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Few positions are more vital to a team’s success and an NFL franchise’s trajectory than quarterback, and several veteran passers begin the 2022 regular season sitting squarely on the hot seat.
Perhaps no quarterback has more on the line than new Washington Commanders starter, and former No. 2 overall draft pick Carson Wentz.
“It’s hard to see what his career looks like beyond this season,” an NFL offensive coordinator told Heavy, on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about a player not on his team. “This is his third team, already. He’s an over-thinker. He’s not decisive, and he hasn’t been very accurate the past two seasons.”
While there is a healthy amount of skepticism that Wentz turns his career around, multiple high-ranking Commanders officials tell Heavy that the organization is “all-in” on Wentz and believe he has the potential to surprise this season.
Meanwhile, in New York and Philadelphia, Wentz’s division rivals face very different pressure for very different reasons.
Here’s a look at the six quarterbacks facing a make-or-break campaign in 2022.
Daniel Jones, New York Giants
This is Daniel Jones’ last chance.
Hours before the 2022 NFL draft, the New York Giants announced that new general manager Joe Schoen, head coach Brian Daboll, and the organization had declined Jones’ fifth-year option after he was previously drafted No. 6 overall by Dave Gettleman’s Giants back in 2019.
This season, Jones will have to play at an elite level to justify an East Rutherford return, for a regime that has no ties to him whatsoever, and mountains of pressure to turn around a franchise that hasn’t won a postseason contest since 2011.
Jones has produced meager results, including a disastrous 12-25 record, but injuries have wreaked havoc on both him and his supporting cast.
A career 62.8% passer, Jones this season will have the benefit of a presumably fully healthy Saquon Barkley, second-year speedster Kadarius Toney at wide receiver, and an improved offensive line. It will be up to Jones to elevate the talent around him, and improve his results, or the Giants will be eyeing his replacement at the top of the 2023 draft.
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions have added some impressive young talent on offense over the past two offseasons, and with a potential out for Detroit following this season, all of the pressure is on the former No. 1 overall pick to show he’s capable of leading a contender.
Detroit would save roughly $20.6 million against the cap, while absorbing a $10 million dead-money charge, by releasing Goff prior to the 2023 campaign. However, with two more years remaining on his current deal, much of Goff’s destiny is in his own hands.
Amon-Ra St. Brown has the potential to be a breakout star at wide receiver, after catching 90 balls for 912 yards and 5 touchdowns as a rookie. Likewise, D.J. Chark arrives with much to prove and is a potential No. 1 wide receiver. But, Goff is coming off a career-low 3,245 passing yards in 2021. If he’s going to convince the Lions that they can win with him, he will need to improve that production dramatically.
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
There may not be a quarterback in the league with more variance in terms of possible outcomes following this season than Jalen Hurts.
Hurts is viewed by some inside the league as a possible MVP dark-horse, as he enters his second season as the starter of an Eagles team that has legitimate Super Bowl aspirations.
However, despite leading the Eagles to an NFC Wild Card berth last season, Hurts completed 61.3 percent of his passes for 3,144 yards with 16 touchdowns to 9 interceptions, as Philadelphia made the postseason largely on the back of the NFL’s top rushing offense.
The Eagles enter the season boasting arguably the premier offensive line in football, added A.J. Brown to a receiving corps that already included DeVonta Smith, and significantly upgraded all three levels of the defense throughout the offseason. There might not be a quarterback better positioned to make a significant leap this season than Hurts.
If Hurts plays like an elite franchise quarterback, he’ll play his way into a significant payday this offseason, and the Eagles will have a pair of first-round picks to continue building out an elite roster around him. But, if Hurts falters and the Eagles stumble, those two first-rounders will undoubtedly be used to mine his replacement next spring.
Carson Wentz, Washington Commanders
This is probably Carson Wentz’s last chance to prove he’s a starting-caliber NFL quarterback.
Wentz’s arrival in Washington has been met with skepticism equal to the fanfare of him making his debut as the No. 2 overall pick of the Eagles back in 2016, that’s to say that if another season comes to a disappointing end for Wentz, this could be it.
It’s difficult to envision Wentz ever accepting becoming a journeyman backup, which is what he would likely be destined to become, if he doesn’t lead marked improvement for a Commanders offense that boasts top-10 receiver Terry McLaurin, first-round rookie Jahan Dotson, a stable of explosive running backs, buttressed by a defense loaded with top talent.
Washington is so committed to Wentz, whom it traded for on March 16, that the Commanders drafted quarterback Sam Howell in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft, just over one month later.
Howell was already getting some first-team reps during Commanders training camp, so it is fair to question just how long Wentz’s leash as Washington’s starting quarterback is before this prove-it season begins.
Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans
It’s difficult to imagine Ryan Tannehill not looking over his shoulder at Malik Willis, after the rookie’s dynamic showing during the Titans’ preseason.
Willis was nothing short of electrifying, completing 13-of-15 passing attempts for 318 yards with 2 touchdowns to 1 interception, with his mobility and escapability from the pocket seemingly throwing the Titans’ playbook wide open.
Tannehill, meanwhile, has guided the Titans to two consecutive AFC South championships, but a pair of one-and-dones in the postseason showcased some of the veteran’s limitations in big moments.
In a lot of ways, the pressure is on Tannehill both to stave off his potential successor and the charge from Matt Ryan’s Indianapolis Colts, who now have the firepower to potentially enter this season as the favorites to win the division. Time will tell if Tannehill can hold either off for an entire season.
Baker Mayfield, Carolina Panthers
Baker Mayfield beat out Sam Darnold for the Carolina Panthers starting quarterback job, after arriving in Charlotte via a trade with the Cleveland Browns on July 6.
Mayfield lands in an offense with some dynamic playmakers in versatile running back Christian McCaffrey, field-stretching receiver D.J. Moore, and an offensive line that’s seen an overhaul over the past two offseasons. The Panthers hope to climb the hierarchy in a fairly wide-open NFC.
In Mayfield, the Panthers have a quarterback with the track record of taking the Kansas City Chiefs to the brink in the AFC Divisional round, in Arrowhead, and wholly motivated by a tumultuous offseason and departure from the Cleveland Browns.
The Panthers already drafted Matt Corral prior to acquiring Mayfield, but the third-round pick is out for the season. Similarly to Hurts, Mayfield has the opportunity in front of him to play his way into the long-term security of a mega-deal. But, if Mayfield and the Panthers falter, sweeping changes could be looming in Carolina in 2023.
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