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NFL Quarterback Battles 2026: Predicting Winners of 5 Starting QB Competitions
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- NFL Quarterback Battles 2026: Predicting Winners of 5 Starting QB Competitions
NFL training camp is fast approaching, and one of the biggest storylines every summer is position battles across the league. The biggest spotlight always centers on starting quarterback competitions, with our eyes on five battles this summer.
Let's dive into our early predictions for who comes out on top of the NFL quarterback battles this summer.
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Arizona Cardinals : Jacoby Brissett
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Carson Beck , the 65th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, will be the Arizona Cardinals ' starting quarterback later this season. After all, he's closer to being a pro-ready player than he's to being a projected quarterback with great upside. What he's not ready for is to start in September. While Jacoby Brissett posted a 1-11 record last season for Arizona, he put up a 23-8 TD-INT ratio with a 94.1 passer rating and completed 64.9 percent of his passes. He's the clear-cut best option right now for Arizona, and a veteran quarterback who makes smart decisions is exactly who you want under center with a rookie at running back.
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Competitors:Jacoby Brissett, Carson Beck and Gardner Minshew
Atlanta Falcons : Tua Tagovailoa
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As of June, the Atlanta Falcons medical staff still hasn't cleared Michael Penix Jr. for 11-on-11s in practice. He's making progress in his recovery from ACL surgery, the third of his career, but he's lost some early ground in the Falcons' quarterback competition. Tua Tagovailoa isn't anything special as a starter, but he plays within the structure of the offense, gets the football out on time and accurately (68 percent career completion rate). Atlanta's offense already boasts the skill players to at least be an above-average unit, and he'll ensure the Falcons' passing game runs smoothly. Penix will eventually get his shot again when Tagovailoa's talent limitations cap the Falcons' offense, but that won't come in September.
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Competitors: Michael Penix Jr. vs Tua Tagovailoa
Cleveland Browns : Deshaun Watson
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Early in the offseason, Deshaun Watson seemed to be the front-runner to be the Cleveland Browns ' starting quarterback in Week 1. Credit to Shedeur Sanders , as the second-year passer has narrowed the gap and turned it into a legitimate competition entering Browns' training camp. Sanders seems like the better option, but it's easier to bench a veteran and roll with the young signal-caller than it's to do the alternative. We think Watson will be the Browns' starting quarterback in Week 1, but he'll lose the job within two months.
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Competitors:Deshaun Watson vs Shedeur Sanders
Las Vegas Raiders : Kirk Cousins
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It's a guarantee that Fernando Mendoza will make the most starts among Las Vegas Raiders quarterbacks in 2026. We just don't anticipate seeing him on the field in September. After all, the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft needs to learn how to play from under center, and head coach Klint Kubiak's system takes a long time to learn. Our expectation is that near the end of training camp, Kubiak will announce Kirk Cousins as the Raiders' starting quarterback for Week 1. By Nov. 1, it will be Mendoza's job.
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Competitors:Kirk Cousins vs Fernando Mendoza
Minnesota Vikings : Kyler Murray
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As of now, we think the real question for the Minnesota Vikings might be whether or not J.J. McCarthy should even be the backup quarterback in 2026. He's shown very little promise in his pro career, and if Kyler Murray went down, we're pretty confident that head coach Kevin O'Connell would prefer having Carson Wentz under center running his offense. Minnesota will call this a true quarterback competition heading into training camp, but it feels safe to predict that Murray will be named the Vikings' starting quarterback just a few weeks into the battle.
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Competitors:Kyler Murray vs J.J. McCarthy
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