Sunday's afternoon slate was... something else. I wouldn't call it a showcase for the NFL's best quarterbacks, that much is certain. This was a wonky week on the schedule. Hopefully the evening slate can spice things up a bit. There were a lot of blowouts in the 1 p.m. slot on Sunday. Many of them featuring two less-than-great opponents.
The quarterback play was rough out there, y'all. It's been an uneven season for QBs overall, but Sunday was an especially ugly day for the purveyors of football's most important position. Many of them deserve a spot on the bench. Some of them were even benched midgame. We shall see how many of those switches stick, and how many were reactive in the moment.
Let's go through the four least inspiring quarterbacks from Sunday — and who their best replacement options are.
Dillon Gabriel, Cleveland Browns
It's not often that a team wins 31-6 and their quarterback still ends up in this column, but let's just say the Cleveland Browns' blowout victory was not a result of Dillon Gabriel's stellar arm. The Browns rookie finished with 116 passing yards, completing 13-of-18 pass attempts. He ran four times for 12 yards. Gabriel now has 446 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions through three NFL starts.
Just this week, Kevin Stefanski said the following: "I don't think we've turned it over the last 3 weeks and that's a recipe for winning football."
He was right, in a sense. Miami was bleeding turnovers on Sunday. The Browns took advantage and didn't stumble into self-inflicted wounds. But the best NFL quarterbacks make good things happen. They don't just keep bad things from happening. You can't play it safe all the time. Cleveland took advantage of excellent field position, courtesy of the defense, and let Quinshon Judkins hammer away in the red zone. Gabriel was pretty much a non-factor in the win. You won't win a lot of games when your quarterback is a non-factor.
Shedeur Sanders may or may not be ready. But the Browns traded both Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett. Deshaun Watson isn't healthy yet. Cleveland is fresh out of more experienced, "proven" options. Sanders will probably turn it over more frequently than Gabriel, but he's also going to test the defense and let it rip in tight spots, oftentimes with success. It's time to stomach the media firestorm and give the Colorado product a shot.
Replacement: Shedeur Sanders
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Tua Tagovailoa completed 12-of-23 passes for 100 yards and three interceptions before the Miami Dolphins benched him for rookie Quinn Ewers down the stretch. That puts Tagovailoa at 10 interceptions through seven weeks. At his peak a couple years ago, one of Tagovailoa's best traits was his efficiency — his ability to avoid boneheaded, unforced errors and locate receivers in the flow of Mike McDaniel's highly advantageous scheme.
That version of Tagovailoa is but a memory. He has the weakest arm of any starting quarterback in the NFL, bar none. Miami's offense can still generate advantages for its receivers out in space, but Tagovailoa's timing and confidence are out of whack. Tyreek Hill's absence certainly does not help.
While the southpaw is owned a significant amount of money, the Dolphins can no longer justify starting him week-in and week-out. Miami's season is pretty much over. McDaniel won't last much longer, so regime change will invariably shake things up. But Tagovailoa is a known entity at this point — a deeply flawed QB with a ghastly postseason résumé and a diminishing ability to keep the offense afloat in the regular season. When not everything is working in perfect harmony, Tagovailoa struggles to find cracks in the defense. He is the definition of a system QB and the system no longer serves him.
The only question is whether or not Ewers should replace him. Miami still has ex-first round pick Zach Wilson on the roster. Wilson's infamous tenure with the Jets has colored his reputation, potentially to the point of no return, but he had fans in Denver last season and he generated a lot of positive buzz for the Dolphins during the preseason. He's a major athlete, and probably a higher upside swing than Ewers, whose shortcomings were well documented at Texas. Wilson is probably the "better" option, but in a lost season, Miami might prefer to let the rookie ride it out, just to see what he's capable of. Ewers might surprise us, for all we know.
Replacement: Quinn Ewers
Justin Fields, New York Jets
Justin Fields completed 6-of-12 passes for 46 yards in the first half of the New York Jets' 13-6 loss to the Carolina Panthers. That was all she wrote, as Tyrod Taylor took the field in the second half and delivered substantially better results — even if it didn't sway the outcome. The Jets are 0-7, with an offense on life support after Breece Hall's concerning injury.
We shall see if Fields' benching holds. There's a chance that New York, ready to punt on this season, trots Fields back out there in Week 8. He's younger and more expensive than Taylor. New York poured not-insignificant resources into signing him. There is pressure to squeeze some value out of Fields before a rookie inevitably takes the reins in 2026. Fields has 11 weeks left to rebuild his reputation and push the Jets toward respectability, if not contention.
But such a strategy would be shortsighted. Fields is not the answer, clearly. Taylor is not a long-term solution either, but it's important for rebuilding teams to build good habits and establish a baseline competence. A foundation to build upon. Taylor is a tried and true vet. He has been in difficult positions before. He can at least put the Jets on a better path, even if he's only a stopgap.
It's past time for New York to admit defeat and retire the Justin Fields era. He should be QB2 in Week 8 — and probably on a new team before the November trade deadline, if there are any takers.
Replacement: Tyrod Taylor
Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders fell to 2-5 with an ugly 31-0 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday afternoon. This season has not gone to plan for Pete Carroll's squad. We all knew the Raiders weren't ready to contend, but folks thought Carroll, an established quarterback in Geno Smith, and some behind-the-scenes Tom Brady magic might at least keep the Raiders competitive on a week-to-week basis. Not so.
Smith's regression has been one of the most shocking developments of the NFL season. This dude was a genuine star, a perennial Pro Bowl candidate, with the Seahawks. Smith's NFL journey was nonlinear and deeply unconventional, but he reached impressive heights in Seattle, where he operated with unfettered confidence and made excellent use of an absolute canon attached to his right shoulder.
The Raiders' problems extend well beyond Smith, but he simply has not held up his end of the bargain in 2025. You can blame the O-line (rightfully). You can even blame the wide receiver core (also rightfully). But at a certain point, it becomes a Geno Smith problem, and the Raiders are struggling to get through it.
Smith threw for only 62 yards, completing 10-of-16 passes through 3.5 quarters. He didn't turn it over, thankfully, but after 10 interceptions through the first six weeks, it's hard to credit Smith for ball security. Kenny Pickett took over down the stretch, with the game out of hand, and immediately fumbled his first snap, which about sums up Las Vegas' season to date.
While Pickett is far from a dependable starter, and the Raiders are just about finished this season, it's time for permanent change. Smith does not have it anymore.