{"id":264058,"date":"2025-08-05T15:59:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T15:59:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/264058\/"},"modified":"2025-08-05T15:59:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T15:59:13","slug":"underrated-candidates-to-start-at-qb-in-2025-nfl-season-dolphins-rams-could-feature-these-signal-callers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/264058\/","title":{"rendered":"Underrated candidates to start at QB in 2025 NFL season: Dolphins, Rams could feature these signal-callers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Quarterbacks are one of the chief ingredients in the recipe for NFL<\/a> success. It’s why dynamic talents like Lamar Jackson<\/a> and Jayden Daniels<\/a> are among the league’s most respected playmakers<\/a> regardless of position. It’s also why desperate clubs like the Cleveland Browns<\/a> are overstuffing the cupboard<\/a> at quarterback, hoping to find at least one kernel of production from mass competition.<\/p>\n

At this point in the summer, with the preseason underway and the regular season just around the corner, we have a pretty good idea of where all 32 teams stand<\/a> in terms of quarterback power. Contenders like the Buffalo Bills<\/a> and Cincinnati Bengals<\/a> are bound to be tough outs as long as their gunslingers are upright. Rebuilding squads like the New Orleans Saints<\/a> are much muddier pictures.<\/p>\n

Week 1 projections are just that, however: projections. Every year in the NFL, dozens of emergency arms are summoned into action, either because of injury, poor play or some other dire circumstance. With that in mind, here are five underrated candidates to make at least one start at quarterback during the 2025 season:<\/p>\n

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Veteran QB Teddy Bridgewater expected to sign with Buccaneers in NFL return, per report<\/p>\n

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It’s not uncommon to find fans and media anticipating Dart’s takeover. The Giants traded up in the first round to draft the Ole Miss product, after all, signaling they intend for the dual threat to run the franchise. Yet coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen could also stand to win now, securing veteran placeholder Russell Wilson<\/a> as the Day 1 starter. If Wilson falters early, the Giants also have journeyman Jameis Winston<\/a> in tow as experienced insurance. At the end of the day, though, it’d be a mild surprise if Dart isn’t commanding this offense by the close of the year, ushering the team into a new era, with or without the current regime.<\/p>\n

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Like Dart, this rookie isn’t necessarily off the radar of local fans. Cleveland went haywire stockpiling quarterbacks in an effort to wash away the stink of the failed Deshaun Watson trade<\/a> this offseason, and Gabriel was the first signal-caller to be drafted by the club this spring. Still, with Joe Flacco<\/a> the favorite to open the year under center, Kenny Pickett<\/a> also onboard with starting experience, the recent addition of Tyler Huntley and Shedeur Sanders<\/a> bringing big-name buzz to the backup competition, Gabriel isn’t necessarily a national pick to emerge from the crowd as Cleveland’s hero. His short-area touch might just be what coach Kevin Stefanski is eyeing.<\/p>\n

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The talk of Indianapolis’ training camp has been the neck-and-neck battle between Anthony Richardson<\/a> and Daniel Jones<\/a>. What if — gasp — neither maligned veteran is the answer Shane Steichen is looking for? The Colts will no doubt cycle through those two before unturning other stones, but it’s not unreasonable to think neither Jones nor Richardson will stay upright and\/or stay steady. That leaves Leonard, the sixth-round flyer out of Notre Dame, as the next man up. The 22-year-old has reportedly gained pocket composure<\/a> throughout camp, and you can bet the Colts will be itching for long-term upside if their veterans don’t pan out.<\/p>\n

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Miami addressed the backup quarterback spot by signing former New York Jets<\/a> castoff Zach Wilson<\/a>, whose first-round arm has drawn positive reviews from Dolphins staffers. But let’s say starter Tua Tagovailoa<\/a> goes down, which unfortunately feels like a distinct possibility given his concerning medical track record. Are we sure Wilson will be guaranteed an indefinite first-team gig? Ewers, the former Texas star who landed in Miami as a seventh-round pick, has enjoyed what some media have dubbed a mostly “error-free” camp<\/a> under coach Mike McDaniel. His swagger just might convince the Dolphins he’s worth a true look.<\/p>\n

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Los Angeles is a popular playoff pick after Matthew Stafford<\/a> flashed his signature arm talent last postseason, then welcomed Davante Adams<\/a> to his arsenal this offseason. But Stafford is also 37, still recovering from back soreness that’s kept him sidelined for all of camp. And he’s battled plenty of other bumps and bruises the last few years, even contemplating retirement. That screams potential opportunity for Garoppolo, who quietly served as the Rams’ No. 2 in 2024 after the better part of a decade as a starter. “Jimmy G” once helped the rival San Francisco 49ers<\/a> to NFC title games. Might he have the chance to do the same for L.A.?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Quarterbacks are one of the chief ingredients in the recipe for NFL success. It’s why dynamic talents like…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":264059,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1504,53,1036,256,54,2772,5430,563,1033,7,392,1801,13,734,7841,562,570,895,58,32,251,55,56,255,6,1849,747,572,252,17,3452,1733],"class_list":{"0":"post-264058","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-anthony-richardson","9":"tag-buffalo-bills","10":"tag-caleb-williams","11":"tag-cincinnati-bengals","12":"tag-cleveland-browns","13":"tag-daniel-jones","14":"tag-davante-adams","15":"tag-deshaun-watson","16":"tag-dillon-gabriel","17":"tag-football","18":"tag-indianapolis-colts","19":"tag-jameis-winston","20":"tag-jaxson-dart","21":"tag-jayden-daniels","22":"tag-jimmy-garoppolo","23":"tag-joe-flacco","24":"tag-kenny-pickett","25":"tag-lamar-jackson","26":"tag-los-angeles-rams","27":"tag-matthew-stafford","28":"tag-miami-dolphins","29":"tag-new-orleans-saints","30":"tag-new-york-giants","31":"tag-new-york-jets","32":"tag-nfl","33":"tag-quinn-ewers","34":"tag-riley-leonard","35":"tag-russell-wilson","36":"tag-san-francisco-49ers","37":"tag-shedeur-sanders","38":"tag-tua-tagovailoa","39":"tag-zach-wilson"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=264058"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264058\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/264059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=264058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=264058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=264058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}