Reading the QB tea leaves

February 6, 2019

Reading the QB tea leaves … Given that QBs generally make up an inordinate share of players selected early in the draft, 2019 should be interesting in that a) each of the teams holding top 5 draft picks this year all appear to be relatively well set at the position everything else being equal; while b) there are a number of teams right behind the top 5 that do have QB issues. That list includes both the Giants and Jacksonville, who pick 6th and 7th respectively in the opening round, but it could also include a number of other teams including Denver at #10, Cincinnati at #11, Miami at #13 and Washington at #15 among others. Just how open those teams are about trying to find a QB in the upcoming draft, which probably means have to trade up to get their guy, though, is still to be determined. At Denver, for example, incumbent starter Case Kenum was quoted this week as saying that he was “really excited about the direction of the program” and looking for a “fresh start” after meeting with new Broncos’ head coach Vic Fangio and offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello. However, Broncos’ G.M. John Elway was a little more uncertain describing Keenum as “probably a short-term fix.” Ouch! Meanwhile, QB Ryan Tannehill appears to be on the outs in Miami as Dolphins’ G.M. Chris Grier praised said he definitely would consider selecting a quarterback in this year’s draft. Grier added that no final decision on Tannehill’s status won’t be made until new head coach Brian Flores, who just arrived in Miami from Super Bowl champion New England, has had a chance to evaluate their roster, but the writing appears to be on the wall. On the other hand, there were rumors out of Cincinnati pretty much all season that QB Andy Dalton was on thin ice as the Bengals stumbled to a disappointing last place finish in the AFC North with a 6-10 record. However, new Cincy head coach Zac Taylor described Dalton as ‘a great fit’ for the Bengals during his introductory press conference this week.