NFL organized team activities (better known as OTAs) get started on Tuesday afternoon, as teams are starting to move past the draft process and prepare for the new 2015 NFL season. With OTAs come the thought of competition and roster battles transitioning to new starters at various positions. Depending on how those position battles shake out, certain teams could rise or fall in the standings.
No other position is probably more important than quarterback, and we’re in for several quarterback battles once again in 2015. Let’s break all of the biggest ones down and see who the likely winner is, as well as how that winner may impact their team this season:
Tennessee Titans – Zach Mettenberger vs. Marcus Mariota
Some people felt the Titans didn’t need to spend the #2 overall pick in this year’s draft on Mariota. It turns out management did. Whether it was because they saw the athletic Mariota as their true franchise passer or the current regime just panicked, they made the call and Mariota is likely going to be the guy for quite some time.
The big question is whether or not Mettenberger can delay the inevitable and perhaps increase his own trade value in the process. While selecting Mariota can’t really be knocked, the Titans did have a solid prospect in Mettenberger, who displayed great pocket presence and a strong arm as a sixth round rookie a year ago. The best part? He actually was a legit first round talent heading into the 2014 NFL Draft, and had he not suffered a knee injury he may have gone in the top three rounds.
The future doesn’t have Mettenberger in Tennessee, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t make starts in 2015. However, the new regime got off to a slow start in 2014 and they needed a permanent answer under center – one that could save them now, as well as down the road. Because of that, Mariota will almost surely get the nod right away as a rookie.
Buffalo Bills – Matt Cassel vs. E.J. Manuel vs. Tyrod Taylor
Buffalo has been a bit of a wasteland when it comes to offense and especially when it comes to starting quarterbacks. E.J. Manuel was drafted in 2013 to be the guy that gets these Bills back to the playoffs, but he’s showed to be ever bit as raw as he was coming out of college. He’ll get a shot at stealing back his starting gig, though, but this figures to be a wide open competition with Matt Cassel and Tyrod Taylor getting a fair shake.
Cassel is the easy favorite as the best, most stable game manager of the group, while Manuel is shakier but has youth and upside. Taylor might be a fun dark horse to cheer for, though, since he’s been biding his time behind Joe Flacco the past four years. I think Manuel’s time is over and Cassel wins the gig, but keep your eye on Taylor as a mid-season starter.
Houston Texans – Ryan Mallett vs. Brian Hoyer
Mallett served under center briefly for the Texans last year, but he did well enough to convince Bill O’Brien to bring him back. He’ll compete with Hoyer to see who has the goods to lead Houston’s offense and the early lead is probably in favor of the younger Mallett. Hoyer is a “what you see is what you get” passer who is average at best and abysmal at worst. We know from past play that Mallett can also nose dive, but he has a cannon for an arm and untapped potential.
Hoyer probably has the better head on his shoulders and knows O’Brien’s system, so he has a decent chance to unseat Mallett. However, this is probably Mallett’s last real shot to prove he’s not just a big name with a big arm. I like Mallett to take over this competition and lead an underrated Texans offense into 2015.
Cleveland Browns – Josh McCown vs. Johnny Manziel
The Browns just had a quarterback competition last year and it went up in smoke. Johnny Football returns to try to win it again after failing to make an impression during his rookie season. He seems to have his head on straight this time around, though, and it’s fair to say McCown is no more formidable of a presence than Brian Hoyer was.
Manziel’s biggest competition really is himself, as he simply needs to stay focused and put in the work. He arguably has the talent to make a positive impact, and if he can learn the offense and execute consistently, he’ll find himself under center going into week one. McCown wasn’t added merely as an upgrade, after all. He was also signed because of his mentoring ability. That bodes well for Manziel and possibly the Browns, in general.
Think we got the winner of any of these quarterback battles wrong? Let us hear who you think is a lock to nail down the starting gig in the comments below!
