NFL Quarterbacks Most Likely to Be Benched Next After Panthers Sit Bryce Young

Kristopher Knox Correspondent I

NFL Quarterbacks Most Likely to Be Benched Next After Panthers Sit Bryce Young

Mitchell Leff/ The first quarterback domino of the 2024 NFL season dropped on Monday when the Carolina Panthers made the decision to sit 2023 first overall pick Bryce Young. It was a stunning move, considering how much Carolina leveraged to obtain the Alabama product, but the Panthers need an offensive spark in the worst way.
"This is the best decision for our team going forward," Panthers coach Dave Canales said, per Darin Gantt of the team's official website.
History suggests that Young won't be the last quarterback benched in 2024, and while it's very early in the year, some signal-callers may already be on relatively short leashes.
Here, you'll find a look at seven other quarterbacks who could soon follow Young to the bench—because of performance, coaching philosophy or other situation-specific factors—ranked based on their proximity to the proverbial hot seat.

Mike Carlson/ Deshaun Watson sits at the bottom of our list because it feels unlikely that Cleveland Browns franchise owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam will pull the plug on the experiment. Cleveland traded a slew of picks, including three first-rounders, to acquire the three-time Pro Bowler and then promptly gave him a fully guaranteed $230 million contract.
The Haslams have stuck by their decision through an 11-game suspension related to accusations of sexual assault or misconduct, a recent lawsuit that accuses Watson of sexual assault and battery, and some stunningly bad performances on the field.
While Watson does have a 9-5 record as Cleveland's starter, he's thrown only 15 touchdown passes against 11 interceptions and produced a paltry 78.2 quarterback rating. The fact that the Browns offense took off after Watson's season-ending shoulder injury thrust Joe Flacco into the starting lineup last season can't be ignored.
Watson was better in Week 2 than in Week 1, but he was by no means good (78.8 QB rating).
Barring a significant jump in Watson's performance, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski may eventually decide that Jameis Winston or Dorian Thompson-Robinson gives the team a better chance to win.
Whether Stefanski is actually allowed to make a change is another question entirely, because franchise owners hate admitting mistakes. At some point, however, the Haslams may have to acknowledge that acquiring Watson was one of the biggest blunders in NFL history. If or when that time comes, Cleveland could make a change, even if it means paying Watson a boatload of money to go away.

Brooke Sutton/ Rookie quarterback Bo Nix earned the Denver Broncos' starting job ahead of Week 1, and head coach Sean Payton is unlikely to pull the plug on his latest protégé. Nix's performance through two weeks has left plenty to be desired, but Payton has continually looked for positives.
"I thought he processed pretty quickly yesterday. I thought he got into some of his progressions really well," Payton said after Denver's Week 2 loss, per Chad Jensen of SI.com.
While it's great to see a young quarterback improving, at some point in his second season Payton needs to produce wins. Thus far, Nix hasn't played well enough to provide them.
Nix has completed 59.7 percent of his passes with no touchdowns, four interceptions and a 51.0 quarterback rating. He has faced two difficult situations—on the road against the Seattle Seahawks and at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers—but those aren't encouraging numbers.
While Payton will probably choose to ride things out with the rookie, that could change if Nix doesn't start playing at a higher level. If Nix appears to hit a plateau, Payton could turn to either Jarrett Stidham or Zach Wilson while giving Nix a chance to regroup and learn from the sideline.
That move feels unlikely, but so did Carolina's decision to sit Young only two weeks into his second campaign.

Brandon Sloter/ The Las Vegas Raiders were the only team to hold a truly open competition between veteran quarterbacks this offseason. Free-agent addition Gardner Minshew II ultimately earned the starting gig over incumbent Aidan O'Connell.
After Minshew overcame some early Week 2 struggles to help deliver a comeback upset victory over the Baltimore Ravens, he may have already earned the trust of the locker room.
"To be able to snap out of, having not so great a Week 1, and then come in not-so-great first half and then to finish it against a team like that ...it proves that he has that type of mental toughness," receiver Davante Adams told the with Kay Adams (h/t Aidan Champion of SI.com).
Of course, veterans like Adams are likely to believe in whichever quarterback gives them the best chance to win.
The same can be said for head coach Antonio Pierce, who was hired full-time this offseason after holding the job on an interim basis late last year. He's a first-time head coach who needs to prove that the Raiders' trust in him was not misplaced.
Minshew (77.5 completion percentage, 95.6 QB rating) is playing reasonably well right now. If that changes, though, the Raiders probably won't hesitate to turn back to O'Connell and possibly begin eyeing quarterbacks eligible for the 2025 draft class.

Wesley Hitt/ The Tennessee Titans are hoping that 2023 second-round pick Will Levis can develop into their long-term answer at quarterback. The Kentucky product has flashed high-level athleticism and arm talent during his 11 starts, though his on-field product has been unpolished.
Specifically, Levis keeps making bad decisions. He threw a pair of interceptions—including a game-losing pick-six—in Tennessee's season opener, and he had another pair of avoidable turnovers in Week 2.
"It was the same exact thing he did last week, and it cost us points in the red zone," head coach Brian Callahan said, per NFL.com's Kevin Patra . "... He's got to protect the ball better. It's inexcusable to do those types of things."
Benching Levis would essentially mean admitting that he isn't the quarterback of the future, and the Titans likely need more time to get an accurate read on his NFL trajectory. At some point, though, wins and losses could impact the mindset of Tennessee's first-year head coach.
The reality is that, if not for Levis' blatant miscues, the Titans could easily be sitting at 2-0 instead of 0-2. If losses continue to mount, and Levis frequently serves as a catalyst for them, Callahan may decide that Mason Rudolph is a superior alternative—at least, as it relates to Callahan's job security.
Rudolph won't be a long-term option for Tennessee, but he could be the low-risk game manager who helps Callahan string together a few wins.

Adam Glanzman/ The New England Patriots held a quarterback competition between rookie third overall pick Drake Maye and journeyman Jacoby Brissett. While Brissett won the job, he was outplayed by Maye during the preseason.
"I would say at this current point, Drake has outplayed Jacoby," Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo told (h/t ESPN's Mike Reiss ). "Now, in saying that, we have to take in the full body of work going all the way back to the spring and beginning of training camp."
The reality is that New England's offense doesn't offer a strong supporting cast, so Brissett was always the logical option to start in the early season. It feels inevitable, though, that Mayo will eventually make the switch to Maye.
The rookie simply offers a higher upside at the position than Brissett, and he is the future in New England. The Patriots will undoubtedly look to get Maye some experience if/when they fall out of playoff contention or if/when he shows the growth and confidence needed to take the reins.
And New England could make a quarterback change sooner than later if Brissett's game-manager style of play stops being enough to give the Patriots chances to win. A few more performances like Thursday's (12-of-18 for only 98 yards) from Brissett will likely open the door for Maye.

Brooke Sutton/ Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields is 2-0, has played well (94.4 QB rating) and is beginning to earn the affection of new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
"He's stood in there when the pocket gets dirty. He's made some big throws down the field," Smith said, per Dale Lolley of the team's official website. "I'm very encouraged."
Fields still ranks high on our list because, well, he didn't actually win the starting job over Russell Wilson in training camp. Wilson was named the Week 1 starter before exacerbating a calf injury and opening the door for Fields.
The Steelers may continue riding with Fields for as long as he keeps delivering wins, but there's a very real chance that his first poor outing is also his last start for the foreseeable future.
Fields has managed games well for Pittsburgh, but he's only led one touchdown drive through two games. If the Steelers believe that Wilson can provide more of a spark, the nine-time Pro Bowler will regain the starting job.
"Based on the talks I've had with people inside and outside the organization, my sense is that Wilson's stronger command of the offense will give him another shot once ready," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote.
Fields' performance in Pittsburgh's home opener this week could play a major factor in the Steelers' quarterback decision moving forward. A bad game in front of the home crowd could make turning to Wilson (if healthy) an easy decision.

Tim Nwachukwu/ There are two reasons Jones may be the next starting quarterback to be benched. The first is that head coach Brian Daboll—who, like Jones, only has one good season on his New York resume—needs wins for his job security. The second is that Jones has $23 million in 2025 injury guarantees on his contract.
If Jones doesn't improve, New York can release him with a post-June 1 designation in the offseason and save $30.5 million in 2025 cap space. If that becomes the plan, the Giants may bench Jones to avoid those injury guarantees—a move the Broncos made with Russell Wilson late last season.
"The Giants are not yet at that point with Jones," ESPN's Adam Schefter wrote. "But if Jones doesn't play better ... it's expected that New York would have to consider a similar decision."
With games against the Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks and Cincinnati Bengals on New York's immediate schedule, Jones may continue to underwhelm, which could, in theory, open the door for Drew Lock well before midseason.

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