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The Worst NFL Quarterback Competitions For 2015

We examine the worst quarterback competitions in the NFL. Is your team one of those mentioned?

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The NFL is a quarterback’s league, everyone knows that. If you don’t have a great quarterback, you’re trying to groom a young one who could be great, and if you don’t have that you’re trying everything you can do to acquire one.

There are a lot of teams that are trying to make chicken salad out of, well…you know what, and we’re going to examine the worst quarterback competitions in the NFL for 2015.

New York Jets- Geno Smith vs. Ryan Fitzpatrick

There’s a new coach and GM, and nobody in the Jets organization has any ties to former second-round pick Geno Smith. Geno has looked like a talented quarterback at times but more often looks like a backup masquerading as a starter….Speaking of masquerading, Ryan Fitzpatrick has been handed a couple of starting quarterback jobs (in Buffalo and Houston) and lost them both. The Jets have a solid set of receivers, a decent offensive line and what appears to be a great defense so whatever quarterback that wins the job will be in a solid position to succeed; probably the best chance of either quarterback’s career.

Our guess: Ryan Fitzpatrick was brought in for a reason, he’ll win the job.

Buffalo Bills- E.J. Manuel vs. Matt Cassel vs. Tyrod Taylor

The Bills are in a similar position as the Jets, solid pieces around a bad quarterback situation. E.J. Manuel, like Geno Smith, has no intrinsic support from his GM and head coach, and he is fighting an uphill battle despite having first-round draft status….Matt Cassel was likely brought in to win the starting job and Rex Ryan wants a quarterback who can hand the ball off and not screw anything up….Tyrod Taylor adds another facet to the situation as he has never had a chance to be a full-time starter, but has looked competent against backups in preseason situations. Rex Ryan is reportedly a fan of his work.

Our guess: Matt Cassel isn’t good, but he’s the best of the bunch and he’s the guy they will trust. Our not so bold prediction is that all three quarterbacks start at least one game this season.

Cleveland Browns- Josh McCown vs. Johnny Manziel vs. Connor Shaw

Surprisingly enough, Josh McCown was a sought after guy in free agency following an atrocious season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. McCown was the pseudo offensive coordinator last season in Tampa, despite being new to the franchise: always a recipe for disaster. McCown is better than he showed, but as of now the Browns offense has virtually no weapons anywhere….Johnny Manziel is reportedly out of rehab, and his status for 2015 is certainly up in the air. When he received his shot last season, he was nothing short of atrocious and although it’s probably too early to write him off, everything points to another first-round bust….Connor Shaw is the guy you like to root for, but his ceiling is very limited (low). Most of his positive attributes are intangibles, which is great, but you need arm talent to be successful in the NFL and he doesn’t have much of it.

Our guess: McCown will win this job by default, and expect Johnny Manziel to get another shot at some point during the season.

Houston Texans- Ryan Mallett vs. Brian Hoyer vs. Tom Savage

Ryan Mallett apparently showed enough in his brief Texans tenure last season to be brought back and sources tell us that he was an offseason priority. That gives him a leg up on everyone else in the competition….Brian Hoyer is a very solid quarterback who is probably in the Top-32 of the league. With that said, if Hoyer is your starter you’re probably not a playoff team….Tom Savage didn’t show much in his rookie season and he appears to be more of a “down the road” type of prospect that can’t be counted on right away, hence the acquisitions of Mallett and Hoyer.

Our guess: This may be the most “open” QB competition as Hoyer has a history with head coach Bill O’Brien and they thought enough of Mallett to bring him back. Both will play this season but Mallett will be the Week 1 starter.

Tennessee Titans- Zach Mettenberger vs. Unknown Rookie?

This will be a pretty easy and straight-forward competition. If the Titans don’t choose a quarterback with the second-overall pick, Zach Mettenberger will be the starter. If the team selects Marcus Mariota with the No. 2 pick then there will be a competition and Mettenberger will likely win it, as most teams that draft Mariota know that he will likely need some time to adjust to the NFL game.

Our guess: Expect the Titans to start Mettenberger during Week 1. If they draft Mariota, he will get some playing time before the season is over.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Mike Glennon vs. Rookie (Jameis Winston)

Assuming that the Buccaneers select Jameis Winston with the first pick of April’s Draft, which they’re likely to do, Winston will be in competition with Mike Glennon for the starting job. If the Bucs select Winston and he doesn’t beat out Glennon, there’s a pretty big problem. Glennon is a solid backup quarterback and he’ll have a nice long career in that position. Winston is allegedly the “more ready” of the two top quarterback prospects and he should be able to beat out Glennon. If Marcus Mariota is the Bucs choice, Glennon will have a much better chance to win the job and keep it for a little while.

Our guess: Jameis Winston will be the Bucs Week 1 starter. If Mariota is somehow the choice, Glennon will start the season and Mariota will replace him around the Bucs bye week.

Chicago Bears- Jay Cutler vs. Jimmy Clausen

One year ago, few people would believe that the Chicago Bears would have a quarterback competition with a healthy Jay Cutler still on the roster. Things have changed as Cutler regressed further and lost his starting job late last season. Clausen played fairly well in his limited opportunity before he was forced to miss the season finale with a concussion.

Our guess: There’s a new coach and a new GM but they haven’t yet made any moves at the QB position so it’s assumed that Jay Cutler will get one last shot. There’s too much arm talent for him not to get the benefit of the doubt by a new coaching staff that can “fix him.”

Charlie Bernstein is the managing football editor for Football Insiders and has covered the NFL for over a decade.  Charlie has hosted drive time radio for NBC and ESPN affiliates in different markets around the country, along with being an NFL correspondent for ESPN Radio and WFAN.  He has been featured on the NFL Network as well as Sirius/XM NFL Radio and has been published on Fox Sports, Sports Illustrated, ESPN as well as numerous other publications.

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