York Giants
A considerable amount of patience has been shown by the New York Giants franchise with Daniel Jones.
After making a bit of an unpopular move by selecting Jones with the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Jones has rewarded them with spurious bright moments on the field and consistent head-scratching outcomes.
In the past three seasons, Jones has won only 12 of his 37 starts. Additionally, Jones isn’t showing much in terms of his overall progress.
- 2019: 3,027 passing yards, 24 touchdowns
- 2020: 2,943 passing yards 11 touchdowns
- 2021: 2,428 passing yards 10 touchdowns
As illustrated, Jones and his progression are going the wrong way. This upcoming season, he’ll have little room for error as the Giants have brought in perpetually solid NFL backup Tyrod Taylor.
Always viewed as a solid and competent signal-caller, Jones shouldn’t be worried about his starting position in the NFL if he shows at least some sort of improvement. If he continues to falter, however, Taylor, who will turn 33 before the start of the season, will swoop in and nab his starting spot.