The first week of the 2026 NFL season already has some fan bases looking past the present and straight toward 2027, when a potentially loaded quarterback class could reshape the league.
That’s the backdrop for a handful of teams whose early results - or, in some cases, their current direction - make a future swing at a quarterback feel more and more plausible. Nothing is locked in yet, and a few clubs that won in Week 1 could easily slide into this conversation if their fortunes turn. But right now, these are the teams that stand out as possible 2027 QB shoppers.
The Cleveland Browns may be the clearest example. They were flat-out bad on Sunday, with Deshaun Watson struggling to keep pace against a scorching Jacksonville Jaguars team.
Cleveland looked like a franchise simply waiting for 2027, when it might get another chance to roll the dice on a young quarterback and hand that player the keys to the Dawg Pound. At the moment, the Browns look like the NFL’s worst team, and that could end up being exactly what puts them in position to land a top passer in a class that’s supposed to be strong.
Miami is another team that could be staring at the same possibility. If the Dolphins keep playing like they did against the Las Vegas Raiders, that Malik Willis contract is going to age like spoiled milk... and at no fault of Willis, unless he plays poorly.
Miami handed out a major quarterback deal in free agency this spring, which is rarely the cleanest way to build for the long haul. Even so, the Dolphins could still end up taking a quarterback next spring and stashing him for 2027 if their draft slot stays where it appears to be now.
The wrinkle is obvious: if Miami does bring in a rookie, he may be sitting behind Willis for a year, with $39.3 million in dead cap tied to 2027.
Atlanta belongs in the mix too, though this one comes with a bigger asterisk. The defense showed plenty of speed, aggression and opportunism against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the offense was a mess with third-string quarterback Cooper Rush running the show.
It was the kind of performance that makes a team look like a prime candidate for the top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. Still, the Falcons are expected to eventually hand the offense to Michael Penix Jr., and that could happen as soon as Week 2 or not until early October.
Until Penix gets on the field, Atlanta is tough to judge. Once he does, the team can finally get a real answer on whether he’s the long-term solution.
If he doesn’t show enough, the Falcons could be right back in the quarterback market by spring.
Then there’s Tennessee, where the idea of moving on from Cam Ward in 2027 would sound extreme at first glance. Ward was the top overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and he still has the full season ahead of him to prove himself.
But if the Titans crater and Ward doesn’t take the necessary steps, Tennessee could make a bold decision and start over. That would be an aggressive move for a player only in his second season, but NFL patience at quarterback keeps shrinking.
If Ward isn’t clearly establishing himself, the Titans could decide to pivot.
And if these teams do end up hunting for quarterbacks, the 2027 class could give them plenty to think about. The names already being floated include Texas QB Arch Manning, Oregon QB Dante Moore, Notre Dame QB C.J. Carr, Miami QB Darian Mensah, South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers, Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss, Ohio State QB Julian Sayin, LSU QB Sam Leavitt, Oklahoma State QB Drew Mestemaker, former Cincinnati QB Brendan Sorsby, Indiana QB Josh Hoover and USC QB Jayden Maiava.
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Titans Week 1 Disaster Already Put One Position Under The Spotlight
Cam Wards first regular-season start for Tennessee came with the kind of heat every young quarterback notices immediately. The Titans offensive line had trouble holding up in Week 1, and Ward was under pressure on nearly 70 percent of his dropbacks while taking three sacks, a rough early reminder that the protection in front of him is still a work in progress.
Trevor Goosby, Jordan Seaton and Trevor Lauck are already the names to watch as the Titans think ahead to future draft classes and what it might take to stabilize the edge of the line. For a team trying to build around a rookie quarterback, the next wave of tackle prospects could end up mattering as much as anything else on the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Already Have A Real Problem With Their Big D-Line Trade
The Titans made their biggest defensive line move of the offseason by sending T'Vondre Sweat to the Jets for Jermaine Johnson II, banking on the former first-round pick to help stabilize the front under a new look. Johnson at least got the nod right away in Week 1, which showed how quickly Tennessee wanted to fold him into the rotation and how much it expected from a player Robert Saleh once knew well in New York.
The early return, though, was not much of a boost. Johnson struggled to make much of an imprint, leaving the Titans with a trade that already feels heavier than the headline suggested, especially with his contract set to expire. If his play does not pick up soon, Tennessee could be staring at a major defensive line move that never really gets off the ground. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Face Early Pressure Against An Eagles Team Built To Expose Them
The Titans get their first home test of the season in Week 2, and it comes against a Philadelphia team that arrived with momentum after beating Washington to open the year. Tennessee is trying to bounce back from a Week 1 loss to the Jets, so this matchup already carries a little extra weight for a roster looking to settle in quickly and avoid an early hole in the standings.
Philadelphia brings a different level of pressure, too, because the Eagles have the kind of balanced profile that can force mistakes if Tennessee is still ironing out the details. Betting markets have made the gap in confidence pretty clear, and the forecast leans toward the visitors, but the bigger question for the Titans is how long they can keep this from becoming the kind of game that exposes every flaw at once. [Read more 🡒]