In Week 4, Jaxson Dart will become the first non-Cam Ward rookie quarterback to start a game this season as he replaces Russell Wilson in New York. It was an up-and-down three-game stretch for Wilson, who magically threw for 450 yards against the Cowboys but was awful in the other two games as he led the G-Men to an 0-3 start.
So now, Dart is starting. Considering how he looked in the preseason, this is probably a smart move for New York. You were going nowhere with Wilson, and Dart's mobile enough that you shouldn't have to worry about him taking too much of a pounding from the opposing pass rush. Maybe this can salvage something for New York.
It also begs another question: who's next?
There are a number of rookie quarterbacks currently on NFL rosters. Some of them don't stand a chance at starting a game this year, but others are bound to get a chance at some point. Let's try to predict when that will be.
Tyler Shough - New Orleans Saints - Week 5
Spencer Rattler hasn't been as bad as I expected he would be, but that doesn't mean the Saints need to just stick with him. Long-term, Rattler projects to be a solid backup quarterback, not a full-time NFL starter. And when the Saints fall to 0-4 after Sunday's loss to the Bills, it will be time for the team to make the switch.
Is Shough the answer? Well...the fact that he turns 26 years old this month and was drafted because he was pro ready and then he went on to lose the starting job to Rattler is a big, big, big warning sign.
But the Saints drafted him in the second round and need to know if he can solve their quarterback issues ahead of a 2026 NFL Draft where they're likely to pick near or at the top of the board.
This whole thing reminds me of the 2010 Panthers. Matt Moore beat Jimmy Clausen out for the starting job initially, something that probably said everything that needed to be said about Clausen. The rookie made 10 starts, going 1-9, and the Panthers finished the season 2-14, then went on to replace Clausen in the next draft by taking Cam Newton with the No. 1 overall pick.
Does this mean it's going to be Fernando Mendoza or Garrettt Nussmeier time in New Orleans next year? Yes, yes it does mean that.
Dillon Gabriel - Cleveland Browns - Week 5
Joe Flacco has been worse than expected this season, so Cleveland pulling the plug on him and trying out Dillon Gabriel would make sense at some point in the near future.
There are a few points at which I could see it happening. Week 5 against the Vikings feels the most likely, as it comes after a road matchup with Detroit that's likely going to be a disaster for Cleveland. Flacco could be benched before that game ends.
If Flacco survives that, Gabriel's first start likely waits until Week 7, a home game against a very, very bad Dolphins defense. Want your rookie quarterback to succeed? Throw him out there in a really good matchup. Let him eat against one of the league's worst defenses. That'd be a huge confidence boost.
Shedeur Sanders - Cleveland Browns - Week 17
So, this one is interesting. I stand by my belief that Shedeur Sanders is the most talented quarterback on this Browns roster, but he's only going to start if the Browns get absolutely nothing out of Gabriel. At the moment, I'm low enough on Gabriel that I think it happens ahead of the team's Week 17 game against Pittsburgh. Don't hold me to it because it's possible the Browns are so low on Sanders that they just let Gabriel struggle through the year, but it would frankly just be a bad move to not get Sanders some snaps late in the year.
I still think the Browns should make the move for Week 14, when the team hosts Tennessee. Cleveland benching Gabriel and elevating Sanders to the starting role to take on Cam Ward? That'd be a fitting move considering how closely the two were linked in draft discussion until Ward finally pulled away from Sanders in the months leading up to draft day.
Jalen Milroe - Seattle Seahawks - No 2025 Starts
There are a handful of rookie quarterbacks who won't start a game this year, but I'm singling out Jalen Milroe here because he's the highest-drafted of the remaining options.
Sam Darnold has been solid for Seattle this year. Maybe a slight step back from his Vikings performance last season, but not enough that it poses a threat to his playing time. The team is 2-1 and the lone loss was by four points to the 49ers, while the wins have both been by double-digits.
The only real path to Milroe starting was probably Seattle being bad and maybe sitting at something like 4-11 heading into Week 17 against the Panthers. That's not happening, and if Darnold gets injured at some point, Drew Lock gives Seattle a better shot at sneaking into the playoffs still.
This isn't meant as an insult to Milroe! His athleticism makes him a fascinating prospect and he deserves to be the No. 2 quarterback behind Darnold in 2026. For now, though, it's best if he stays on the sidelines.