The beauty of Touchdown Wire’s weekly QB Watch is that we’re not locked into any format. We usually write about three quarterbacks trending up and three trending down.
But we’re not going to do that this week. Instead, we’re going to change that up, and it won’t be pretty.
We’re going to rank the six worst starting quarterbacks in the NFL. And Tennessee’s Marcus Mariota, who would be an excellent candidate, doesn’t qualify because he’s now a backup after being benched in favor of Ryan Tannehill. Here we go:
Jones | Dalton | Fitzpatrick | Keenum | Winston | Trubisky
6. Daniel Jones, New York Giants
The rookie won his first two starts and looked sharp doing so. But his past four starts have been a different story, with the Giants losing all of them. Jones was terrible in a Week 6 loss to New England, throwing three interceptions, and he has a total of seven picks on the season. He also has lost six fumbles. But Jones also has shown flashes of promise. He threw for 322 yards and four touchdowns in Sunday’s loss to Detroit. There will continue to be ups and downs. But the Giants are doing the right thing by getting Jones experience. That will pay off in the future.
5. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals
Sure, the veteran has thrown for 2,252 yards, which sounds respectable. But it’s not. It simply means the 0-8 Bengals have been forced to throw the ball a ton because they’ve been playing from behind all season. Dalton has thrown eight interceptions and lost three fumbles. Plus, he’s taken 29 sacks. It’s not a reach to say that Dalton’s time in Cincinnati is coming to an end. He remains under contract for 2020, but the Bengals can cut Dalton without any cap hit. It’s time to draft a quarterback and start over.
4. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Miami Dolphins
Last year in Tampa Bay, there was a temporary case of “FitzMagic’’ as Fitzpatrick got off to a fast start before sputtering. But there have been no miracles in Miami, where the Dolphins are winless. That’s not all Fitzpatrick’s fault, as the Dolphins are horrible all around. But Fitzpatrick has been bad. He’s thrown for just 717 yards in five games (three starts). He’s been intercepted five times and has only thrown for over 200 yards in one game. Yet, the Dolphins are sticking with the 36-year-old instead of second-year pro Josh Rosen. That almost certainly means the Dolphins will draft a quarterback next year.
3. Case Keenum, Washington Redskins
Like the rest of his team, Keenum has played poorly. His four interceptions aren’t off the charts, but his three lost fumbles don’t help. Keenum is recovering from a concussion. Interim coach Bill Callahan said Keenum will continue to start if he’s healthy. Keenum is what he is – a guy who should be a backup. But the fact he still is starting says volumes about rookie Dwayne Haskins. The Redskins are a one-win team. They should be playing the rookie and getting him some experience. But Haskins simply isn’t ready, as evidenced by his four interceptions and 34.5 passer rating in limited playing time.
2. Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Winston is by far the most talented player on this list. When he’s good, he’s very good. But, when he’s bad, he’s horrible. Inconsistency is his curse. Just look at his past two games. He’s passed for 701 yards — but been responsible for 10 turnovers. That’s the way it’s been throughout Winston’s career. Head coach Bruce Arians was brought in because he’s supposed to be a “Quarterback Whisperer.” But Arians better start yelling and screaming, because it’s getting late in Winston’s time in Tampa. He has only nine games to prove to the Bucs that they should sign him to a second contract. So far, he hasn’t done nearly enough. The Bucs could place the franchise tag on him and give him another year with Arians. But they also could just let him walk away as a free agent.
1. Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears
Trubisky wins in a landslide. The Bears have lost three in a row and are in last place in the NFC North. It’s never fair to put all the blame on the quarterback. But, my goodness, Trubisky has been bad. He threw for a season-high 253 yards in Sunday’s loss to the Chargers, but that figure is misleading. Trubisky hurt the Bears badly with two fourth-quarter turnovers. He is a liability. On the season, he’s thrown just five touchdown passes and three interceptions. The Bears have struggled to move the ball. If Trubisky keeps playing the same way, the Bears, who are talented in other areas, are going to miss the playoffs. They have to make a move. They need to turn things over to backup Chase Daniel. Or maybe do something really wild and make a trade before Tuesday’s deadline.
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.
