Where do NFL QB competitions stand? | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

A handful of NFL teams have shaky situations at the starting quarterback position as the second round of preseason games rolls around this week.

The New England Patriots and Denver Broncos must decide whether to open the regular season with their prized rookies as starters or opt to temporarily have veterans fill their spots. The Minnesota Vikings were in a similar position before the decision was made Tuesday.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders must choose between more experienced quarterbacks.

Here’s a look at the competitions, team by team:

PITTSBURGH STEEL

The Pittsburgh Steelers completely remade their quarterback hierarchy by signing Russell Wilson as a low-cost free agent and trading for Justin Fields while parting ways with Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph following last season’s playoff appearance.

Wilson is getting a fresh start with the Steelers after two turbulent seasons in Denver. He’s recovering from a calf injury he suffered early in training camp, and his absence has given Fields a chance to lead the starting offense. Fields, a former first-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears, also started the preseason opener against the Houston Texans.

But Wilson apparently remains the favorite to begin the season as the starter. Coach Mike Tomlin ranked him as the team’s top quarterback on the depth chart. And Fields was inconsistent in the preseason opener. He played three series and completed 5 of 6 passes for 67 yards. But he was also sacked twice and charged with two fumbles on blown plays.

“I think he did some good things,” Tomlin said during his postgame news conference. “But obviously it was a component of the (center-quarterback) swap, and from my perspective, that puts a double burden on the center and the quarterback. That negated a lot of good things that happened in those first two drives.”

Fields mixed moments of great promise with disappointment on the field during his three seasons in Chicago, and the Bears traded him to clear the way to use the first overall pick in April’s draft on quarterback Caleb Williams. Fields may not have capitalized on his initial opportunity to gain ground on Wilson.

“We can’t shoot ourselves in the foot,” he said after the first preseason game. “We have to do the routine things in a routine way. … That’s what held us back when we were running the ball well.”

The Steelers host the Buffalo Bills in their second preseason game on Saturday.

Denver Broncos

The Broncos selected Bo Nix as the sixth quarterback in the first round of this year’s draft, tying a record of all within the first 12 picks.

The Bears have already named Williams their starter. Jayden Daniels is well-positioned to be the Washington Commanders’ starter in Week 1. Michael Penix Jr. is set to be Kirk Cousins’ backup this season with the Atlanta Falcons. It’s less clear who Nix will be in Denver, Drake Maye with the Patriots and JJ McCarthy with the Vikings.

There’s certainly an opportunity for Nix, after coach Sean Payton benched Russell Wilson in favor of Jarrett Stidham for the final two games of last season and then the Broncos released Wilson in the offseason. The question is whether Nix is ​​ready to be the starter on Day 1.

He played well in relief in Sunday’s preseason opener at Indianapolis, throwing a touchdown pass on a 15-for-21, 125-yard performance. The Broncos scored on four of five drives led by Nix. Payton said he was pleased with the play of all three quarterbacks.

The job will clearly be Nix’s at some point. Stidham has been a starter in four of his five NFL seasons with the Patriots, Raiders and Broncos. Zach Wilson never lived up to the promise of being the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft in his three seasons with the New York Jets, and was traded to the Broncos in April.

Stidham’s presence gives Payton a temporary alternative if he doesn’t feel like Nix can be the starter in Week 1. However, if Nix continues to perform well, it wouldn’t be surprising if he gets the starting job right away. The Broncos host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night.

“They’re doing a good job of handling the competition … and they’re taking advantage of the reps they’re getting when they’re on the field,” Payton said. “And they’re focused on showing their best selves on film when they’re in the game, all three of them. So those numbers will play out a little bit differently next weekend.”

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

The Vikings, after losing Cousins ​​in free agency to the Falcons, signed Sam Darnold as a free agent and then used the 10th overall pick on McCarthy.

But coach Kevin O’Connell’s decision on his quarterback has been put on hold indefinitely as McCarthy must undergo surgery for a torn meniscus in his right knee suffered during his preseason debut Saturday at home against the Raiders. Darnold is all but certain to begin the season as the Vikings’ starter.

“Sam’s had a really good camp and my confidence level in Sam is very, very high right now,” O’Connell said during a news conference Tuesday.

McCarthy could become an option during the season, pending the outcome of his surgery that will determine the severity of his injury and the length of his rehabilitation. The injury was a major disappointment for the Vikings after McCarthy’s promising performance on Saturday. He threw an interception against the Raiders. But he also threw two touchdown passes in an 11-of-17 outing for 188 yards.

“Clearly, everyone can see the talent in the arm,” O’Connell said after the game. “I loved seeing him come back right after the interception and still be aggressive, staying true to the footwork, the rhythm, the timing, where his eye needs to be.”

Even before McCarthy’s knee injury became a major issue, the Vikings seemed conscious of not giving him too much to handle, too soon.

“I think right now, I’m just looking for him to get better, get him comfortable in our system, and like I said at the beginning, there’s no ceiling or floor,” O’Connell said Saturday. “But at the same time, I think we want to be smart about his development and make sure his training camp goes as planned.”

New England Patriots

The Patriots’ new era includes Jerod Mayo as Bill Belichick’s successor and Eliot Wolf in charge of the front office.

It also includes Maye at quarterback, after the Patriots selected him third overall following the Bears’ selection of Williams and the Commanders’ selection of Daniels.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean Mayo will turn to Maye right away. The starter this season seems likely to be Jacoby Brissett, who was signed as a free agent in March. This is Brissett’s second stint in New England. He has started 48 times in eight NFL seasons with the Patriots, Colts, Miami Dolphins, Browns and Commanders.

Brissett and Maye played just one series each in Thursday’s preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers in Foxborough, Massachusetts, before Bailey Zappe and rookie Joe Milton III finished the game. Maye is expected to see more time on the field Thursday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

“For all the quarterbacks, it’s a very important week for those guys to show real development,” Mayo said at a news conference Sunday. “Drake will play more this week, for sure.”

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS

Aidan O’Connell started 10 games last season as a little-known rookie. The Raiders released Jimmy Garoppolo in the offseason and signed Gardner Minshew, a veteran with 37 career starts for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Eagles and Colts. He was selected to the Pro Bowl last season while making 13 starts for Indianapolis while then-rookie Anthony Richardson was sidelined with a shoulder injury.

Coach Antonio Pierce has no intention of letting the Raiders’ quarterback decision drag on. He said he hopes to make a decision after Saturday’s second preseason game at home against the Dallas Cowboys.

“The goal will be to make a decision after the game on Saturday,” Pierce said during a news conference Sunday. “We have to get ready to play football. … We have enough film. We’ll have two games here to evaluate both quarterbacks and see how they’ll play.”