The Brendan Sorsby NFL discussion is now in full force. With his path back to playing college football blocked, the Texas Tech quarterback will apply for the NFL supplemental draft. He will be one of the most anticipated prospects to be picked in recent years, with the arm talent, mobility, and size that project to a future starter in the league with development.
The scarcity of first-string talent at the quarterback position will have several teams looking into Sorsby. When considering the potential cost of what it would cost to secure him, there is great reward for a team to take a calculated risk on a talent that is unexpectedly available. These are the franchises that should be willing to bid a high draft pick to improve their dire situation at signal-caller.
Arizona Cardinals
This offseason, the Cardinals moved on from Kyler Murray amid durability issues and a lack of success expected from a former number-one overall pick. They are facing a contract holdout with projected starter Jacoby Brissett, who has never looked like more than a stopgap.
Arizona signed journeyman Gardner Minshew and drafted Carson Beck, but neither looks to be the answer long term. Loaded with young talents like Marvin Harrison Jr, Trey McBride, and now Jeremiah Love, the Cards need to find someone who can take their games to another level. Landing that potential player now, compared to what it would take to get a blue-chip QB in next year’s draft, would allow Arizona to accelerate its rebuild.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns have been one of the worst teams in the league for a long time, in part because they cannot find any consistent play at quarterback. Deshaun Watson represents the latest nightmare at QB for Cleveland, as he has disappointed amid diminished skills, injuries, and legal trouble attached to a horrible contract they cannot get rid of. They drafted Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders last year, but neither guy proved themselves when given the chance to play.
Chances are, the Browns will be bad again this season and have the draft picks to be able to land one of the top QB prospects in next year’s draft. Can they be expected to actually get it right? Probably not, so going for Sorsby gives them another option to figure out who, if any of their young QBs, can be a part of the solution going forward.
New Orleans Saints
Tyler Shough showed some potential as the Saints’ starter and will get the chance to prove himself as the guy going forward. Beyond him are Spencer Rattler and Zach Wilson, both with physical skills but too inconsistent in their play to be counted on. Their QB room could dramatically change over the next few years if neither of these players shows more, so the Saints should be in the market for any possible upgrade. With plenty of holes on the team still, New Orleans might be better served using their higher draft capital to fill out other positions. They could still upgrade the quarterback room with Sorsby and have a better contingency plan for the future.
Brendan Sorsby To The Pittsburgh Steelers
Aaron Rodgers will be back for one final year with the Steelers, which will keep Pittsburgh competitive for this season. Since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement, the Steelers have not found a successor to be their franchise quarterback. Former first-round pick Kenny Pickett did not work out, and guys like Mitchell Tribusky and Justin Fields never developed with them after struggles with their first team (they should stay away from the Bears’ failed top draft picks).
The team drafted Drew Allar, but has already admitted he is a project with a lot to work on. Russell Wilson was okay for one season, and even Rodgers is no longer an elite option at this stage. Pittsburgh is never bad enough to have a top pick in the draft, so Sorsby represents their best chance to finally land a future starter without paying a premium in assets. Learning behind Rodgers and from the new Mike McCarthy raises the ceiling on what Sorsby could turn into.
