The New Orleans Saints are headed for an offseason of uncertainty at quarterback. Even if Drew Brees returns for one more year as the face of the franchise, it’s no guarantee that his backup and heir apparent will follow him. Teddy Bridgewater deserves the opportunity to start next season, and there’s several teams who could offer that to him.
And as for Taysom Hill: his most exciting plays haven’t happened at quarterback. He’s become an effective receiving threat and runner in short-yardage situations, but his future shouldn’t include much more passing. He’ll turn 30 later this year and should continue to focus on where he’s most gifted, while he still has the athleticism to overwhelm defenders. He’s a restricted free agent, and it’s possible (but unlikely) he joins a new team, too.
But let’s say that Brees and Hill return, while Bridgewater gets the starting nod in another city. There are options the Saints could consider in free agency, and that’s normally been their strategy — plugging holes with veteran players so that the draft is wide-open. Still, maybe this year quarterback is more of a draft priority than something to target with free agents. Here are five names to watch (and no, a trade up for Joe Burrow isn’t even worth considering).
Justin Herbert, Oregon
Career stats: 827 completions on 1,293 pass attempts (64.0%) for 10,541 yards (8.2 yards per attempt), 95 touchdown passes to 23 interceptions. 231 rushing attempts for 450 yards (2.4 yards per carry) and 13 tou chdown runs
Herbert is as polished as they come in college football, and it won’t be shocking in the least if he gets picked well outside New Orleans’ draft range. He’s got great size for the position at 6-foot-6, 237 pounds and can make every throw asked of him, but tends to wilt under pressure. Negative plays tend to snowball, and he’s not eager to scramble and improvise when structure breaks down. Still, he can move the ball vertically with ease when kept clean and calm in the pocket. He’ll turn 22 in March and could benefit from a change of scenery after starting four years in Oregon. Senior Bowl South Team.
Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma
Career stats: 682 completions on 1,047 pass attempts (65.1%) for 9,477 yards (9.1 yards per attempt), 80 touchdown passes to 20 interceptions. 614 rushing attempts for 3,274 yards (5.3 yards per carry) and 43 touchdown runs
Hurts might be a superhero. He’s taken two different schools to more College Football Playoff games than any other quarterback in the tournament’s history, making plays as often with his arm as his legs. He might be impossible to outwork in the weight room (listed at 6-foot-2, 218 pounds) and has been credited by his coaches for his diligence in film study, but Hurts can be at fault for mental errors at times. He consistently hits his receivers in stride but hasn’t shown the laser-precision of more accurate passers. He’ll be a 21-year-old rookie when the season begins and projects really well to develop further. Senior Bowl South Team.
Jordan Love, Utah State
Career stats: 689 completions on 1,125 pass attempts (61.2%) for 8,600 yards (9.6 yards per attempt), 60 touchdown passes to 29 interceptions. 170 rushing attempts for 403 yards (2.4 yards per carry) and 9 touchdown runs
Love is a gambler who does his best work from the pocket, making snap decisions to get the ball out quickly and keep defenses on their heels. But that rapid-fire approach burned him in 2019, after Love’s supporting cast took hits. He was a turnover machine last season with 17 interceptions thrown in 13 games, largely due to unforced mental errors when he misread coverage and simply missed defenders in his passing lanes. Maybe it was an aberration for him, but he’ll have to show he can throw with more accuracy and better protect the ball. Despite his size (6-foot-4, 225 pounds) and agility, Love isn’t much of an asset on designed runs. Senior Bowl North Team.
Jacob Eason, Washington
Career stats: 468 completions on 782 pass attempts (59.8%) for 5,590 yards (7.1 yards per attempt), 39 touchdown passes to 16 interceptions. 82 rushing attempts for -126 yards (-1.5 yards per carry) and 2 touchdown runs
Eason has a strong arm, but he’s slow to find his targets, much less wind up and throw to them. He can hurt defenses when he does get in rhythm and is protected by his offensive line, and doesn’t really fear pressure, but he’s taken a lot of sacks and doesn’t offset it with any ability to make plays off-script, whether it’s flipping the field by bailing out of the pocket or taking off to pick up yards on the ground. That doesn’t project very well for his NFL fortunes, though he has the size (6-foot-6 and 227 pounds) to theoretically absorb some big hits. Then again, “prototype size” didn’t do much to protect Cam Newton, Carson Wentz, or Andrew Luck.
Jake Fromm, Georgia
Career stats: 622 completions on 983 pass attempts (63.3%) for 8,236 yards (8.4 yards per attempt), 78 touchdown passes to 18 interceptions. 134 rushing attempts for 40 yards (0.3 yards per carry) and 3 touchdown runs
Fromm is an accurate passer who protects the ball well, rarely taking chances (which has its merits and negatives) and doing his best work in the middle of the field, typically in the 10- to 15-yard range. He slides away from pressure well and keeps his eyes up to survey the field. That’s all plenty good enough for teams to win with, but it’s also a description of late-career Brees, while Fromm will turn 22 later this summer. Maybe a big change of scenery can get him to test defenses deeper downfield and introduce some aggression to his game. But don’t expect him to suddenly become a big-play threat who’s comfortable making plays outside of structure.
