Blame this year’s NFL QB carousel on the LA Rams

Improving the team

At the heart of all of this excitement is the ultimate goal of improving the NFL team. And it’s lost in many of these transactions. Let me say this once and for all. Drafting a quarterback does not make a bad NFL team a sudden contender. Of the four teams that drafted a quarterback in 2020: The Cincinnati Bengals, the Miami Dolphins, the Los Angeles Chargers, and the Green Bay Packers, the Dolphins and Packers succeeded thanks to veteran quarterback play.

The Chargers Justin Herbert was 6-9, Joe Burrow was 2-7-1, Tua Tagovailoa was 6-3, and the Packers never placed Jordan Love on the football field. Of course, the Dolphins placed their rookie quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, onto the field to lead the team that boasted the fifth-best defense in the NFL, and he contributed to the 15th best offense. That’s a pretty good supporting cast.

You can argue whether the switch to Tua gave the Dolphins more wins, but the debate would be a healthy one. A stronger argument could be made for Herbert’s role with the Chargers. But that’s the key after all isn’t it?  Adding new quarterbacks does not suddenly add large numbers of NFL wins to that team. At least not in the current year.

Drafting a new quarterback is a strategic move. It is the belief that quarterback can be added this year, and after a year of auditioning and the normal struggles of a rookie, the team will be in a position to add the offensive protection and weapons to unleash the quarterback onto the NFL at full strength.