Five quarterbacks who will make or break their NFL teams’ seasons

There are a handful of teams across the NFL that have built respectable rosters, or even made it to the playoffs in 2022, but still feel like pretenders rather than contenders. The reasons for those doubts center around the men they have lined up under center or in the shotgun every week.

That’s not to say these quarterbacks are terrible, bottom-of-the-barrel talents. Rather, they leave plays and potential scoring opportunities on the table, and their teams need more from them going forward. Before we get into them, though, there are a few honorable mentions. Quite a few teams in this little predicament, so Desmond Ridder, Kenny Pickett, Justin Fields, and Jordan Love — you can run but you can’t hide.

We’ll start with the obvious, and most uncomfortable one. It feels like Browns fans have been screaming “It’s Our Year” since the Obama administration. But, alas, it has yet to be “their year.” Then, an act of desperation straight out of a WWE storyline, the Browns turned from the lovable underdog baby faces to the biggest heels in sports by trading for Deshaun Watson and giving him more guaranteed money than most small countries in the wake of two dozen accusations of sexual misconduct.

Cleveland banked their future on Watson being the same player we saw before he missed the entirety of the 2021 season. After a 10-game suspension, while he had some quick flashes of being that guy, there wasn’t anything there consistently that gave light to those hopes. Of all quarterbacks with at least 200 attempts, he was 31st in EPA/play, 30th in success rate, and 32nd in CPOE, per RBSDM.

Now, for Watson, it doesn’t matter how good he plays, how poorly he plays, or if he never plays again- he’s owed $230 million regardless. For the Browns, though, their roster has very few holes. They have a good offensive line, especially on the interior. Their weapons are above average, especially after acquiring Elijah Moore from the Jets to pair with Amari Cooper, and their defense features one of the best edge rushers in the game and a secondary full of talent and depth. Their season, and playoff aspirations, all fall on the play of Watson. And in a loaded AFC, he’s going to have to be special to have Cleveland playing deep into January.