There have definitely been some disappointing quarterbacks thus far in the 2024 NFL Season. Let's look at three of them. It's been tough sledding for some of these quarterbacks through four weeks, and it may not be getting better anytime soon.
Playing QB in the NFL is the single hardest thing to do in professional sports, so it's no surprise that there are some passers struggling across the NFL. Among all of a struggling passers in 2024 thus far, let's look at the three most disappointing.
Most disappointing quarterbacks through four weeks in 2024 NFL Season
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (78.9 passer rating)
Something is wrong and broken in Jacksonville, and Trevor Lawrence is clearly broken. I will say that he really has been nearly as good as many of us thought he would be when he came into the league first overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. He's had one season of note in 2022 and just has not been a consistent QB in this league.
However, through four games in the 2024 NFL Season, there is no way Lawrence is this bad, right? He's got a passer rating below 80 and is completing well under 60% of his passes. I would imagine that Doug Pederson and his coaching staff is probably on the way out, so perhaps an new staff that knows how to maximize Lawrence and what he does well can unlock his full potential.
But overall, it's been a huge disappointment in 2024 for Lawrence and the Jaguars.
Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns (74.4 passer rating)
Maybe now the worst trade and contract in all of sports, Deshaun Watson is probably on his way to getting benched in Cleveland. He's got a passer rating in the low-70s and hasn't at all looked like even a serivceable QB during his time with the Browns. The regression that has happened since leaving Houston is something almost none of his saw coming.
And we're now approaching a point where Watson is simply unplayable. I mean, you'd hope for better production from a backup QB, but here we are with Deshaun Watson and his fully guaranteed contract. The Browns' roster is quite good, so Watson is the one holding this team back. Honestly, if they were to bench Watson and put Jameis Winston it, they'd be a fringe playoff team, especially given how stout this defense is.
Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts (60.2 passer rating)
At some point a quarterback is just so raw that they are a lost cause, right? Well, Anthony Richardson has a passer rating just above 60, has thrown six interceptions this year, and left the Colts' Week 4 win with an injury. The team signed Joe Flacco to be the backup, and I think they did that on purpose, as I am not sure they were very high on Richardson entering the season.
And he's kind of proving why. He's an erratic thrower who can occasionally complete a deep ball but simply cannot complete the easy stuff consistently. Being that this is year two for Richardson, we should have seen more from the young QB.
Richardson has all the talent in the world and may be the best overall athlete at the QB position that the league has seen in years, but the whole passing thing has not come easy for Richardson, and it's just been disappointing thus far.