It’s June which means no better time to break down some contested quarterback battles across the league.
Buffalo Bills: EJ Manuel vs. Matt Cassel vs. Tyrod Taylor
It has been reported that the Bills have already looked into cutting EJ Manuel all though offensive coordinator Greg Roman denies it. Regardless if that is true or not even the report of it would lead to the belief that Matt Cassel has the upper hand in this battle but the dark horse candidate, Tyrod Taylor, could make things interesting.
Taylor has been backing up Joe Flacco in Baltimore since 2012 and has looked like he deserves a shot to play in his last two preseasons completing 56/91 (61.5%) of his passes for 608 yards 7 touchdowns and 4 interceptions with a QB rating of 88.5 while rushing for 190 yards. While those numbers don’t jump off the page Cassel has competed at a similar level as Taylor during the last two preseasons; completing 48/79 (60.8%) for 684 yards, 3 touchdowns 2 interceptions with a QB rating of 90.9.
Prediction: Tyrod Taylor
Cleveland Browns: Josh McCown vs. Johnny Manziel
Head coach Mike Pettine has stated there is no competition and McCown will be the starter. Much like Tim Tebow in Denver, there will always be questions about when Manziel will play whether the second year quarterback deserves a shot or not.
McCown had a stellar season coming off the bench in 2013 with the Bears but other than that he has never proven to be worthy of a starting gig. When McCown enters a season as the starter he has thrown 41 touchdowns to 46 interceptions, averaged 179 yards/game and had a QB rating of 72.5.
Manziel looked terrible in his two games of work as a rookie but he is still only 22. He checked himself into a rehab clinic during the off season and by some accounts he seems to be a changed man coming into this season. However the ill will that he built up over last year with head coach Mike Pettine will keep him on clipboard duties this season, at least for the start of it.
Prediction: Josh McCown for 6 games then Johnny Manziel
Houston Texans: Ryan Mallett vs. Brian Hoyer vs. Tom Savage
All three could be considered on of Head coach “Bill O’Brien’s guys.” The second year head coach is familiar with both Hoyer and Mallett from his coaching days in New England and he drafted Tom Savage.
Mallett will start camp in the pole position but Hoyer won’t make things easy. Mallett has one of the strongest arms in the NFL and is a higher risk/reward player. While Hoyer struggled last season in Cleveland amidst the Johnny Football circus he is generally a steady, consistent, and “boring” quarterback. Savage is still too young to provide any real threat to the other two. With an offense that ran the ball more times than any other team in the league last season it would make sense to go with the “boring” quarterback over the risk taker with the rocket arm.
Prediction: Brian Hoyer
New York Jets: Geno Smith vs. Ryan Fitzpatrick
Todd Bowels has already deemed Geno Smith the starting quarterback for the Jets in 2015. Don’t believe him. Bowels wants to give Smith confidence going into camp with the hopes that it will help raise his level of play but Ryan Fitzpatrick will be breathing down his neck all off season.
Smith is coming off of a season in which he ranked last for all starting quarterbacks in yards per game and was one of only four quarterbacks to not throw more touchdowns than interceptions.
Fitzpatrick on the other had actually looked the part of a starting NFL quarterback in 12 games with the Texans. He threw for 2,483 yards while completing 63% of his passes with 17 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. If he continues to play at that level it will be a no brainer to go with this Harvard graduate.
Prediction: Ryan Fitzpatrick
Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III vs. Kirk Cousins vs. Colt McCoy
RG3 has been named the starter but Jay Gruden didn’t have much of a choice to do anything else. Much like the battle in New York even though it’s not stated publicly there will be a chance for those not named the starter to play. Kirk Cousins was the NFL hipster pick to be a star a year ago but didn’t live up to the hype when he was given a shot in 2014.
Colt McCoy, on the other hand, raised some eyebrows. His first action as a Redskin was a relief appearance against the Titans when he completed 11/12 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown in Washington’s come from behind win. He followed that up by leading Washington to an overtime win at Dallas and a 392 yard 3 touchdown performance at Indianapolis. McCoy will also have the benefit of facing weaker competition during the preseason than the other two which will create pressure to name him the starter.
Prediction: Colt McCoy
