With Indianapolis in rebuild mode there s no rush to get Richardson under center, and he would certainly benefit from some time on the bench.
Shifting gears to San Francisco, where the most compelling quarterback battle will take place. The Niners are a top-four contender, but unlike the other favorites don t have a star QB to rely on.
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In a perfect world, Brock Purdy would return as the starter after going 5-0 in the regular season as a rookie, leading San Fran to the NFC Championship Game. But, Purdy tore the UCL in his right elbow in that contest, and he s no lock to be ready for Week 1.
That leaves 2021 third overall pick Trey Lance, and former top-three pick Sam Darnold as insurance options. Lance was selected to be the team s franchise quarterback, but has yet to prove he s ready for the big stage.
The 23-year-old missed almost all of last season with an ankle injury, and there s speculation that the Niners don t view him as a long term option.
A year ago, Trey Lance ($41.46) had a stock price similar to Tua Tagovailoa ($41.82)
Today, Lance’s stock price ($17.69) is more similar to Kenny Pickett ($20.60) and Gardner Minshew ($14.55)
Here, Adam Schefter believes Lance is the QB3 on his OWN team
Mojo Fantasy (@mojo)
Which brings us to Sam Darnold. He produced the best QB rating of his career last season in Carolina, and is someone who could excel in the strict offensive scheme Kyle Shanahan deploys.
Shanahan QBs don t have to master defensive schemes or worry about progressing through all of their reads. Instead, they can just focus on quick hitting throws to the Niners elite playmakers and let them do the rest. Darnold appears much more capable than Lance of accomplishing that.
New Faces in New Places
The biggest move of the offseason was four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers landing in New York. The Jets paid a heavy price to acquire Rodgers, and overpaid his friends Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb to join him.
Rodgers is thought to be the missing piece that could elevate New York to a title contender. The Jets had a top-five defense in 2022, and boast arguably the top-two offensive rookies from last season in Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall.
But there s reasons to be down on this team. For starters, there are serious holes on the offensive line. The Jets finished 21st in pass block win rate last year, and will need to protect Rodgers if they expect to compete for a championship.
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Also working against Rodgers is the coaching in New York. Nathaniel Hackett will reportedly call plays as the OC, and we saw how poorly that worked out in his lone season in Denver. Yes, Hackett and Rodgers have worked together in the past, but it was Matt LaFleur, not Hackett, making the play calls.
Schedule makers also didn t do the Jets any favors. In addition to playing a tough AFC East slate, they also have to face the Chiefs, Eagles, Cowboys and Chargers.
Speaking of AFC East contenders, can Jalen Ramsey shore up the Dolphins defense to the point where they can compete for a Super Bowl? Miami traded for the star corner this offseason, hoping to improve on the Fins bottom-eight pass defense.
If Miami can make strides on that side of the ball look out. They already boast one of the most explosive offenses in football, and are a leading contender to sign four-time Pro Bowl RB Dalvin Cook.
Finally, can Sean Payton fix Russell Wilson in Denver? Wilson was a disaster in his first year with the Broncos, but if anyone can set him straight it s Payton. The offensive guru was paid an enormous sum to turn Denver around, and he simply won t let Russ call the shots like he did in 2022.
Russell Wilson 2022 Stats
