Where NFL’s QB competitions stand | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

A handful of NFL teams have unsettled starting quarterback situations as the second round of preseason games arrives this week.

The New England Patriots and Denver Broncos must decide whether to open the regular season with their prized rookies as starters or go temporarily with place-holding veterans. The Minnesota Vikings were in a similar position before having their decision essentially made for them Tuesday.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders must choose between more experienced quarterbacks.

Here’s a team-by-team look at the competitions:

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

The Pittsburgh Steelers remade their quarterback hierarchy entirely by signing Russell Wilson as a low-cost free agent and trading for Justin Fields while parting with Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph following last season’s playoff appearance.

Wilson is getting a fresh start with the Steelers after two turbulent seasons in Denver. He is working his way back from a calf injury suffered at the outset of training camp, and his absence has given Fields a chance to lead the starting offense. Fields, the former Chicago Bears first-round draft choice, also started the preseason opener against the Houston Texans.

But Wilson apparently remains the favorite to enter the season as the starter. Coach Mike Tomlin listed Wilson as the top quarterback on the team’s depth chart. And Fields had an even performance in the opening preseason game. He played three series and completed 5 of 6 passes for 67 yards. But he was also sacked twice and was charged with two fumbles on botched snaps.

“I thought he did some nice things,” Tomlin said during his postgame news conference. “But obviously he was a component of the (center-quarterback) exchange, and from my perspective that’s dual responsibility on the center and the quarterback. It denied a lot of good things going on in those first couple of drives.”

Fields mixed moments of great promise with on-field disappointments during his three seasons in Chicago, and the Bears traded him to clear the way for them to use the top overall selection in April’s draft on quarterback Caleb Williams. Fields may have failed to take advantage of his early opportunity to gain ground on Wilson.

“Just can’t shoot ourselves in the foot,” he said following the preseason opener. “Have to do the routine things routinely… That’s the thing that stopped us when we were driving the ball well.”

The Steelers host the Buffalo Bills in their second preseason game Saturday.

DENVER BRONCOS

The Broncos made Bo Nix the record-tying sixth quarterback chosen in the opening round of this year’s draft, all within the first 12 picks.

The Bears have already named Williams their starter. Jayden Daniels is well positioned to be the Washington Commanders’ Week 1 starter. Michael Penix Jr. is set to back up Kirk Cousins ​​this season with the Atlanta Falcons. It’s less clear-cut for Nix in Denver, Drake Maye with the Patriots and JJ McCarthy with the Vikings.

There certainly is an opportunity for Nix, after Coach Sean Payton benched Russell Wilson in favor of Jarrett Stidham for the final two games last season and then the Broncos released Wilson in the offseason. The issue is whether Nix is ​​ready to be the opening day starter.

He played well in a relief role in Sunday’s preseason opener at Indianapolis, throwing a touchdown pass in a 15-for-21, 125-yard passing performance. The Broncos scored on four of the five drives led by Nix. Payton said he was pleased with the play of all three quarterbacks.

The job clearly will be Nix’s at some point. Stidham has made four starts in five NFL seasons spent with the Patriots, Raiders and Broncos. Zach Wilson never fulfilled the promise of being the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft in his three seasons with the New York Jets, and he was traded to the Broncos in April.

Stidham’s presence gives Payton a temporary alternative if he doesn’t feel that Nix can handle being the Week 1 starter. If Nix continues to thrive, however, it would not be surprising if he gets the immediate starting nod. The Broncos host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night.

“They’re doing a good job of handling the competition… and they’re taking advantage of the reps they’re getting when they’re in,” Payton said. “And they’re focused on, like, putting their best stuff together on tape when they’re in the game, all three of them. So those numbers will unfold a little differently next weekend.”

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

The Vikings, after losing Cousins ​​in free agency to the Falcons, signed Sam Darnold as a free agent and then used the 10th overall pick on McCarthy.

But Coach Kevin O’Connell’s quarterback decision has been put on indefinite hold, with McCarthy set to undergo surgery for a torn meniscus in his right knee suffered during his preseason debut Saturday at home against the Raiders. Darnold almost certainly will begin the season as the Vikings’ starter.

“Sam’s had a really good camp and my confidence level in Sam is very, very high at this point,” O’Connell said during a news conference Tuesday.

McCarthy could become an in-season option, pending the outcome of his surgery that will determine the severity of his injury and the length of his rehabilitation. The injury was a major disappointment for the Vikings after McCarthy’s promising performance Saturday. He threw an interception against the Raiders. But he also threw two touchdown passes in an 11-for-17, 188-yard outing.

“Clearly everybody can see the arm talent,” O’Connell said after the game. “I just loved seeing him come right back after the interception and still be aggressive, still stay true to footwork, timing, rhythm, where his eyes should be.”

Even before McCarthy’s knee injury became a significant issue, the Vikings seemed mindful of not giving him too much to handle, too soon.

“I think at this point, I’m just looking for him to improve, look comfortable in our system and, like I said at the very beginning, (there’s) no ceiling or no floor,” O’Connell said Saturday. “But at the same time, I think we want to be smart about that development and make sure that his training camp is absolutely going to plan.”

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

The new era of the Patriots includes Jerod Mayo as Bill Belichick’s successor and Eliot Wolf in charge of the front office.

It also includes Maye as the quarterback, after the Patriots selected him third overall following the Bears’ choice of Williams and the Commanders’ selection of Daniels.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean that Mayo will turn to Maye right away. The season-opening starter seems likely to be Jacoby Brissett, who was signed as a free agent in March. It is Brissett’s second stint in New England. He’s made 48 starts over eight NFL seasons spent with the Patriots, Colts, Miami Dolphins, Browns and Commanders.

Brissett and Maye played only one series each in Thursday’s preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers in Foxborough, Mass., before Bailey Zappe and rookie Joe Milton III finished the game. Maye is expected to spend more time on the field this Thursday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

“For all the quarterbacks, it’s a huge week for those guys to really show development,” Mayo said at a news conference Sunday. “Drake will play more this week, for sure.”

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS

Aidan O’Connell makes 10 starts last season as an unheralded rookie. The Raiders released Jimmy Garoppolo in the offseason and signed Gardner Minshew, a veteran of 37 career starts for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Eagles and Colts. He was selected to the Pro Bowl last season while making 13 starts for Indianapolis, with then-rookie Anthony Richardson sidelined by a shoulder injury.

Coach Antonio Pierce does not intend to allow the Raiders’ quarterback decision to drag out. He said he hopes to make a choice following Saturday’s second preseason game at home against the Dallas Cowboys.

“The goal will be to hopefully make a decision after this game this Saturday,” Pierce said during a news conference Sunday. “We’ve got to get ready to play football. … We’ve got enough film. We’ll have two games here to evaluate both quarterbacks to see how they’ll play.”