TOP 3 VETERAN QB’S WITH THE MOST TO PROVE..
No one in the NFL at the Quarterback position has more to prove than Carson Wentz. As a former number 2 overall pick, Wentz showed flashes of a MVP caliber QB during his 2017 campaign before tearing his ACL. Wentz had arguably the best RB in the NFL last year along with a top 5 offensive line and a great defense to lean on. Wentz however still managed to come up short. In his last game as a Colt, he posted a QBR of 4.3, only completed 58% of his passes and was sacked 6 times as he squandered away their playoff hopes. When you are a 2nd overall pick and you’ve been apart both a Super Bowl team and Super Bowl caliber team, you have to play and perform to a standard. A standard Wentz has fell short of time and time again. In 2017, Wentz finished third in MVP voting. At his peak this guy is amongst the most elite in the league, this is his year to turn it all around. Now in Washington now he has a elite WR1 in Terry McLaurin, a solid run game in addition to a high underrated young defense. Year 7, no excuses.
The second guy on this list recently made an appearance on ESPN’s top 10 QB’s list. Dak Prescott is under an immense amount of pressure. Although some don’t think Prescott is deserving of the slander, reality is he’s the starting quarterback for “America’s team” in Jerry’s world being paid $42 million dollars per year. If you are paid as a top 5 player at your position, you simply have to play to that standard. In addition to that, Prescott has arguably the best OL in the NFL over the past 3-5 seasons. Prior to losing Amari Cooper this offseason, he had one of the best receiver cores in the NFL. As well as a top 5 defense across the league. I firmly believe if Joe Burrow was the Dallas Cowboys starting QB he would lead that team to a super bowl. Prescott simply doesn’t have the “IT” factor. At the beginning of last season, we were ready to give Dak all the credit he deserved as he played amazing but he couldn’t maintain that level of play for the remainder of the season. Prescott recently stated that he’s currently in the best shape of his life ahead of the 2022 season. Hopefully that’s a good sign for Dallas.
Russell Wilson is another guy I feel as though has a lot to prove. However, Wilson’s case is a bit different. Wilson is the one guy on this list that has already proven himself. He’s won a super bowl, he’s Seattle’s greatest QB in franchise history, he’s set and broken numerous records for both Seattle and the NFL. And many forget that he’s only 5 foot 10. It goes without saying Wilson has defied all odds his entire football career. But now he faces a different task and odds as the starting QB for the Denver Broncos. Prior to leaving Seattle, everyone thought he’d be a guy who played his entire career for 1 team. So once he forced his way out of Seattle it was extremely alarming. Wilson is 3rd on this list because not only did he form his way out of Seattle, he handpicked where he wanted to land. Additionally, we know what Wilson is capable of and now he has no excuses with a young team with great players and a first class organization in the Denver Broncos. However, he has his work cut out as he joins a AFC West division with Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Derek Car. I’m interested to see how Wilson will fair against this AFC West’s opportunistic defenses.