8 NFL Quarterbacks Who Could Be Benched in 2026

NFL teams continually face the harsh reality that there are never enough quality quarterbacks to go around. While we're in an era that features the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye, not every team can count on stability at the position.

Some teams that believe they've found their answer at quarterback will, inevitably, have a different opinion by the end of the 2026 season.

Here, we'll examine eight NFL quarterbacks who could be benched this season and why. Factors such as past performance, player upside, franchise trajectory and any relevant situation-specific factors were considered.

Since a few starting jobs have yet to be settled through offseason position battles, we'll base our list on projected starters—using the projections Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon recently made when examining the main obstacle facing every starter in 2026.

Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals

AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh

To be clear, there's no guarantee Jacoby Brissett will even make it to Week 1 as the Arizona Cardinals' starter. He's currently holding out for a reworked contract and is "significantly" far apart from Arizona in talks, according to ESPN's Josh Weinfuss.

Still, Brissett did start 12 games for the Cardinals in 2025, finishing with a solid 94.1 quarterback rating. The 33-year-old should rightfully get the first crack at being QB1.

Barring an unexpected resurgence by the Cardinals, though, Brissett probably won't finish the regular season as the starter. He delivered just one win last season, and if he delivers similar results in 2026, Arizona will eventually want to get a look at third-round rookie Carson Beck.

Gardner Minshew is also in the quarterback room and could potentially start if Brissett doesn't show up or win the job in camp.

The Cardinals will want to see what they have in Beck at some point this season because the 2027 quarterback class is expected to be loaded with top-tier talent.

Unless Brissett wins enough to make the 2027 draft an afterthought, a pivot to the rookie will be almost inevitable.

Tua Tagovailoa, Atlanta Falcons

AP Photo/Mike Stewart

As Gagnon noted, it's far too early to know who will win the Atlanta Falcons' quarterback competition. Whether it's 2024 first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. or free-agent addition Tua Tagovailoa, though, injuries will be a primary concern.

"This one's simple, regardless of who takes the lead in the battle to start," Gagnon wrote.

Tagovailoa has a concerning history of concussions, and he battled hand and hip injuries last season. However, he's the healthier quarterback right now—Penix is recovering from a torn ACL—and has reportedly stood out more in camp.

"Tagovailoa has delivered more splash plays than any of the other quarterbacks thus far," Daniel Flick of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote on Sunday.

Another significant injury would quickly open the door for Penix or Trevor Siemian, as would a stretch of poor play. Atlanta doesn't have much invested in the former Miami Dolphins starter, and if Tagovailoa can't deliver a playoff run, the Falcons will give Penix another chance to prove he can be the long-term answer.

Of course, if Tagovailoa and Penix both battle injuries and/or underwhelm, Siemian could end up steering the ship down the stretch while the Falcons eye that 2027 QB class.

Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns

AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki

After trading a major package to acquire Deshaun Watson and then signing him to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract, the Cleveland Browns have gotten almost nothing in return.

Injuries, including a twice-torn Achilles, have limited Watson to just 19 starts. He hasn't played well when healthy either, going 9-10 in those games.

However, Cleveland is giving Watson one last opportunity under new head coach Todd Monken. The former Pro Bowler has a commanding lead in the quarterback competition, according to Dan Labbe and Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

Watson does have 72 starts and three Pro Bowls on his NFL resume. Most of that came with the Houston Texans, but it's not outlandish to believe that Watson gives the Browns a better chance to win now than Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, or rookie sixth-round pick Taylen Green.

Of course, that doesn't mean the Browns, who just traded away Myles Garrett, are prepared to win now. Unless Watson regains his Houston form and pushes Cleveland toward the playoff hunt, the Browns may want to get a look at multiple quarterbacks this season, including Sanders.

Cleveland must decide whether it has a viable starter on its roster before diving into a 2027 draft class that may contain the likes of Dante Moore, LaNorris Sellers, Arch Manning, and Darian Mensah.

Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts

AP Photo/John Raoux

The Indianapolis Colts gave quarterback Daniel Jones a two-year, $88 million extension this offseason. That decision wasn't surprising either, as Jones played extremely well before suffering a torn Achilles.

Jones went 8-5 as the starter and posted a 100.2 quarterback rating.

It's important to note, though, that Jones' two-year deal is really only a one-year commitment. Indy could cut him with a post-June 1 designation next offseason and save $38 million in 2027 cap space.

Now, the Colts are hoping the 29-year-old will return to pre-injury form and provide some long-term stability at quarterback. If he does, it could help shield GM Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen from the 2023 whiff on Anthony Richardson. If he and the Colts struggle, however, there's a real chance that Ballard and Steichen will both be on the hot seat.

Indianapolis has had just two playoff berths and one postseason win since Ballard took over in 2017, and they haven't been to the postseason in three years under Steichen. Winning will be critical for the pair this season, and anything short of the playoffs could potentially spark another complete rebuild.

Jones, who was recently cleared for 7-on-7 work, will need to replicate his 2025 success. If he can't, the Colts may try to salvage the season with Richardson—if he's still on the roster—or Riley Leonard, while keeping an eye on that 2027 QB class.

Unfortunately, playing well on a year-to-year basis wasn't something Jones did during his six seasons with the New York Giants.

Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders

AP Photo/John Locher

To be fair, Gagnon listed Fernando Mendoza as the Las Vegas Raiders' starter because "the No. 1 overall pick is obviously the long-term dude."

However, the Raiders don't seem inclined to rush Mendoza onto the field before he is ready.

"Ideally, you don't want him to start from Day 1," Kubiak said, per Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press. "You'd love him to be able to learn behind somebody."

That "somebody" is journeyman quarterback and four-time Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins. And if the 37-year-old plays well enough, Mendoza might be learning from the bench for the entire season.

Let's not forget that the Falcons went 5-3 with Cousins as the starter last year and might well have won the NFC South if it had leaned on him all season. If Las Vegas is a surprise playoff team with Cousins at the helm, hold off on passing the proverbial torch.

If the Raiders aren't in a position to make a run, however, they'll turn things over to Mendoza once they feel he is prepared to start. As Gagnon put it, the reigning Heisman winner and national champion is "the long-term dude" for Las Vegas.

Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings

AP Photo/Abbie Parr

The Cardinals pulled the plug on Kyler Murray, and the Minnesota Vikings snapped him up on a one-year deal shortly thereafter. J.J. McCarthy, a 2024 first-round pick, has struggled to stay healthy and hasn't played consistently well when he has been on the field.

So the Vikings, who went 14-3 with Sam Darnold as a placeholder two years ago, will try to make a run with Murray. At least, that'll be the case if he wins the quarterback competition, as most would expect.

According to ESPN's Kevin Seifert, Murray currently leads the competition, and the gap between the quarterbacks is "not close."

Murray is a dynamic dual-threat and was a Pro Bowler early in his career with Arizona. He should give Minnesota a boost at quarterback this season, and at 28 years old, he could potentially become a long-term answer for Minnesota.

However, there's no guarantee that Murray will do either of those things. He never showed consistency as a passer with the Cardinals—the offense was more effective with Brissett behind center last season—and he has never delivered a playoff win.

It's easy to think that Murray will be better under Kevin O'Connell and with weapons like Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison at his disposal. If he isn't, though, Minnesota may eventually give McCarthy another chance to redeem himself.

McCarthy, after all, is only two years into his rookie contract, while Murray is only signed through this season.

Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins

AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

Of all the quarterbacks on this list, Malik Willis is, admittedly, the least likely to get the hook. The Miami Dolphins gave the former Green Bay Packers backup a three-year, $67.5 million contract in free agency, and they have organizational ties to the 27-year-old.

New Miami head coach Jeff Hafley and new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan both came directly from Green Bay.

Willis showed a ton of potential during his time with the Packers. While he only made three starts in two seasons, he posted a 134.6 passer rating while flashing elite dual-threat ability. He has the potential to be Miami's quarterback of the future, and the Dolphins are likely to give him the entire season as an audition.

Of course, it's worth remembering Willis struggled mightily (49.4 QB rating) during his two years with a bad Tennessee Titans team before arriving in Green Bay. After purging the roster of talent in the offseason, Miami is probably closer to those Tennessee teams than what Willis had over the past two years with the Packers.

If Willis flops alongside Miami's underwhelming supporting cast, the Dolphins are likely to chase a top QB prospect in the 2027 draft. That could mean turning to Quinn Ewers or undrafted rookie Mark Gronowski in a bit of organizational tanking—even though Willis would likely be back as a bridge in 2027.

Geno Smith, New York Jets

AP Photo/Dennis Waszak Jr.

Early in the offseason, the New York Jets traded for Las Vegas' 2025 starter, Geno Smith. The 35-year-old was previously a two-time Pro Bowler with the Seattle Seahawks, and the Jets lauded his experience when acquiring him.

"I just feel like he's the guy that's going to lead us to the promised land," head coach Aaron Glenn said in March, per ESPN's Rich Cimini.

However, Smith has felt like a placeholder from the moment he was sent to New York. The Jets have been stacking draft capital in preparation for the quarterback-rich 2027 draft and currently hold three first-round selections. They're paying Smith just $3.3 million for the 2026 season after the Raiders agreed to pay the bulk of his salary in the trade.

In other words, Smith might give the Jets enough hope to save the jobs of Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey for another year, but he's unlikely to be on the roster beyond this season.

Smith may not start all of this season either. The Jets took a fourth-round flier on former Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik, and they may want to gauge his long-term potential in a few late-season starts if Smith has New York closer to a top-five draft pick than the playoffs.

*Contract information from Spotrac