Sizing up four second-year NFL quarterbacks and where they need to improve in 2026
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- Cam Ward ranked 36th of 38 qualifying QBs in EPA per dropback as a rookie with a 5.9 yards per attempt, but lost top receiver Calvin Ridley in Week 6 and saw head coach Brian Callahan fired midseason before new OC Brian Daboll arrived
- Brian Daboll has historically unlocked QB rushing upside — Daniel Jones went from 1.8 to 3.7 designed rushes per game under him, and Jaxson Dart ranked third in the NFL with 2.9 designed runs per game last season under Daboll's final Giants season
- Ward posted a 3.7% scramble rate (below the 5.4% league average) and lost 107.3 expected points across 88 extended dropbacks, the second-most lost value on extended dropbacks in a single season this decade behind 2023 Bryce Young
- Jaxson Dart led the league with 11.4 air yards per attempt on pressured dropbacks but finished last in completion percentage on those plays, scrambling 15.8% of the time while being sacked on 25.2% of pressured dropbacks
- All four QBs played on losing teams with only Sanders not starting the year as the starter, and three of the four franchises (Titans, Giants, Saints) have already undergone head coaching changes
- Shedeur Sanders, a fifth-round pick, "kept the ship afloat" for the Browns — a result the author notes was far from guaranteed for a late-round rookie, though Cleveland still has a ways to go
- Tyler Shough drew praise for a "legit arm and big frame," with the Saints among three fanbases the author says should feel "reasonably excited" about the upcoming season
Why it matters: The sophomore class represents a pivotal Year 2 moment for teams that invested top picks in unstable environments. Ward's pairing with Daboll is the clearest schematic lifeline, since Daboll's track record with Allen, Jones, and Dart specifically involved elevating the quarterback run game. For Dart, the high-volume hero-ball style produced a sack rate exceeding 25% of pressured dropbacks, a sustainability question that won't resolve without mechanical consistency.
