The upcoming NFL season could present the end of the line for some quarterbacks who are hanging on to their starting jobs or in some cases, their NFL careers, by a thread.
In some situations, rookies could oust starters should injuries and poor performances arise. Meanwhile other quarterbacks must prove to their respective teams that they are not just one-hit wonders moving forward.
Whatever the circumstance may be, the following six quarterbacks are facing make it or break it seasons this fall.
Sam Bradford, Philadelphia Eagles
At this time, the Eagles appear to be honoring their word that Bradford will be the starter come Week 1.
This comes despite the Eagles catapulting up in the draft to No. 2 to select Carson Wentz and Bradford’s initial holdout of the team’s voluntary practices. Now that Bradford has come back to his senses, it is go time.
of Bradford’s performance last season.
“We all know he folds like lawn chair in the pocket.”
It will be up to Bradford to use his feet to avoid the heat. Competing in a division in which nobody which NFC East team will prevail, another lackluster win/loss record could spell doom for his future as a starter.
The Eagles would most likely turn to Wentz should this happen, sending Bradford into a disgruntled tizzy to seek a trade. Sadly, we all know how far that got him the last time around. With little margin for error, Bradford simply cannot regress.
Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins
After posting a commendable 9-7 record, Cousins helped lead Washington to its first postseason since 2012.
Following such a successful campaign that saw Cousins complete a league-high 69.8 percent of his passes for 4,166 yards, 29 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions, Washington pledged its faith with a generous one-year, $19.953 million deal.
Now, it is Cousins’ job to show he is worth the money and an eventual long-term contract.
A lapse in performance such as when he committed a horrific nine turnovers in the first seven weeks last year could see Washington pulling the plug on Cousins as a long-term option. Although if h peicks up where he left off, he should have no worries about his future job security.
Hopefully, the latter scenario is the case. Cousins certainly has plenty of talent to ensure he remains a fixture in Washington for years to come.
Blaine Gabbert/Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers will hold a quarterback competition between incumbent Gabbert and former starter Kaepernick this summer.
After Kaepernick struggled tremendously in the first half of 2015, the 49ers had no choice but to turn to Gabbert. While he proved more successful than Kaepernick, some might compare the current 49ers’ quarterback dilemma to being asked if you would rather be covered by spiders or cockroaches. Both are distasteful options.
At this point, either one of these guys could be the starter come September. If Gabbert prevails during training camp and leads a successful 2016 campaign, Kaepernick might as well pack his bags.
Should Kaepernick suddenly rebound to his Super Bowl worthy season, then Gabbert will revert to being nothing more than a middling backup.
The worst-case scenario for the 49ers is both quarterbacks flop and the team has to start over from scratch next season. If that is the case, neither Kap or Gabbert would possess much appeal in an open market.
May the lesser of the two evils win.
Tyrod Taylor, Buffalo Billls
Taylor is the here and now in Buffalo. But, is he really the long-term solution to the Bills’ ongoing quarterback woes?
After serving as a backup in Baltimore for four seasons, Taylor at least proved to be an upgrade at the position in his first year as a starter. Plus the Bills have Taylor locked up in an ultra-affordable three-year, $3.35 million contract while they evaluate his performance again this year.
Realizing that he could potentially earn more money comparable to some of his counterparts, Taylor is remaining patient that a new deal is on the horizon.
https://twitter.com/MatthewFairburn/status/739813383055286272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
This equates to Taylor building on his last season’s performance. In 2015, Taylor completed a notable 63.7 percent of his passes for 3,035 yards, 20 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Though, health was an issue. If he declines and the Bills struggle to post more than the eight wins they notched in 2015, then it could be Cardale Jones time in 2017.
That’s not exactly a fabulous bargaining tool for Taylor moving forward.
Mark Sanchez, Denver Broncos
Ever since his release from the New York Jets, Sanchez has been trying to revive his NFL career. Due to the Bradford factor in Philly, Sanchez most recently found himself a member of a Super Bowl winning Denver Broncos.
Fortunately, he has the prime opportunity to start for a winning franchise. That is unless he blows it.
As it appears, Sanchez seems the logical choice to start in Week 1. However, an up-and-coming Trevor Siemian and rookie Paxton Lynch anxiously await in the wings.
Provided Sanchez starts, all it would take is a few losses right off the bat or some classic Sanchez turnovers for him to get the hook early on. If he winds up getting benched this season, his tenure as a Bronco will likely come to a screeching halt.
Thankfully, Sanchez is paired with one of the best defenses in the NFL and some amazing offensive weapons. In order to reduce the odds of Sanchez choking, we can bet a ton of handoffs to C.J. Anderson and company this fall are part of Gary Kubiak’s game plan.
If Sanchez is still surviving come Week 17 and the Broncos are winning more than losing, there will be millions of doubters eating crow.
Robert Griffin III, Cleveland Browns
RGIII received another opportunity in the NFL after the Browns took him under their wing in free agency.
If Griffin stays ahead in the quarterback competition over rookie Cody Kessler and veterans Josh McCown and Austin Davis during training camp, he will be golden to start in September. Though, another significant injury or a stretch of poor performances could spell the end for RGIII.
Fans of Griffin have been waiting since the end of his smashing rookie debut for an encore. And that simply has not happened yet. At this point, Griffin needs to step up and prove to his new team he is worth keeping beyond 2016.
If injuries and inaccuracies prevail and the Browns post a measly two or three wins, Griffin will be joining the ranks of the unemployed next season.
Let’s just hope that an early Griffin practice episode that had playground kids scrambling to avoid flying footballs is not a telling sign of worse things to come in 2016.