NFL Analyst Says 2 Starting QBs Are On The 'Hot Seat'
CLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 20: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Cleveland Browns talks with teammates on the sideline during the third quarter against the New York Jets at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 20, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
We're only eight days into the 2020 NFL season, but one analyst believes that two starting quarterbacks are pretty firmly on the hot seat.
On Thursday, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report published a report revealing that some NFL insiders find Browns QB Baker Mayfield and Jets QB Sam Darnold getting their seats warm. Miller pointed to both QBs uninspiring play over the past two seasons despite being the top QBs taken in the 2018 NFL Draft.
By contrast, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson - the third and fifth QBs taken respectively - have more than lapped them. Worse still, Mayfield and Darnold have been at the center of dysfunction in their respective organizations.
The general managers who drafted them and the head coaches who saw them play well as rookies have long since been fired. In just over two years, the two QBs have had six head coaches between them. That number may rise to seven if Adam Gase gets fired mid-season.
As a result, Mayfield and Darnold find themselves with front offices that have no loyalty to them. Browns GM Andrew Berry and Jets GM Joe Douglas didn't draft them, after all.
That said, the two QBs have struggled for wildly different reasons.
For Mayfield, it's an inability to make big plays in tight spots and an excess of turnovers.
For Darnold, it's poor decision-making and failing to learn from his mistakes combined with a startling lack of talent.
When they were drafted, those two QBs were seen as franchise saviors. By the end of 2020, either or both of them could be looking for new teams.
