There are plenty of ways to talk yourself into a starting quarterback. The harder part is admitting when the guy under center might be part of the problem.
That does not mean every rough stretch should end with a benching. Sometimes the backup is no better.
Sometimes the rookie needs a runway. Sometimes the roster around the quarterback leaves no clean answer.
But for these three teams, the word “clean” may already be doing too much work.
3. Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals
Jacoby Brissett was not a disaster last season, and that is exactly what makes Arizona’s situation so tricky to sort out.
In 12 starts, he threw for 3,366 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His 94.1 passer rating was solid enough. The problem was what happened around those numbers: the Cardinals went 1-11 with him at quarterback.
That record cannot be pinned entirely on Brissett, but it also cannot be waved away. Over the course of his career, he is 20-45 as a starter. At some point, playing competent football in a steady stream of losses starts to become its own kind of issue.
Arizona guaranteed Brissett $15.5 million, so he gets the first shot. If the defeats pile up again, third-round pick Carson Beck should not spend the whole season waiting in the wings.
2. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young deserves credit for the progress he made last season.
Carolina finished 8-8, won the NFC South and made the playoffs, and Young helped get them there. He set career highs with 3,011 passing yards and 23 touchdowns. After the first two seasons of his career, that counted as real forward movement.
Still, this is year four now, and the same old questions have not gone anywhere.
Young averaged 188.2 passing yards per start and 6.3 yards per attempt in 2025. His 47.6 QBR ranked 22nd among qualified quarterbacks. Those are not terrible numbers, but they are not the kind that quiet the concerns surrounding a former No. 1 overall pick entering his fourth season.
Carolina made the right call by keeping him as the starter. He earned that. But this cannot be another season where mere improvement is treated like the end of the story.
Young has to show he can be more than a quarterback the Panthers can live with.
1. Geno Smith, New York Jets
Geno Smith’s turnaround with the Seattle Seahawks was a great story. It just should not come with a permanent starter’s pass.
Last season with the Las Vegas Raiders, he went 2-13, threw a league-high 17 interceptions and took an NFL-high 55 sacks. His 34.1 QBR ranked 27th, and his passer rating dropped to 84.7.
The Jets still brought him back, which makes the whole thing feel like a leap of faith. Sure, Las Vegas’ offensive line and supporting cast deserve some of the blame.
But they do not explain everything. Smith also finished with 23 turnover-worthy plays and only 14 big-time throws.
He is set to open the season ahead of rookie Cade Klubnik, and that makes sense. What would not make sense is treating the job as untouchable if the play stays poor.
Smith remains a good comeback story. The Jets need a good quarterback. Right now, those are not automatically the same thing.
In Other News...
Adonai Mitchell Is Making The Jets Look Very Smart Right Now
Adonai Mitchell is already giving the Jets a nice return on a move that was mostly framed around Sauce Gardner, because the wideout acquired from Indianapolis has quickly worked himself into likely starter territory in training camp. For a Jets offense looking for more reliable answers at receiver, Mitchells emergence has added some much-needed optimism and made the trade package look a lot more balanced than it did at the time.
The Colts, meanwhile, are dealing with injuries at receiver and a season that has already gone sideways in ways that only sharpen the regret around moving him. Josh Downs and Alec Pierce have both been banged up, and with quarterback injuries and a missed playoff picture hanging over the year, fans in Indianapolis have been left wondering what might have been if Mitchell were still part of the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Have A Real Offensive Line Battle Brewing In Camp
Training camp always turns the page on a rookie class, and for several second-year players from the 2025 draft, the real work is just beginning. Around the league, those first pro seasons now have to translate into bigger responsibilities, whether it is Elic Ayomanor pushing for a larger role in Tennessee, Bhayshul Tuten trying to force his way into more snaps in Jacksonville, or Caleb Rogers fighting to establish himself in Las Vegas.
For the Jets, the spotlight falls on Azareye'h Thomas, whose camp battle carries obvious weight for a defense looking to settle key spots in the secondary. He is lined up against a veteran newcomer with a proven ball-hawking rsum, and that kind of competition can sharpen a young corner in a hurry. The question now is whether Thomas can turn the promise of his rookie year into a job that sticks when the preseason dust settles. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Rookie VJ Payne Suddenly Faces A Tougher Roster Fight
VJ Payne had been building a case for himself in camp, showing the kind of coverage ability that can help a rookie safety stick, and Pro Football Focus has already viewed him as a player with long-term potential. For a Jets secondary always sorting out the back end of the roster, that sort of early impression matters, especially for a young defender trying to turn practice reps into a real role.
Now Payne is dealing with a bone bruise suffered in practice, and the timing makes the roster battle a lot less straightforward. Missing the next few weeks leaves the Jets with a decision to make on a player they like for the future, even if the immediate path can still be managed in a few different ways before final cuts arrive. [Read more 🡒]