The 2026 rookie quarterback class has been stuck on the sidelines so far, with 10 quarterbacks drafted and none opening a game through Week 7. The only rookie to make a start this year is Buccaneers quarterback Jalon Daniels, the undrafted former Kansas star who went 1-2 while filling in for an injured Baker Mayfield.
Fernando Mendoza is the closest thing to a looming change. He has already seen the field in mop-up duty in New England in Week 5, and the Raiders are sliding in a way that makes a late-season look inevitable.
Las Vegas is 3-4 after starting 3-0, and coach Klint Kubiak has said he wants to reevaluate "everything" after the four-game losing streak. Even so, he is not treating quarterback as the obvious fix, with Kirk Cousins still playing well while the run defense and running game have dragged the team down.
The schedule still matters here. The Raiders’ next five are at the Jets, at the 49ers, vs. the Seahawks, at the Broncos and at the Browns, a stretch that could leave them no better than 4-8 by the Week 13 bye.
Cousins can keep playing while Las Vegas has a real wild-card path, but a long look at Mendoza before Year 2 makes sense once the calendar flips. From Week 14 on, the Raiders get three straight home games, plus dates with the Titans and Cardinals before what could be a rested Chiefs team in Week 18.
Arizona feels like a different kind of transition. Jacoby Brissett is piling up volume - his 282 attempts lead the league - and the Cardinals are still throwing at a 62 percent clip under new coach Mike LaFleur.
But the production has flattened out. Brissett is averaging 5.6 yards per attempt, the deep ball has disappeared, and too much of the passing game has funneled through tight end Trey McBride.
At 2-5, with little playoff hope in the NFC West, Arizona also knows Brissett is under contract only through this season.
That opens the door for Carson Beck. The former Miami and Georgia quarterback had a strong offseason and brings the kind of arm that could push the ball downfield more aggressively in LaFleur’s offense.
Waiting until the Week 14 bye would be too long. The Cardinals have a rough run with road games at Dallas and Seattle, then a home game against the Rams before a trip to Kansas City.
A Week 12 home game against the Commanders stands out as a cleaner launch point, followed by the Eagles and then the bye. After that, the Jets, Saints and Raiders are on deck, giving Arizona a decent window to see whether Beck can be part of the answer in 2027.
The Jets are in a trickier spot because Geno Smith has actually helped steady things. New York is 2-5, its playoff chances are fading, and the Aaron Glenn era may be nearing a rough finish, but Smith has been a bright spot for an offense trying to bring along young playmakers.
Still, he’s signed only through 2026, and that makes fourth-round pick Cade Klubnik part of the bigger picture. The Clemson product impressed enough in offseason work to win the top backup job.
For now, Glenn is likely to keep riding Smith because he gives the Jets their best chance to win. The next few weeks bring a so-called "revenge" game against the Raiders in Week 8, then tougher tests at the Chiefs and against the Bills.
After that, New York faces the Chargers and Dolphins on the road in Weeks 11 and 12. That looks like the right opening for Klubnik to get his first real action, ideally before the Week 13 bye.
In Philadelphia, the door may be open even sooner in terms of team need, but the timing is less certain. The Eagles are 0-2 with Tanner McKee starting, and the offense has been trying to function behind a reshuffled line, an injury-hit receiver group and a running back room that can’t stay intact. At 2-5, the season has the feel of a lost one, and McKee is set to hit free agency in 2027.
The Eagles already elevated Joe Milton III to No. 2 before the Monday night game against Dallas and listed Cole Payton as the emergency third quarterback. Conventional logic says Milton would get the next crack if McKee keeps struggling to move the ball.
But Payton offers something the others do not: the running threat that has been missing without Jalen Hurts. He rushed for 777 yards and 13 touchdowns in his final season at North Dakota State, and he ran a 4.56 at the Combine.
With Philadelphia fading from the NFC playoff picture, the bigger priority is looking ahead. The team may need to be sellers at the trade deadline, and it also needs to sort through its young pieces. Payton should get a shot, even if the more realistic timeline points to sometime after the Week 10 bye.
In Other News...
Pacers Suddenly Have A Tyrese Haliburton Problem Before 76ers Game
The Pacers are carrying a familiar kind of early-season concern into their matchup with the 76ers, and it starts with Tyrese Haliburton. Indiana listed its star guard as questionable with left hamstring tightness, a reminder that every step of the guards return from a torn Achilles is going to be watched closely. The injury report also features several other Pacers players, leaving Indiana with more uncertainty than Philadelphia heading into the game.
For a team trying to build momentum after a rough previous season, that kind of uncertainty is the last thing it needs. The 76ers bring a shorter injury list, with four players unavailable, so the Pacers may have to sort through their own health concerns while trying to keep the offense organized without Haliburton at full strength. Even before tipoff, this one already feels like a test of depth and patience. [Read more 🡒]
Tyrese Haliburtons Absence Leaves Pacers Facing A Brutal Early Test
Tyrese Haliburtons left hamstring strain has left Indiana staring at an early stretch that will ask plenty of a roster built around his pace and playmaking. The Pacers are still figuring out a clear timeline for his return, and the injury matters all the more because Haliburton has been the engine of the offense, averaging 21.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 9.5 assists while carrying the responsibility that came with his 2023 five-year extension.
Indiana is also dealing with the absence of center Ivica Zubac, who is out with a left ankle injury, adding another layer of difficulty to a frontcourt already under pressure. With two important pieces unavailable at once, the Pacers will have to sort through rotations and offensive structure without their usual stability, and the next update on Haliburtons recovery could shape how long this early test lasts. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylen Brown Just Reframed A Celtics Story Fans Still Debate
Jaylen Brown is back in the middle of a familiar Celtics conversation, only this time he is the one pushing back on it. Recent reports said he had issued a trade ultimatum, but Brown flatly denied ever making such demands and said he is focused on his current role with the Philadelphia 76ers. For a storyline that has lingered around Boston for a while, his response was a direct attempt to shut the door on it.
The timing makes it even more notable for Pacers fans, because the 76ers recent win over Indiana has already put Browns presence in Philadelphia under a brighter spotlight. His performance in that game added another layer to the discussion, especially with the trade chatter still floating around and Brown dismissing it as false. Even without the Celtics angle being fully settled in the public eye, his insistence on where things stand now gives the whole episode a different tone. [Read more 🡒]