4 cut/trade candidates your NFL team should pounce on if they need help at QB

As NFL preseason comes to an unceremonious conclusion, fans are left in giddy anticipation of Week 1 — when the real games start. Between now and then, front offices will trim their rosters down to 53. That naturally requires a bit of wheeling and dealing, with talented players invariably stuck on the chopping block despite their best efforts.

Most NFL quarterback battles are settled, for now at least. That means a lot of second and third stringers will become trade fodder as teams look to improve their depth chart at football's most important position. Others will get cut as a result of deliberations in the front office. Carson Wentz is about to have company in the QB free agent market.

If your team could use an upgrade in the QB room, whether that need is for a backup or a starter, here are a few options worthy of your attention.

Kyle McCord, Philadelphia Eagles

Kyle McCord was the quarterback at Ohio State before they won a championship. He transferred to Syracuse as a senior and watched as his replacement, Will Howard, etched his name into Columbus and college football history. Oh well. McCord was quietly successful with the Orange, albeit on a much smaller stage. He dealt with a few maddening turnover issues, but he also put some of the best throws the ACC saw all season on tape.

Philly has four QBs on the roster, which is just plain excess. There's a decent chance McCord makes the cut ahead of Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who did very little to endear himself to Eagles coaches, but McCord probably has more theoretical trade value, even if he just nets another seventh-round pick in return (McCord was, of course, a seventh-round pick in April).

Ball security will be a challenge for McCord at the NFL level, but he definitely has the arm talent — not to mention the invaluable experience of playing under the intense scrutiny of Ohio State football fans, which is a strong litmus test for the rigors of NFL life. McCord deserves some looks outside of Philly.

Easton Stick, Atlanta Falcons

Easton Stick put together a solid preseason for the Atlanta Falcons, completing 54-of-78 passes for 520 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, averaging 7.1 yards per catch. Nothing spectacular, but certainly enough to capture the attention of teams looking for depth in their QB room.

Stick has taken a rather unconventional route to this stage in his career. A fifth-round pick back in 2019, Stick made a single pass attempt in 2020 — a four-yard completion — and then did not see the field again until 2023. He has still never won a game as the starter, but despite limited experience and a complicated reputation from his days with the Los Angeles Chargers, Stick looks worthy of a real shot at winning another backup job.

He won't get that with the Falcons, of course, as Kirk Cousins is still on the roster as Michael Penix Jr.'s backup. Barring catastrophic injury trouble, Atlanta shouldn't need Stick this season. That is, unless the front office finally finds a taker for Kirko Chainz.

Stetson Bennett IV, Los Angeles Rams

A strong preseason has the hype machine coming back around on two-time college football champion Stetson Bennett IV. While the dream of him succeeding fellow Bulldog Matthew Stafford with the Los Angeles Rams is probably dead, Bennett sure looks the part of at least a serviceable QB2 in the NFL. Right now, he's stuck behind not only Stafford, but another well-traveled vet in Jimmy Garoppolo.

Bennett still lacks the traditional size and stature for his position, but he's a proven gamer with a sharp arm and a high football IQ. Bennett puts more zip on his passes than you'd expect and he's fairly mobile in the pocket, able to evade pressure and maneuver his way to a clear passing lane.

Sometimes you just need to take a flier on the winner, and Bennett is a winner through and through. The beginning of his NFL career got off to a bumpy start off the field, but Bennett has done enough to rebuild his value and restore interest leaguewide.

Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns made Shedeur Sanders the 144th overall pick in April's NFL Draft, ending one of the more shocking draft slides in recent memory. Many of us thought Sanders was a first-round talent — a potential top-10 pick. Some even remained steadfast in their belief that he was better than Cam Ward, and thus the best quarterback available.

He wound up as the second rookie quarterback taken by the Browns, 50 picks after Oregon's Dillon Gabriel flew off the board. Sanders began training camp as QB4, with Deshaun Watson lurking in the shadows, too. Sanders' first preseason game was a sensation. It felt like he made a real statement. Real progress. Then, in his second game, it all fell apart, as the Rams defense put Sanders in the hurt locker.

We shouldn't react too strongly in either direction. Sanders is better than a fifth-round pick but he's also clearly not going to break through on this Browns roster. As such, Cleveland ought to entertain trade overtures for the rookie. Sanders may even get cut, although GM Andrew Berry has said the Browns are fine with taking four QBs into the season.

Sanders won't return a massive haul — all these teams passed on him, too — but he has shown enough throughout camp and preseason, especially in how he has handled the media spotlight, to warrant the investment from a team where he might actually play.