8 Preseason Quarterback Questions

Photo: Steven Bisig, USA Today Sports

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The preseason is a key time to monitor news and camp notes that will influence the 2023 season. The rookie quarterbacks, Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, and Anthony Richardson are all questions about when they will start. Outside of the rookies, there are eight questions to monitor.

Go Deeper: See the Footballguys Consensus quarterback projections here >>>

Does Kyler Murray play in 2023?

Kyler Murray suffered a torn ACL in week 14 of the 2022 season. Head coach Jonathan Gannon said, "I know he's making strides. I mean, he's a long way away, but we don't play for a long time either. So I feel good where he's at.” With an over/under of 4.5 wins in 2023, Arizona has the worst win total in the league. Additionally, Arizona has Houston's first-round pick, which also could be a top-five selection. The 2024 rookie class is expected to be a great quarterback class that includes both Caleb Williams and Drake Maye. Murray was selected and extended by the Steve Keim-Kliff Kingsbury regime, and the team could be situated with an incumbent quarterback and a top pick, similar to the way Chicago was in 2023. Murray's play could determine whether they trade Murray and pick a quarterback with the first pick or trade the pick and continue with their incumbent.

Does Justin Fields develop as a passer?

Justin Fields has struggled as a passer through two seasons, and his player yardage props are in the bottom three of quarterbacks. Likewise, we project to have Chicago with the fewest passing attempts in the league. The team added D.J. Moore to help Fields's development, but that is not a sure thing given Fields's lost dropback rate. Fields is the only quarterback since 2008 to finish in the top 12 seasonal finishes with more rushing points than passing points. With his rushing skills, Fields has a solid fantasy floor, but his long-term status in the league will be determined by his passing development.

Does Deshaun Watson bounce back?

Deshaun Watson has been a top 6 performer on a per-game basis at every point of his career until sexual abuse allegations derailed his career. He sat out the 2021 season before being traded to the Cleveland Browns in 2022. Watson played only six games in 2022 and threw for only 6.5 yards per attempt while finishing as QB24 in per game scoring among quarterbacks with multiple starts. Watson has rebounded to a top-10 quarterback in fantasy valuations and has been picked near the first-second round turn in Superflex startup drafts, so the market is bullish on his ability to rebound in 2023. If he rebounds, that could be a bargain, but his price could plummet if he performs closer to the 2022 version than the 2020 version.

Does Russell Wilson bounce back?

Russell Wilson was the other major trade of the 2022 offseason. His first season with Denver was a disaster that resulted in head coach Nathaniel Hackett's firing. The team then hired former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton to help turn Denver around. Wilson finished as QB16 in season-long points and 19th in per-game scoring in 2022 and had his worst performance in his career in touchdown metrics that ultimately explained his fantasy decline. His fit with Payton is a much watch this summer.

What is Jordan Love?

This will be the first offseason in Green Bay without Aaron Rodgers or Brett Favre as the quarterback since the George H.W. Bush administration. This will dominate headlines in training camp. There was concern about Love's readiness in prior seasons. But the vibes around Love have improved in the past year, and Love was better in 2022 in his 21 attempts than he was in 2021. Love's development and the structure of the offense will be important watches this offseason.