These 4 NFL quarterbacks should be benched or cut after Week 1

There is plenty of joy wrapped up in Week 1 of the NFL season. Football is back! For many fans, however, it also marks the return of borderline unhealthy stress and frustration. Imagine having to watch and root for the Browns every weekend after a blissful summer of disengagement. Anyhow, half of NFL fanbases will be 1-0 when the weekend wraps up. Others will start their annual panic early.

Most quarterback battles are settled well in advance of the regular season, but things can change quickly. The games count now, and several quarterbacks failed to meet the moment on Sunday afternoon. Let's outline a few QBs who should probably be benched.

Cooper Rush, Atlanta Falcons

Hopefully Michael Penix Jr. is healthy and ready to go for Week 2, which would bring the Cooper Rush experience to a swift and unceremonious end. If Penix is out, the Falcons still cannot trot Rush out there for another start. He was completely in over his head on Sunday, whiffing on wide-open targets and coughing up costly turnovers, including a T.J. Watt pick-six. He completed 12-of-22 passes in the end for 143 yards, one TD and two interceptions.

Jack Strand's impressive preseason probably generated more hype than it deserved — the Falcons are not wrong to bury an undrafted, D-II rookie on the depth chart — but with how bad Rush looks, it can hardly hurt to see what Strand has to offer in a pinch. Let the dual-threat rookie make or break himself. We know this is Penix's team at the end of the day, at least for the 2026-27 campaign.

There's a nonzero chance that Rush ends up on the chopping block as a cut candidate before long. The Falcons still value Tua Tagovailoa (also hurt) above him, while Strand offers more long-term equity, even if he's ultimately a career backup. With Rush, it's hard to imagine the Falcons needing him around except for emergency situations like this, when multiple QBs are hurt. There ought to be better emergency options available.

Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns

In the most predictable flop of Week 1, Deshaun Watson looked absolutely horrendous against a dominant Jaguars defense. He completed 16-of-22 passes for 205 yards with a TD and an interception in a blowout loss. He also suffered a fumble (which he was able to recover) and almost threw a second interception, which was luckily dropped.

The Browns' decision to start Watson in Week 1 was rooted in money and optics — not actual performance, as Sheduer Sanders looked meaningfully better in the preseason. It's hard to feel good about any of the Browns' QB options, but at least there's a hint of long-term potential with Sanders. Even rookie Taylen Green could be worth a look.

Watson's contract is a sunk cost. The Browns can't stay committed to him for purely financial reasons, especially when the fanbase is so strongly opposed to him at this point. Watson has been zapped of the athleticism and arm strength that made him a Pro Bowler once upon a time. His days as a starting-caliber NFL QB are in the rearview mirror.

Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans

The Titans were thoroughly outclassed by the New York Jets in Week 1, which is a troubling sentence. The Jets are probably better than their reputation suggests, but Tennessee needed a garbage time touchdown to make the scoreboard even semi-respectable. Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall draft pick a year ago, completed 19-of-32 passes for 144 yards and a meaningless TD, averaging a paltry 4.4 yards per attempt.

This continues a worrying trend from preseason. Ward has no shortage of natural athleticism and talent, but he can't seem to unlock it in this Titans offense. He's missing throws big and small, playing either scared or unaware. His processing speed is much to laggy for a second-year quarterback. It's hard to blame Ward when he's surrounded by the worst wide receiver room in the NFL — Tennessee has done him zero favors — but it's clear Tennessee can not trust their prized 24-year-old to actually move the chains consistently.

Mitchell Trubisky is the only backup currently on the Titans roster. Trubisky is no savior, and Tennessee obviously has a lot of time and resources wrapped up in Ward's development. That said, whatever new head coach Robert Saleh is able to accomplish with the Titans defense, it won't matter unless the offense becomes even remotely functional.

Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers beat the shorthanded Falcons 20-13 in what was easily the ugliest football game of the afternoon slate. Aaron Rodgers is expected to ride off into the sunset after this season and retire as a surefire Hall of Famer. For now, the 42-year-old is tasked with getting Pittsburgh back to the postseason. It's hard to complain about a win.

That said, Pittsburgh probably loses this game against 25 other NFL teams, give or take a few. The Falcons were hamstrung by their own QB ineptitude. Rodgers was flustered on several occasions by Atlanta's defensive pressure. He ended up completing 24-of-40 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown. He did not turn it over, but he took a couple sacks and missed a few key throws (with little help from his receivers, who came up empty on a few catchable throws).

FanSided's resident Steelers expert Mark Powell is willing to offer his stamp of approval on this one: "I would bench Rodgers, honestly."

He does not believe the Steelers are serious contenders and would thus rather watch the development of rookie Drew Allar or sophomore Will Howard. Rodgers can still get the ball on quickly and deliver the football with deft touch, but he's also susceptible to pressure, no longer as loose and nimble as he was in his younger years. If the Steelers drop a few games to better teams, then the Rodgers conversation will really pick up.

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