Between the NFL Draft and veteran free agents, several teams across the league will be forced to make a tough decision regarding the most important position in sports. Much of any team’s potential success falls upon the shoulders of the quarterback, so making the wrong choice could cost you a chance at the postseason.
Who ends up where, which rookie will start right away, and who has the best chance to lead a team to glory?
Let’s take a look at the most intriguing quarterback battles across the league and check out who oddsmakers believe will be the Week 1 starters.
Who Replaces Brady In New England?
Perhaps the biggest winner of the entire NFL Draft was Jarrett Stidham, who currently leads the depth chart in New England. While many expected the Pats to select a QB in the early rounds, the team chose a different route.
So, is the Patriots’ starting quarterback job Stidham’s to lose?
For now, yes. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Stidham is a -200 favorite to be New England’s Week 1 starter, but that could easily change if Bill Belichick opts to bring in one of the two big veteran QBs on the market.
Having just been released by Cincinnati, Andy Dalton is the second favorite to serve as the Week 1 starter for the Patriots with odds of +200. He’s followed by another free agent, Cam Newton, who was released by Carolina after the team signed Teddy Bridgewater.
Newton currently owns odds of +600 to start the year under center in New England. Newton faces the added challenge of being unable to undergo a physical with NFL clubs in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
New England also has veteran Brian Hoyer currently on the roster. Despite his experience, Hoyer is a +900 underdog to be the Week 1 starter.
Bears’ QB Battle: Trubisky vs. Foles
While New England has four potential starters, the quarterback battle in Chicago is a simple one. The team figures to either start Mitchell Trubisky, who’s been the starter since 2017, or Nick Foles, who the team traded a fourth-round draft pick to acquire from Jacksonville.
Trubisky experienced a modest resurgence under head coach Matt Nagy but struggled in 2019 with 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing just 63% of his passes.
Foles wasn’t any better for the Jags. While dealing with injuries, Foles played in just four games, throwing for three TDs and two picks while completing 66% of his passes.
Foles is currently the favorite to begin the season as the starter in Chicago with odds of -150. A close battle has Trubisky positioned close behind with odds of +117.
Tua Set to Sit
After “Tanking for Tua” in 2019, the Dolphins drafted Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the fifth overall pick in the draft. Miami now finds itself in a strong position in which the team can have Tua sit behind veteran QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to start the year.
It all appears to be going according to plan for the Dolphins, who’d prefer to have Tua recover from a bad hip injury and learn from Fitzpatrick from the bench to start his career.
For now, Fitzpatrick is a strong -550 favorite to be the Week 1 starter. With odds of +370, Tua is a longshot to usurp Fitzpatrick by the season’s beginning.
Another Rookie vs. Veteran Contest In Los Angeles
After long-time quarterback Philip Rivers departed for Indianapolis, the Chargers are now looking to find a new starting quarterback to lead a team that entered last season with a lot of hype.
The team brought in veteran Tyrod Taylor before drafting Oregon’s Justin Herbert with the sixth overall pick in the draft.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Taylor is the odds-on favorite to win the starting job for Week 1. With odds of +260, Herbert will have to prove himself throughout the preseason to catch up to Taylor’s -370 odds.
