National Football League

Jets, Raiders need new QBs in 2023? 13 NFL teams to watch

Updated Apr. 11, 2023 11:51 a.m. ET

As the NFL season approaches the halfway mark, it's clear for some teams that their current starting quarterbacks are not the answer. For others, that conundrum might not be clear until after the season.

With that, Colin Cowherd and "The Herd" co-host Jason McIntyre broke down the QB market for the 2023 offseason, separating the 13 teams by those who definitely need to add at the most important position in sports, and those who should at least consider it.

Need a quarterback

Washington Commanders

Starting quarterbacks: Carson Wentz/Taylor Heinicke

2022 stats: Wentz — 1,489 passing yards, 10 passing touchdowns, six interceptions in six games; Heinicke — 480 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, two interceptions in two games

Detroit Lions

Starting quarterback: Jared Goff

2022 stats: 1,904 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns, six interceptions in seven games

Atlanta Falcons

Starting quarterback: Marcus Mariota

2022 stats: 1,432 passing yards, 10 passing touchdowns, six interceptions in eight games

New Orleans Saints

Starting quarterbacks: Jameis Winston/Andy Dalton

2022 stats: Winston — 858 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, five interceptions in three games; Dalton — 1,175 passing yards, nine passing touchdowns, four interceptions in five games

Carolina Panthers

Starting quarterbacks: Baker Mayfield/PJ Walker

2022 stats: Mayfield — 962 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, four interceptions in five games; Walker — 614 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, one interception in four games

Seattle Seahawks

Starting quarterback: Geno Smith

2022 stats: 1,924 passing yards, 13 passing touchdowns, three interceptions in eight games

Indianapolis Colts

Starting quarterbacks: Matt Ryan/Sam Ehlinger

2022 stats: Ryan — 2,008 passing yards, nine passing touchdowns, nine interceptions in seven games (Ryan); Ehlinger — 201 passing yards, zero passing touchdowns, zero interceptions in one game

Houston Texans

Starting quarterback: Davis Mills

2022 stats: 1,656 passing yards, 10 passing touchdowns, eight interceptions in eight games.

Here's how Cowherd and McIntyre weighed in on this group.

Colin's thoughts: "Eight teams in the NFL are going to draft a quarterback. … Washington's going to draft a quarterback. Of course they are. Detroit, they're 1-6. Atlanta, New Orleans, and Carolina."

Jason's thoughts: "I don't know about New Orleans. Atlanta, probably. Carolina, definitely."

Colin: "Seattle's going to take a quarterback. … Seattle's got two firsts, two seconds - I think they're taking a quarterback in those first four picks."

Jason: "You might have to cross the Falcons off. They do have Desmond Ridder that they drafted, who we haven't seen yet — Desmond Ridder, Marcus Mariota."

Colin: "Are you building a team to win the Super Bowl?"

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Discussions in the building

New York Jets

Starting quarterback: Zach Wilson

2022 stats: 1,048 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, five interceptions in five games.

New England Patriots

Starting quarterbacks: Mac Jones/Bailey Zappe

2022 stats: Jones — 993 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, seven interceptions in five games; Zappe — 781 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, three interceptions in four games

Las Vegas Raiders

Starting quarterback: Derek Carr

2022 stats: 1,621 passing yards, nine passing touchdowns, five interceptions in seven games

New York Giants

Starting quarterback: Daniel Jones

2022 stats: 1,399 yards, six passing touchdowns, two interceptions in eight games

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Starting quarterback: Tom Brady

2022 stats: 2,267 passing yards, nine passing touchdowns, one interception in eight games

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Here's how Cowherd and McIntyre weighed in on these five teams.

Colin's thoughts: "Derek Carr, for instance, they kind of gave him a flimsy contract, his dead cap money if they moved off isn't very much. It's like $5 million or something. So, if they got on this losing streak, there's going to be people in the building, he's been there for nine years and even though he's had like, six coaches, it's been a mess.

"Zach Wilson's the one for me where you think, 'I've only been here a year and a half.' … We know in this league, as it's become more quarterback-centric, that you either have a guy or you don't. And you're going to get fired if you give him another year. Robert Saleh may never get another coaching job, so they're not going to sit around and wait another.

"The simple stuff for Zach Wilson, the easy stuff is hard. Obviously, the hard stuff [Patrick] Mahomes makes easy but Mahomes is a superstar. I always worry when the easy stuff, the layups are hard. For Zach Wilson, the underneath stuff, the just plant your foot and get it there — I don't know. I was not a huge fan out of college. I've been wrong a lot on quarterbacks, and I've been right a few times. But if you're Robert Saleh, this is your big break. You're doing your part: defense, run game. So, he's done his part as a coach. Are you going to give this another year? Because New York will blow you out. This organization, these owners aren't going to give you three or four years. They have a history of blowing these guys out."

Jason's thoughts: "Here's the case for seeing more Zach Wilson. On Pro Football Focus, they can strip down the numbers, how is he against pressure? He's feeling a lot of pressure, they've got one of the worst offensive lines in the league. He's the worst quarterback in the league under pressure — just turnover play. He's a disaster. He's running for his life. But when he's not under pressure, he's like a league-average quarterback. So, the question is can you get him a left tackle? Can you bolster the line when [Alijah] Vera-Tucker comes back? Do they give Mekhi Becton another shot? If the pieces are around him and he's got time in the pocket, can he be a good quarterback?"