On Quarterback Watch at NFL Training Camps

Football fans, rejoice! We are a step closer to September as we witness pads, whistles, and red jerseys hitting the hot summer fields during the 2018 training camps that began this week.  Not all 32 teams have a pressing spotlight, so I’ve done some digging. Between a quarterback-heavy draft and some big trades this offseason, let’s highlight who to keep our eyes on.

Let’s start with veteran Alex Smith who will be under center in Washington this year.  In a controversial trade that bid adieu to Kirk Cousins (Minnesota) and also rising star Kendall Fuller (Kansas City) as well as a 3^rdround draft selection (Kansas City), there are mixed feelings about 33-year-old Smith who has been in the prayers of many Skins fans since the trade went down earlier this Spring.  It will certainly be interesting to see how Gruden plugs in his new play caller, but Redskin Nation can breathe a sigh of relief as Jay Gruden has a pretty successful history of shaping quarterbacks through his sharp play-calling abilities (see Kirk Cousins and Andy Dalton!).

Also under the training camp microscope is Deshaun Watson as he returns to the field for year two after a devastating ACL injury that took him out mid-season of his rookie year. Sadly, for the Texans, Watson was playing lights out, having posted 1,699 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions.  It’s also never a guarantee you get the same guy back, in any position, after a significant injury like Watson endured.

As we head back east, there may be an interesting dynamic in Baltimore as veteran Joe Flacco and Heisman trophy winner Lamar Jackson have entered an unspoken “QB Battle.”  Has Flacco earned the respect of the start? Almost certainly yes. However, what’s more interesting is looking three to four games into the season.  Should Flacco not start out hot, may we expect an appearance from Jackson? I strongly believe so.

Clearly, John Elway owns a team for a reason (and is John Elway!), but it will be interesting to see if his decision to bring in Case Keenum will earn a run with Vance Joseph’s stacked defensive unit.  Based on a great showing with Minnesota last season there really is no real reason to doubt Keenum, but we’ve seen this before.  New coaching and new playbooks can yield new results and those are just the facts.

No pressure for rookie quarterback Sam Darnold, drafted third overall by the New York Jets, as he enters a frustrated franchise looking for answers. The Jets haven’t seen a playoff game since 2010 in the Rex Ryan era and have since seen seven different starting quarterbacks resulting in disappointment.  The USC grad Darnold shows promise as the first legitimate rookie in quite some time and is expected to be in attendance at the first all-team practice.

If this is all just mere training camp speculation, we can all agree that the NFL season should be an exciting one that can go in several directions! The regular season kicks off on Thursday, September 6^thon NBC as Matt Ryan and the Falcons take on Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles.