The 2024 NFL Draft will be upon us in no time, and more and more quarterbacks have declared for the draft in recent weeks. Many teams from around the league will be looking to capitalize on a quarterback-rich draft. But some teams ought to address their problems in other areas first. Other squads, meanwhile, are just missing that one piece under center that could help them transition from “good” to “great”.
Here are a few NFL squads that are just one quarterback away from becoming great for a long time.
NFL Teams Who Are A Quarterback Away
Pittsburgh Steelers
Regardless of what one might think about the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin will go down as an all-time great. The roster he’s working with is not too shabby either. With a young, promising wide-receiver core and a star-studded defense, Steel City may see those dark clouds over them leaving soon. However, their offensive woes haven’t completely left with the firing of offensive coordinator, Matt Canada.
Their passing offense ranks 25th out of 32 teams, and they only average 17.9 points per game. Quarterbacks Mitchell Trubisky and Kenny Pickett leave a lot to be desired with their play. Mason Rudolph may have the most experience in the black and yellow, but he’s not the answer in the long run. Rumors have swirled that Pittsburgh may be looking to bring in Russell Wilson from Denver. Yet, it remains to be seen whether or not Pittsburgh sets this plan in actual motion.
Cleveland Browns
Head coach, Kevin Stefanski, has taken the league by storm with his 2023 effort in Cleveland. Securing his second playoff berth in four seasons with the Browns, Stefanski has led his squad to shocking upsets over the likes of San Francisco and Baltimore. Not to mention he did it all despite losing Nick Chubb and rotating through FIVE quarterbacks (Jeff Driskel will take over for Joe Flacco in Week 18). That being said, the quarterback situation still needs to be tended to, and properly.
Deshaun Watson has not played like he did in Houston and has yet to prove why he deserved that massive contract extension. He and Dorian Thompson-Robinson are out for the season with injuries, and P.J. Walker is not the solution to the current problem. Joe Flacco will be turning 39 soon, and his football days are not very plentiful. The Browns front office will have to make moves via the draft or free agency to find the right piece to the puzzle.
Atlanta Falcons/ New Orleans Saints
Atlanta and New Orleans are in very similar situations: their rosters are showing a lot of potential, but their quarterbacks (and maybe head coaches) are not handling their respective parts like they should be.
Beginning with Atlanta; head coach, Arthur Smith, cannot keep getting by with a 7-10 record every season. Taylor Heinicke is the best quarterback on this Falcons squad, and unfortunately, that isn’t helping. Atlanta will have to play their cards right and find their signal caller of the future soon, or else their impact players may look for greener pastures elsewhere.
As for New Orleans, bringing in Derek Carr sounded great on paper. But the 2023 season has not turned out as the Big Easy hoped. Carr is not having a bad season, per se, but Carr still needs to work on his chemistry with his new teammates. In addition, the depth at the quarterback position is not great. Taysom Hill has become more of a utility player than a fully-fledged quarterback, and Jameis Winston has seen little playing time, which is keeping him from proving his worth. Perhaps a shake-up at the quarterback position may do some good for the Saints down the line.
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