Are these battles a formality?
Oftentimes, with a highly drafted rookie quarterback, teams have a hard time just handing the job to a young player immediately. This was not the case with the Chicago Bears this year, as they have already announced Caleb Williams as their starter. However, neither the Washington Commanders or New England Patriots have officially announced their top-three selections as the Day 1 starter, so I will put these teams under the category of “formality battles”. Essentially, the team does not want to guarantee a rookie the most important spot on the field before they even take the field for OTAs or training camp, but both of these rookies will end up starting for these teams:
Washington Commanders (Jayden Daniels) and New England Patriots (Drake Maye).
Daniels only has to outcompete Marcus Mariota, whose best days are far behind him. Maye only has to win a battle against Jacoby Brissett and Bailey Zappe. This is likely a taller task than beating out Mariota, but it is no doubt that Drake Maye will be under center on opening day.