When it came to quarterbacks, the 2015 NFL draft was supposed to be about quality, not quantity.
It’s starting to look like the reality is that draft was about neither. The pickings were slim to begin with as a modern-era low seven quarterbacks were drafted that year. Garrett Grayson, Sean Mannion Bryce Petty, Brett Hundley and Trevor Siemian were all taken from the third round on and they all were expected to be nothing more than “just guys’’. That part has been correct.
But the top two picks were supposed to carry this quarterback class to some level of prestige. Tampa Bay’s Jameis Winston (No. 1 overall) and Tennessee’s Marcus Mariota (No. 2) both had rough Sundays. Mariota ended up getting benched and Winston committed six turnovers in a loss to Carolina.
They’re fading fast and Winston’s time with Bucs and Mariota’s time with the Titans soon could be over. In this week’s Quarterback Watch, we’ll look more closely at Winston and Mariota as we examine three quarterbacks trending down and three trending up.
Trending down
Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans
Mariota was hit with the ultimate slap in the face in Sunday’s shutout loss to Denver when he was benched in favor of Ryan Tannehill in the third quarter. The reality is Mariota earned the benching. He had completed just seven of 18 passes (38.9 percent) for 63 yards with two interceptions. That was nothing new. Mariota also was anemic the previous week in a loss to Buffalo when he completed 59.1 percent of his passes for 183 yards and no touchdowns. After Sunday’s game, coach Mike Vrabel said he and his staff and general Jon Robinson would have to discuss whether to start Mariota or Tannehill in Week 7. Bet on Tannehill getting the nod. His career also has been a disappointment, but the Titans need to do something desperate to shake up their offense. This almost certainly is Mariota’s last season in Tennessee and he might not even get back on the field this year. Once you bench a supposed franchise quarterback, you generally don’t turn back to him. Mariota will end up walking away as a free agent after the season.
Trending down
Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Although Winston threw for 400 yards in Sunday’s loss to Carolina, he had a disastrous day. Winston threw five interceptions, lost a fumble and was sacked seven times. The most telling thing to come out of the day came when coach Bruce Arians talked to the media after the game. Since the day Arians was hired, he’s done nothing but coddle Winston publicly. But that changed as Arians was critical of Winston for not throwing the ball away to avoid sacks. Is Arians ready to bench Winston? Certainly not. The pair has had only six games together and Arians still thinks he can turn Winston into a star. But the clock is ticking on Winston. He’s got 10 games to show improvement or he’ll be gone. Winston is in the last year of his contract and there’s no way the Bucs will sign him to a new deal unless he shows big improvement. They may just let him walk away in free agency, but they also could place the franchise tag to extend his audition for one more year.
Trending down
Josh Rosen, Miami Dolphins
What does it say when you’re a young quarterback on the worst team in football and you get benched in favor of an aging veteran who clearly doesn’t fit into the team’s long-term plans? It means the young quarterback isn’t in the long-term plans. That’s what’s happening to Rosen. The Arizona Cardinals gave up on him after just one season and it’s looking more and more likely that the Dolphins will do the same thing. Trailing Washington 17-3 on Sunday, the Dolphins benched Rosen at the start of the fourth quarter. They replaced him with Ryan Fitzpatrick, who led a comeback attempt that came up one point short. Before his benching, Rosen had thrown for 85 yards and two touchdowns. Still, coach Brian Flores said that Rosen will start next week. That’s no endorsement of Rosen. That’s just another sign the Dolphins are trying to get this season over as quickly as possible and accumulate the best draft picks they can.
Trending up
Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans
Watson will be forever linked to Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The two quarterbacks were drafted two spots apart in the 2017 draft. Mahomes went at No. 10 and Watson went at No. 12. You can’t really argue the order because Mahomes was the league’s Most Valuable Player last year, but the Texans got a good quarterback as well. In the first head-to-head meeting of the two as starters, Watson got the better of Mahomes. Watson threw for 280 yards and a touchdown and also ran for two touchdowns. On the season, Watson has thrown for 12 touchdowns and run for five.
Trending up
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Let’s face it. The Cardinals are not a good team. That was obvious as they started 0-3-1. But, thanks mainly to their rookie quarterback, the Cardinals have won their last two games. Murray has started the process of making the Cardinals better. In Sunday’s victory against Atlanta, Murray 73 percent of his passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Murray’s shown enough to prove the Cardinals made the right choice with the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft. There still will be some ups and downs for Murray and the Cardinals. But Murray has this team headed in the right direction.
Trending up
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
With Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs losing their second straight game, there’s a new leader in the race for the Most Valuable Player award. That’s Wilson, who is having an almost-perfect season. It only continued to get better Sunday. In Sunday’s victory against Cleveland, Wilson completed 69.7 percent of his passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a touchdown. That’s what has become a normal game for Wilson this year. On the season, he’s thrown for 14 touchdowns, does not have an interception and has a 124.7 passer rating. As long as Wilson stays healthy and the Seahawks win regularly, he’s probably going to get the MVP trophy.
Pat Yasinskas has covered the NFL since 1993. He has worked for The Tampa Tribune, The Charlotte Observer and ESPN.com and writes for numerous national magazines and websites. He also has served as a voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
