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Preseason Week 1

Most teams avoid risk of using starting quarterbacks

It’s nice to have teams on the field playing football again. It helps in the scouting process (especially with players being selected in the middle and later rounds). But I would like it more if more teams placed value in putting their front-line guys on the field.

In the first full week of the preseason, just over half of the teams didn’t put their starting quarterbacks on the field at all, figuring that there’s more value in protecting their health, rather than any benefit from letting them get some work against opponents playing at something close to regular speed.

This is understandable for the $100 million quarterbacks of the league. Many of these guys don’t need a preseason to be ready for opening day. And there is some risk that opposing defenses will do something reckless or stupid. The Raiders knocked Geno Smith out of the game on Saturday with a corner blitz. The Chargers seemed to be using a lot of blitzes against the Rams.

Nonetheless, quarterbacks are the key pieces on most teams, and 18 of the 32 teams in the first full week didn’t use their guys.

Some of these teams have younger or unproven quarterbacks. Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones, most notably. As poorly as those guys played last year, you would think they could use some reps to help them get ready for the season.

QUARTERBACKS WHO HAVEN'T PLAYED
TeamPlayer
ARIKyler Murray
ATLMatt Ryan
BALLamar Jackson
BUFJosh Allen
CARSam Darnold
CINJoe Burrow
CLEBaker Mayfield
DALDak Prescott
GBAaron Rodgers
INDCarson Wentz (inj.)
LACJustin Herbert
LARMatthew Stafford
LVDerek Carr
MINKirk Cousins
NYGDaniel Jones
PITBen Roethlisberger
SEARussell Wilson
TENRyan Tannehill

For 14 teams, their starting quarterbacks got on the field some. Surprisingly, that included two of the very biggest names in the game: Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes (though both guys played only very briefly).

TEAMS USING STARTING QB
TeamQuarterback
ChicagoDalton / Fields
DenverLock / Bridgewater
DetroitJared Goff
HoustonTyrod Taylor
JacksonvilleTrevor Lawrence
Kansas CityPatrick Mahomes
MiamiTua Tagovailoa
New EnglandNewton / Jones
New OrleansWinston / Hill
NY JetsZach Wilson
PhiladelphiaJalen Hurts
San FranciscoGaroppolo / Lance
Tampa BayTom Brady
WashingtonRyan Fitzpatrick

—Ian Allan

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