The injuries and illness issues Lamar Jackson has dealt with this season has opened the door for Tyler Huntley with the Baltimore Ravens.
An undrafted free agent out of Utah back in 2020, Huntley has more than proven that he deserves a shot to start for an NFL team. Unfortunately, it likely won’t come with a Ravens team that boasts a former NFL MVP.
Heading into Week 15’s action against the Green Bay Packers, Huntley had completed 68.2% of his passes for 528 yards with a touchdown and an interception in what was pretty much a two-game sample size.
Having to start for the injured Jackson, Huntley more than proved himself against an elite-level Packers defense. The 23-year-old signal caller completed 28-of-40 passes for 215 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. He added 73 yards and two scores on the ground, nearly leading Baltimore to a comeback win.
We’re now going to hear a lot more about the status of this dual-threat quarterback heading into the off-season. Tyler Huntley is slated to become an exclusive-rights free agent, meaning that the Ravens will be able to potentially move him in a trade. Here’s a look at four ideal scenarios for the young quarterback.
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Tyler Huntley trade to the New York Giants
Right now, it’s not yet known whether the Giants believe Daniel Jones is the quarterback of the future. He’s been less-than-average in roughly three seasons since being selected No. 6 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. Jones is also dealing with a potentially serious upper-body injury.
Either way, New York needs to change things up big time. That could include firing general manager David Gettleman. If so, an unnamed new front office head might very well take a chance on this dual-threat signal caller. New York could offer up a third-round pick and change and see if the Ravens bite. More than anything, the backfield tandem of Huntley and Saquon Barkley could be pretty darn dynamic.
Tyler Huntley lands with the Las Vegas Raiders
These Raiders are in the same situation as New York in that we have no idea who will be calling the shots next offseason following the resignation of Jon Gruden. What we do know is that change will be the name of the game after yet another late-season meltdown under veteran quarterback Derek Carr.
Carr himself continues to be bandied about on the rumor mill. Meanwhile, his No. 1 fan in that of Gruden is no longer with the organization. Why not buy cheap on a high-upside young quarterback to replace Carr while acquiring draft capital to move off the Pro Bowler and saving a ton of cash to help in other areas? It almost makes too much sense.
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Atlanta Falcons take a chance on Tyler Huntley
It’s becoming increasingly clear that Matt Ryan’s future with the Falcons is in doubt. As evidenced by their most-recent loss, these Falcons are not playoff contenders. At 36 years old, it would not be a surprise if Ryan requested a trade this coming March in order to close out his career with a playoff contender.
As for Huntley, this might be the best possible fit for the young signal caller. New Falcons head coach Arthur Smith helped turn around Ryan Tannehill’s career when he was the Tennessee Titans’ offensive coordinator. Given what we’ve seen between Huntley and star Ravens tight end Mark Andrews, there’s every reason to believe he’d have a ton of success throwing to stud Falcons youngster Kyle Pitts, too.
Tyler Huntley trade to Washington Football Team
Talk about being in quarterback purgatory. WFT attempted to roll with veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, only to see him lost for the season after one game. Taylor Heinicke has played well, but he doesn’t seem to be the long-term solution in the nation’s capital.
The backdrop here is a Washington skill-positiong group and defense that’s ready to contend. Running back Antonio Gibson has been dynamic, something that would only be magnified with Huntley in the backfield. Offensive coordinator Scott Turner has also worked with signal callers in the past in his stints as the quarterbacks coach with the Minnesota Vikings and Carolina Panthers.