Do the Raiders have the only QB battle in the NFL?
By Levi Dombro
![Denver Broncos v Las Vegas Raiders Denver Broncos v Las Vegas Raiders](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4148,h_2333,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/28/01hzwxqd2vm9zv102gsz.jpg)
These teams should be having a battle
I may come under fire for some of these selections, but the following teams should be having a battle, even though they are not:
Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, and Carolina Panthers.
Deshaun Watson will be starting for the Browns on Day 1, but he should be feeling the pressure as he has two very capable players behind him in Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley. Watson did not show me enough last year to guarantee him a starting job, especially with QBs of that caliber in the room with him.
The same goes for Russell Wilson, who will likely be starting for the Steelers on opening day without ever entering a battle with Justin Fields. Fields performed just as strongly as Wilson did last year, and though Mike Tomlin is always in “win now” mode (he wants to keep his streak of non-losing seasons alive) I do not think it would be wise to guarantee either a spot. They are different players, and their abilities should be put to the test.
I do not think the Titans, Giants, or Panthers having a QB battle should be remotely controversial. Will Levis had his great moments last year, but he also had some bonehead plays. I know that Malik Willis has been awful in his opportunities, but Mason Rudolph is a solid enough player to at least push Levis in a battle and help make him better. A player of Levis’ caliber should not be feeling “comfortable” at this stage in his career.
Daniel Jones did nothing that would indicate he should be a guaranteed starter either. The problem is that his cap hit would indicate he is a superstar quarterback when in reality, he is a borderline starter. Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito can do pretty much everything Daniel Jones can do on the field, and they can do it for a lot cheaper. In fact, all three of these players had nearly identical PFF ratings last year.
Starting Bryce Young was absolutely the right move last year for the Carolina Panthers. You get the No. 1 overall pick, and you have to just throw the QB into the fire and see what he is made of in Year 1. However, this is Year 2, and what Bryce Young showed in his first NFL season was that he was not ready at all for the limelight. Andy Dalton performed better than him when he was given the opportunity, and if the Panthers want to make a push for the playoffs in a very weak division, they have to start the best guy. Whether that is Young or Dalton should be battled out in camp.