Teams with quarterback competitions to watch for in training camps 

It’s official, each of the 32 teams in the NFL have reported for training camp and now it’ time to start fine tuning the Xs and Os, trimming the roster, and for some teams evaluating their quarterback to see who will be the Week 1 starter.

No QB competition in New York

The New York Giants didn’t wait long to name their QB1. Coach Brian Daboll needed just a day to hand the keys of the car to Russell Wilson, despite there being a crowded QB room with Jameis Winston and Jaxson Dart hanging around. Daboll confirmed Russ was going to be the starter, saying “These guys will be out here competing, but Russ is our starter.”

There are a lot of things that can happen from Day 1 of training camp to Week 1 of the regular season. The Giants seem to have their QB situation in order, at least for now but there are a few other teams that have an open QB competition heading into the first days of the season.

Indianapolis Colts: Anthony Richardson vs. Daniel Jones

The Colts are still looking for someone to come in and take hold of the QB position after the sudden reitirement of Andrew Luck back in 2018. Since then they have had 10 different starting quarterbacks, but none found much success in Indy.

Anthony Richardson was drafted out of the University of Florida, and the hope was he was going to be the quarterback of the future. He was the 4th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft despite having a 6-7 record in his 13 starts in college. He’s played just 15 games over the last two seasons. His style of play sets him up for injury, and even when he’s on the field he’s not the most convincing of passers in the league. He’s got an 8-7 record over two years, has thrown for just 2,391 yards and has two more interceptions than his 11 TDs.

Daniel Jones was brought into Indy after a miserable last few years in New York. He did get a contract extension in the Big Apple after the 2022 season, but since then he played in 16 gams, threw 10 TDs and 13 INTs. Not all of that was his fault. He didn’t have much help in New York, and was constantly under pressure, but after a while the two sides decided to part ways, and he was released at the end of last season.

Cleveland Browns: Flacco vs. Pickett vs. Gabriel vs. Sanders

This QB competition might be the most open since there are four QBs all vying for the starting job in Week 1. Obviously with Shedeur Sanders in the QB room, there will be plenty of media coverage surrounding the Browns during training camp and into the preseason games.

We know Joe Flacco can still play. That was never more evident than back in 2023 when he joined the Browns in the second half of the season and put up huge numbers in the final five games before leading them to the playoffs. Last year in Indy didn’t go as well, but he knows the system. He knows the coaches. The only question is, can his body hold up at 40 years old?

Kenny Pickett comes into Cleveland looking for a second shot after Pittsburgh moved on from him at the start of last season. He never had a cast around him, and even former Steelers QB Terry Bradshaw ripped the franchise for not giving him a fair shot. He spent last year with the Eagles, won a Super Bowl and now is looking to be the starting QB in Cleveland where he’ll have a chance to play the Steeles twice a year.

Dillon Gabriel is a rookie that was taken two rounds before Shedeur. He was the 94th pick in the draft after six years in college. In his first and final year at Oregon last season he threw for a career high 3,857 yards, 30 TDs and 6 INTs and led Oregon to the CFP Quarterfinal.

Shedeur Sanders came into the draft as one of the top talents in the class, but apparently his attitude wasn’t quite up to standard for the NFL teams. He dropped out of the top five where he was projected and was taken in the fifth round. Let’s remember that he did throw for 4,134 yards, 37 TDs and just 10 INTs while leading the NCAA in pass completion percentage at 74%.

New Orleans Saints: Tyler Shough vs. Spencer Rattler

The Saints might be in the most trouble of all of these teams with a quarterback competition heading into training camp. New head coach Kellen Moore is an offensive genius and a QB guy, but he’s got two young QBs at his disposal after injuries forced Derek Carr to retire at the end of last season.

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Spencer Rattler is in his second year in the NFL after getting drafted in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He played most of the snaps after Derek Carr went down with an injury that kept him out the second half of the season. He played in 7 games, threw for 1,317 yards, 4 TDs and 5 INTs. Not great numbers but you also have to keep in mind the inury problems that New Orleans had all season long.

Tyler Shough was the 40th pick in this year’s NFL Draft. He’s had a long journey to the NFL. It took six years for him to establish himself as a starter, and stay healthy throughout the season. All previous five seasons, he either lost the starting job or had his season cut short due to injury. Last year at Louisville, he had 3,195 yards, 23 TDs and just 6 INT, but he may need some grooming before he’s ready to take the stage.