Photo credit – Jacksonville Jaguars

The 2019 NFL season is drawing closer and closer, and just like every other year, it is going to look vastly different than it did the year before. While there have been many big roster changes, very big, the quarterback position is garnering arguably less attention than usual. Part of that is probably because of some of those very big changes by the likes of Le’Veon Bell, Antonio Brown and Odell Beckham Jr. overshadowing the rest of the league. The news of the quarterback swaps is just as important, and should be treated as such.

The quarterback position is the most important position on the field, and finding that star signal-caller can be a long and tiresome journey (see the Cleveland Browns since the turn of the century). Some teams are quite literally just a quarterback away from making a the playoffs, and making a decent run. The Jacksonville Jaguars are one of those teams. In 2017, led by their incredible defense, they made the AFC Championship game. They even led for most of the game. One reason they lost to the New England Patriots, though, was QB Blake Bortles’ inability to deliver in the clutch. While Bortles did have a decent game, putting up 293 yards with one touchdown on 23/36 passing attempts, he wasn’t able to take the offense to the next level and take his team to the Super Bowl. I’m not blaming that loss solely on Bortles, make no mistake, but he certainly has some blame in it, too.

The 2018 season is one that the Jags would love to forget. They went from first in the AFC South to fourth. Their stellar defense, made up of mostly the same names from 2017, looked like an entirely different squad. Bortles was atrocious. There were points in the season where he looked like there was anywhere else he’d have rather been than on the field. It even got to the point that he was benched for Cody Kessler. Cody Kessler, let that sink in. Cody’s got heart, I’ll give him that, but there was a reason he was traded away from Cleveland after their 0-16 season. Even after earning a contract extension from the Jags, a ridiculous one at that, Bortles was cut just over a year after signing it. This was done after the Jaguars decided to make the decision to try a new guy behind center – Philadelphia hero Nick Foles.

Foles signed with the Jaguars to a 4 year deal, worth $88 million and over $50 million guaranteed. This solidifies the position for them for the next few seasons, and allows them some time to wait for their guy to come in the draft in a few years. Honestly, Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa or Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence could be that guy in 2020 or 2021, respectively. Both would make a good fit, and they would both have some time to sit behind the Veteran Foles and develop. As much as I enjoy and respect Foles, I don’t think that he’s the long term solution for Jacksonville, and I really don’t think he should have the monster contract he received. Yes, he’s a Superbowl MVP, but he has a history of mediocrity and injury. In his seven seasons, he has yet to play one in its entirety, and more recently he has been a backup as opposed to starting. I do see him being the piece that the Jags needed, though. If he is able to play up to his recent expectations, and the defense can get back to their old ways, I see the Jags having another playoff appearance, maybe even competing for the AFC again. Maybe. Like I said, I like Nick I really do, but he just has to prove that he deserves that $88 million now.

There has been other QB news besides Foles, too, believe it or not. Starting with the trades around the league, the Broncos made a couple to change their man. First, The Case Keenum experiment has already been chalked up as a failure as they shipped him to Washington along with a 2020 7th round pick for a 2020 6th rounder from the Redskins. After spending relatively big on Keenum ($36 million for 2 years with $25 million guaranteed), John Elway and company have decided to move on. This gives the Redskins the chance to have a decent veteran on their roster to play while Alex Smith recovers. This also gives the presumably new Washington rookie QB to learn from the experienced Keenum.

This takes us to their next trade, for former Ravens QB Joe Flacco. This deal was made by Denver sending a 2019 4th rounder, the 113th overall. This gives the Broncos a longtime veteran and Superbowl champion at the helm to help them transition their next rookie into a starter. The Broncos honestly don’t have a choice but to draft another, which will be their sixth QB drafted since 2010 when they took Tim Tebow. With Elway having picks at both #10 and #41 overall, there are plenty of QBs in the draft for them to make the future of their franchise. My first guess for them is Drew Lock out of Missouri, but I can also see them taking someone like Daniel Jones (Duke), Ryan Finley (NC State), Will Grier (West Virginia), or Jake Browning (Washington). Even Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins fits, but I would be very surprised if he is still available for them. These are all big guys with strong arms, which fits Elway’s archetype to a T.

The last trade that has been made so far is the Tennessee Titans trading for Miami QB Ryan Tannehill. The trade was Tannehill and Miami’s 2019 6th round pick for Tennessee’s 2019 7th round and 2020 4th round picks. This left the Dolphins with Luke Faulk and Jake Rudock, with almost no career passing attempts between them, let alone touchdowns. This bolster’s Tennessee’s QB depth, and gives the Dolphins some future compensation for their lackluster quarterback. This leads us right to the recent QB signings throughout the league.

While we’re still on Miami, after trading Tannehill, they recently signed Ryan Fitzpatrick to a 2 year deal for $11 million. This gives them a veteran presence while they also look for their future in the draft next month. Some of the other signings across the league include: Tyrod Taylor to the Chargers (2 yr/$11 mill.), Teddy Bridgewater resigning with the Saints (1 yr/$7.25 mill.), and even Blake Bortles finding his new home as a backup to Jared Goff.

This offseason has felt much different for the need of quarterbacks across the league. Some of the usual faces are not here this year. The Browns have their guy in Baker Mayfield (thank goodness!), the Jets have Sam Darnold, the Bills are looking promising with Josh Allen and the 49ers have been desperately waiting for Jimmy Garoppolo to return. There are also teams who are continuing in their search for their signal caller. The Giants are again in need of a young QB, and are probably still regretting letting it go this long as it is. The Broncos are once again going to the draft to find their guy. Even the Cardinals are rumored to surprise everyone and take Kyler Murray with the number one overall pick. I think this would be a huge mistake, but that is just me. I like Josh Rosen and think he deserves a chance with an actual team around him. I also don’t think Murray should be the first off the board, and I personally am not a fan of his attitude toward the game. But I know that new Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury loves Murray, so by no means would I be shocked if his name is called first.

Also, its the time of year again for us to speculate if this is the year for either the Los Angeles Chargers or the New England Patriots to finally pick their replacements for Phillip Rivers and Tom Brady. I think it would be silly for either team to not start planning for the future if their franchises, especially the Patriots. While Tom Brady looks like he might be able to defy the rules of aging, the 41 year old will eventually need to retire. I think. This QB class is deep, and it has plenty of options for either LA or New England to draft a young guy in the middle rounds to sit and learn for a few years before taking the mantle.

The quarterback carousel hasn’t been quite as prominent as it has in years past, but there have been a lot of changes that could have some big impact for the coming years. The draft is obviously still yet to come, and could mean some big things going forward, but so far it has still been a fun offseason. The draft will answer some questions, and probably even raise a few, but I still can’t wait to see what it has in store for us.

