SBK Edge Rush: Time is ticking for teams deliberating a quarterback switch

We’re only three weeks into the NFL regular season, yet already teams are in danger of being written out of any legitimate contention. 

The Las Vegas Raiders, in particular, are staring down a barrel. A potential loss to the Denver Broncos, a divisional rival, this weekend would put them at 0-4. Teams never make it out alive from that hole - the outlier being the 1992 Chargers, who are the only team to make the playoffs after losing their first four games in NFL history. 

And given Vegas are playing in the toughest division in town, even with Denver’s offensive stumbling and the Chargers injury woes, another defeat on Sunday will almost certainly put them out of the picture. This won’t mean pressure on quarterback Derek Carr, though, as he will be given more time fresh off the back of a major contract extension. Some of his contemporaries, however, won’t be so lucky. 

Many of the other teams caught in the headlights will be looking for a QB change - possibly during this season, but almost certainly in the off-season. The New Orleans Saints, who head to London to play the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday, are watching a regressing and injured Jameis Winston revert to the erratic and dangerous slinger we saw in Tampa. 

The Taysom Hill Experiment, which sounds like the name of a high school band, hasn’t worked and ageing back-up Andy Dalton isn’t the long-term answer. Unless Winston can turn it around quickly, expect the Saints to enter the pricey market. 

Matt Ryan: has made a poor start to life as a Colt

Matt Ryan has had a torrid start as a Colt but has enough veteran smarts - and talent surrounding him - to turn it around, even if his powers have diminished. But if the Colts don’t arrest their offensive slide, he could be one and done. 

Indy is up against the Titans this weekend. Ryan Tannehill started the season on the hottest of QB hotseats but is starting to find some form - his situation remains precarious regardless. If the Titans fall back and miss out on the playoffs, they could move on with young quarterback Malik Willis waiting in the wings. 

Divisional rivals Houston - irrespective of the low expectation - may swipe an upgrade on Davis Mills, who has started the season indifferently. He’s playing for his long-term future as a starter, and the jury remains out. 

As it does with Justin Fields in Chicago. The immensely talented, but underperforming sophomore has suffered badly from a poor situation - abject offensive coaching last year and not nearly enough weapons this season - and will likely get another year, but he needs to show upswing. 

So too must Zach Wilson, another sophomore who returns to the Jets line-up this Sunday against Pittsburgh. It’s unclear if Wilson has what it takes to start in the NFL, and he faces a big few months ahead to convince. His counterpart on Sunday, Mitch Trubisky, is surely living on borrowed time with the Steelers faithful desperate for rookie Kenny Pickett to replace him. This may well be the first QB change we see mid-season, even if Pickett is raw and untested. 

If you are enjoying this article, try these!

Will the Indianapolis Colts ever fix their glaring quarterback crisis?
Dolphins v Bengals Tips: The Fins defence could blitz to victory again

Wilson could follow the lead of Tua Tagovailoa, who posted six touchdowns in week two, followed by a solid performance in Miami’s standout win against Buffalo last week. Few players divide opinion more than Tua but, unlike Fields, he’s got solid coaching and a top-tier receiving group that is led by burners Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. The situation could work against him in the long run, though. If Miami doesn't deliver serious success, questions will be asked of their signal caller.

This is the main challenge to Jalen Hurts at Philly: is he good enough to lead a talented team to the promised land? 

He’s responding so far by posting a solid start to the season. Divisional rivals, the New York Giants, will almost certainly move on from Daniel Jones in the offseason unless Brian Daboll sees enough in him to work on developing him as he did Josh Allen. Jones doesn’t have Allen’s talent and has had longer to prove his credentials, but Allen’s trajectory has been so dramatic over the last three years that it might be worth sticking with Danny Dimes. 

Hurts and Allen are prime examples as to why NFL general managers look to ditch veteran quarterbacks in favour of new, up-and-coming talent. Of course, it doesn’t always work out. But if a team is underperforming and looks in need of a new spark, the first alteration needs to be at quarterback.

To listen to the weekly SBK Edge Rush podcast on The Nat Coombs Show, click here