Being a rookie quarterback in the NFL is not easy, with many finding themselves lodged in subpar rosters that offer little protection and plenty of opportunities for failure to occur.
This season has been no different, with rookie QBs finding touchdown passes and clutch 4th down plays hard to come by, in a league that seems to continually put a huge talent gap between itself and college football. Here we take a look around the league, to compare how Chicago’s Justin Fields is getting on compared to his rookie QB peers.
Rookie QBs are always going to drop the ball on the big stage, being required to learn fast if they are not to be forgotten in a flash
At Least Fields Has Some Wins
Justin Fields was gently exposed to the highs and lows of life in the NFL as Andy Dalton largely oversaw Chicago’s opening two games of the season. Then came the crunch moment, when Fields was thrown in the deep end against the Browns as betting tipsters and media pundits watched on, wondering if the former Ohio State man was the real deal. Unfortunately for everyone in the Windy City he was dragged sputtering and gasping from the fray, having been dunked repeatedly by a Cleveland side that only gave up 68 yards to the rookie QB. However, since that frankly embarrassing day, Fields has begun to show flickers of the form that brought him to Chicago in the first place, including impressive turns against the Raiders and the Lions, which had fans and sports bettors sitting up and considering Fields and his Bears charges when forming their online NFL picks and parlays. Fields is by no means the finished article yet, but he is making better progress than plenty of his fellow rookie QBs this season.
Which of these rookie QBs will be able to deliver some festive cheer for their respective franchises?
Lawrence Only Wins in London
It’s hard enough being a rookie NFL quarterback, but it becomes even tougher when the team you’ve joined is on a brutal 20-game losing streak. That was the situation that number 1 draft pick Trevor Lawrence found himself in at the Jaguars. Having said that, he used his team’s trip to London to make a fresh start, throwing for over 300 yards as the Jags downed the Dolphins to break their unwanted streak. Lawrence made all the right noises before and after the game, declaring he was ready to bring about the dawn of a new prosperous age in Jacksonville. It remains to be seen if that is possible or just wishful thinking on behalf of a young and exuberant player, but Jags fans will be desperate to believe.
Wilson’s Jets Nosedive
The Jets find themselves in a constant nosedive, plundering the best the NFL draft has to offer only to then go about making an unholy mess with what they have at their disposal. Enter Zach Wilson, who was part of the latest influx of young, wide-eyed recruits. He is the only man on this list who has a tougher job than Lawrence, but so far there are few signs of him managing to turn things around at MetLife Stadium. The only bright spot in an otherwise fruitless campaign was when he threw for 2 touchdowns in the Jets’ lone early season victory against the Titans.
Mac Jones – The Beta Tom Brady
The eternal search for the next Tom Brady continues apace in New England and while it is patently clear that Mac Jones is not the second coming of the great man, he is arguably the best of the NFL rookie QBs, having gone close against the likes of the Bucs and Cowboys. If Jones continues to improve then New England could have a solid NFL-grade quarterback on their hands.
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