Without a franchise quarterback, no team in the NFL is going to sustain long-term success. In recent years, we have seen teams acquire top-end quarterbacks in different ways. Whether it be free agency signings like Sam Darnold and even Tom Brady years ago, major trades like Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff, or NFL Draft picks like most of the other starters, there are multiple avenues here to find that franchise piece.
But what also comes with that are teams that totally whiff and bring in the wrong player. It happens all the time and will continue to happen as the years go on. As we approach the summer months of the 2026 NFL Offseason, it's clear that some starters are at a high risk of getting benched this year.
We power-ranked the quarterbacks who are most at risk of getting benched in 2026.
Power ranking quarterbacks who are most likely to be benched in the 2026 season
5. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Deshaun Watson should soon emerge as the slam-dunk starter for the Cleveland Browns, but that might not be a good thing. Watson hasn't been a functional quarterback since his prime days with the Houston Texans, which feels like an eternity ago.
And Watson wouldn't necessarily get benched because the Browns have a young star in the making, but he'd likely get benched because he's been playing borderline unplayable football for years now. It's the sad truth of the situation. The Browns front office invested a ton to acquire Watson, but for whatever reason, his play just hasn't been nearly good enough, and it's barely been backup-caliber.
While Watson could enter the 2026 season as the starter, a few weeks of poor play, which is what we've seen for much of his Browns tenure, could lead to a major change.
4. Geno Smith, New York Jets
Geno Smith is now on his third team in as many seasons. In 2024, the Seattle Seahawks got rid of him in favor of Sam Darnold, and in 2025, the Las Vegas Raiders parted with Smith to make room for Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins.
Now on the Jets, the team that drafted him, Smith does have a rookie quarterback behind him in Cade Klubnik. While Klubnik was a fourth-round pick for a reason, Smith has been rather horrendous the past two seasons, combining for 40 touchdowns and a whopping 32 interceptions.
Unless a switch flips, and Smith is able to throw it back to the 2022 and 2023 seasons, the Jets' starting quarterback could quickly find himself playing poorly enough to make way for Klubnik, who the Jets coaching staff may at least want to see what they have in him this year.
3. Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals
Jacoby Brissett could begin the year as the Arizona Cardinals starting quarterback, but two other players are sitting behind him of note in the depth chart in Gardner Minshew, a capable backup, and Carson Beck, a third-round rookie.
The notable name here is Beck, as the Cardinals aren't going to win many games with Brissett or Minshew, who are both capable backups. While Brissett was efficient on paper in 2025, the Cardinals were behind in most games, so a lot of his production was fitting into that 'garbage time' category.
Brissett is a veteran who is who he is - Beck is a rookie who could at least have a shot to be a franchise passer. At some point, the coaching staff may want to see what they have in Beck, and the only way that happens is if Brissett gets benched.
2. Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders
With Mendoza and Cousins in the room, the long-term plan is obvious. While Cousins could be capable enough to keep the starting job for the entire season, what if he isn't?
Cousins hasn't been good these past couple of seasons, so we could be seeing Father Time catch up with a quarterback who did enjoy a very efficient prime. At this point, though, Cousins is a lot closer to 40 than 30 and is nothing more than a bridge quarterback for the Raiders.
Mendoza was the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and does have a similar archetype that true pocket passers have in the league. The Raiders are clearly another year or two away, but Cousins' recent shaky play, coupled with Mendoza being in the room, could make for an eventual changing of the guard.
1. Tua Tagovailoa, Atlanta Falcons
This first one could simply be labeled as 'the Atlanta Falcons QB room,' but we'll put Tua Tagovailoa in the No. 1 slot. As of now, he would be the better quarterback over Michael Penix Jr. Tagovailoa did have some nice years with the Miami Dolphins a few years ago, so, ideally, he's able to return to that level of play.
But in 2024 and 2025, Tagovailoa has looked like an entirely different player, and not in a good way. It seems like the injuries have piled up for the former first-round pick, as they seem to be impacting his play.
He's already a quarterback with a limited ceiling, so the margin for error here is rather low. If nothing else, Penix is still rather young and only entering year three, so there could be some untapped potential to see breakout.
Even if Tagovailoa wins the starting job, Penix could quickly see starts, as the Falcons did draft him and may internally hope that he figures it out somehow.