28. Tennessee Titans
The Titans likely will be starting over next year. Marcus Mariota’s time in Tennessee is almost over. The No. 2-overall pick in 2015 had his chance and didn’t cut it. He was benched a month ago, and he’s scheduled to become a free agent after the season. Ryan Tannehill has taken over as the starter and has won three of four games. But his contract also is up at the end of the season. It’s possible Tannehill could be re-signed, but the Titans aren’t going to hand him the starting job. If they keep Tannehill, they’ll probably look for someone to compete with him for the first-team role. Our panel isn’t high on Tannehill, but the consensus is that he’s good enough to compete for a starting job.
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs would love nothing more than for Jameis Winston to suddenly catch fire and become the first quarterback the team has drafted ever to sign a second contract with the club. But Winston has had 4½ seasons to show he can be a franchise quarterback, and he hasn’t done it. Why would that change over the last half of the season? It won’t. That’s going to put the Bucs in a difficult situation in the offseason. They could decide to draft a quarterback, because backup Ryan Griffin never will be a candidate to start. But bringing in a rookie quarterback would mean starting over and several more losing seasons for the Bucs. The likely scenario is the Bucs put the franchise tag on Winston and give him one more year to work with coach Bruce Arians. Maybe that’s what Winston needs for the lights to go on. Or maybe the Bucs will be looking to draft a quarterback in 2020. “Look, if you haven’t made a decision on this guy by now, that’s probably a sign he’s not your answer,” one panelist said.
26. Denver Broncos
Denver’s quarterback situation is as murky now as it will be in the future. Veteran starter Joe Flacco, who hadn’t played well (six touchdowns and five interceptions), is injured. Brandon Allen is 1-1 in his first two starts, but it’s too early to tell if Allen could be the long-term answer. Flacco’s contract means the Broncos basically are stuck with him in 2020 and ’21. He’s under contract through 2023, but the last two years are voidable. Flacco, 34, clearly isn’t going to take the Broncos to Super Bowls like Peyton Manning and John Elway did late in their careers. The hope in Denver is that Drew Lock, a second-round pick out of Missouri this year, can emerge as the long-term answer.
25. Detroit Lions
The story of Matthew Stafford this season is the same as it’s been throughout his career. He puts up big numbers: 2,499 passing yards and 19 touchdowns this season before a back injury knocked him out of action. “The guy can throw the ball, but he has some bad games. He’s not going to carry you to a Super Bowl by himself. He could get you there with a good team around him. But they don’t have a good team,” a panelist said. Not much is going to change in the short term. Stafford, 31, is under contract through 2022, and the Lions don’t have anyone waiting in the wings. They’re content to stick with Stafford but need to put more talent around him.