3. Second-year QB Gardner Minshew doesn’t pick up where he left off in 2019.
He wound up being an unexpected contributor to the team’s 2019 season. A little over a year ago, the club used a sixth-round selection on Washington State quarterback Gardner Minshew. And he wound up being pressed into duty in the season opener when big-money acquisition and starter Nick Foles was injured against the Kansas City Chiefs.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
The young signal-caller would finish that game and start the next eight contests. Although Foles would return later in the season, his stay would be a brief one and Minshew took over for the remainder of the year.
All told, he played in a total of 14 contests, threw for 3,271 yards and served up more than twice as many touchdown passes (21) as interceptions (6). But for the season, he also fumbled 13 times and lost the ball seven times. And 10 of those drops and six of those lost fumbles came in his final 10 appearances.
That shaky ball security is something that has to improve this season if the young performer is to take another step forward. Minshew also completed 60.6 percent of his throws and that’s a number that also needs to rise a few notches in 2020. But the 24-year-old pro has a lot to offer.