The 2023 NFL season was rough on starting quarterbacks, with so many winding up on injured reserve. Now, with regular-season openers three weeks away, the pressure is mounting for successful returns by seven quarterbacks coming off significant injuries.
Here’s my ranking of who faces the most pressure to return to top form and lead their teams to the 2024 postseason:
QBs Under Pressure After Injury
7. ANTHONY RICHARDSON, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
The fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft had his rookie season ended after only four games due to a shoulder injury that required surgery. Anthony Richardson has been full go in Indianapolis Colts training camp and played two series as the starter in last Saturday’s preseason opener against Denver.
He completed two of four passes for 25 yards and escaped the rush for a short gain while avoiding a hit.
Richardson went 2-2 in his starts last season. He had a below-average passer rating of 87.3, three touchdown passes, and only one pick, but he also fumbled three times. Richardson showed his athleticism with 136 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
The Colts expect Richardson to ascend in his second season and help the team be a contender for the AFC South title or a wild-card spot. He has a solid supporting cast led by RB Jonathan Taylor, a quality offensive line, and a good wide receiver group anchored by Michael Pittman, Jr., which has added a talented newcomer in second-rounder Adonai Mitchell.
6. JUSTIN HERBERT, LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
Justin Herbert’s fourth season ended in Week 14 when he suffered a broken index finger on his throwing hand and underwent surgery.
It ended a rough season in which he played well enough (93.2 passer rating, 20 TD passes, seven interceptions). Still, the team underperformed at 5-12 after a playoff season in 2022 that ended with a disastrous wild-card round loss in Jacksonville.
Now, Herbert has a new coach, Jim Harbaugh, who wants a stronger rushing attack to pair with Herbert’s skills as a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback.
Herbert was the sixth overall pick in 2020. He signed an extension last year that made him one of the NFL’s highest-paid players at $52.5 million annually.
Herbert’s finger has recovered, but he has missed most of training camp with a plantar fascia injury in his right foot. He’s in a walking boot that is scheduled to be removed this week.
It’s problematic for the team since he’s missed valuable camp reps as he and the Chargers work towards mastering the new offense and breaking in a revamped wide receiver corps with last year’s starters Keenan Allen and Mike Williams having departed.
The hope is that Herbert will face the Raiders in the Sept. 8 opener.
5. KIRK COUSINS, ATLANTA FALCONS
Kirk Cousins had an excellent 2023 season with a top-five passer rating of 103.8 and a three-game winning streak when he tore his Achilles in Week 8 at Green Bay.
When the Vikings didn’t extend Cousins’ contract after his sixth season in Minnesota and balked at guaranteeing two-plus years on a new deal, the soon-to-turn 36-year-old quarterback was off to Atlanta. He signed a four-year, $180 million deal with $100 million guaranteed.
The Atlanta Falcons have had six straight losing seasons, and the pressure is on the four-time Pro Bowler, who has only one career playoff win, to lead the Falcons to the top of the winnable NFC South and into the postseason.
Adding to the pressure on Cousins — and to his angst, since he was surprised on draft day — is the addition of first-round pick Michael Penix Jr., who has been impressive in Falcons training camp and started last week’s preseason opener at Miami. He played five series and produced 10 points but threw for only 104 yards with a 76.0 rating.
Cousins is fully recovered from the first major injury of his 12-year career. He has performed well in camp with the new offense and has a strong supporting cast. It includes three former first-round skill position players: RB Bijan Robinson, WR Drake London, and TE Kyle Pitts, along with one of the league’s highest-paid offensive lines.
Cousins is not expected to play in preseason games as he prepares to face the Steelers in the regular season opener.
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4. DESHAUN WATSON, CLEVELAND BROWNS
Deshaun Watson has played in only 12 games for the Cleveland Browns due to a suspension and injuries since they traded multiple high draft picks and signed him to a fully guaranteed $230 million contract over five years in 2022.
His 2023 season ended in Week 10 when he suffered a high ankle sprain and fractured shoulder. He underwent surgery on his throwing shoulder and was eased back in during the offseason and early training camp.
He has taken first-team reps recently and will compete against the Vikings starters in joint practices this week. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Watson won’t play in Saturday’s game vs. the Vikings but will start the preseason finale against Seattle on Aug. 24 to prepare for the opener against the Cowboys.
Watson was a three-time Pro Bowler in Houston as the Texans’ 2017 first-round pick and led the team to division titles in 2018 and 2019. The sexual assault allegations and settlements derailed his career as he sat out in 2021 before being traded and suspended before returning for the last six games in 2022.
His career passer rating is 100.8, but it’s dropped to a dismal 79.1 and 84.3 in his limited play the past two seasons.
Watson’s contract expires in 2026, and the Browns have a $64 million cap number this year — the same amount for the next two years. The team has not restructured or extended his contract because it surely wants to see him stay healthy, not have off-field issues, and regain his excellent form from his Houston days while leading the Browns to playoff victories and Super Bowl contention.
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3. JOE BURROW, CINCINNATI BENGALS
Two of Joe Burrow’s first four seasons have ended on injured reserve. The first overall pick in 2020 had his rookie season shortened with a Week 11 ACL injury.
He rebounded with an outstanding second season when he was the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year, ranking second in the league with a 108.3 passer rating. He ended up leading the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl that year, too.
Burrow was a Pro Bowler in 2022 and directed his team to the AFC title game. In 2023, Burrow missed time in training camp with a calf strain, returned to start the first 10 games, and then tore a ligament in his wrist in Week 11. His passer rating dipped to 91.0 in 10 starts with a 5-5 record.
He’s recovered from the wrist surgery. After being cleared for full contact, he’s had a solid training camp and played the opening series in last week’s preseason opener against Tampa Bay.
He completed five of seven passes for 51 yards and a 10-yard touchdown to Tee Higgins. He won’t play this week and is unlikely to start the last preseason game, so his next appearance will probably be in the opener against New England.
Burrow signed a five-year, $275 million contract before the 2023 season, making him the league’s highest-paid player. Now, he needs to stay on the field and return the Bengals to the playoffs and Super Bowl contender status to justify that huge contract.
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2. DANIEL JONES, NEW YORK GIANTS
Daniel Jones is coming off a 2023 season in which he suffered a neck injury in Week 5. After missing two games, he returned in Week 9 and tore his ACL. He finished 2023 with 909 yards passing, two touchdown passes, six interceptions, a passer rating of 70.5, and a 1-5 record.
After the New York Giants selected Jones sixth overall in 2019, his first three seasons were shaky. He had a 12-25 record, and his highest passer rating was a pedestrian 87.7 in his rookie year.
He finally broke out in the final year of his rookie deal (good timing!). Jones led the Giants to a wild-card berth with a 92.7 passer rating (15 touchdown passes, only five interceptions), 707 rushing yards, and seven touchdowns on the ground. He also had a big game in a wild-card round win in Minnesota (301 passing yards, two touchdowns, and 78 rushing yards).
That led to the Giants signing Jones to a four-year, $160 million contract before he hit free agency in 2023. However, general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll did not draft him.
If Jones underperforms this season, the Giants can move on by trading or releasing him in March of 2025 and taking an affordable (but certainly not desirable) $22.2 million dead money hit. They would have to do it in the first four days of the 2025 league year before $11 million of 2025 salary becomes guaranteed.
Jones’ wide receiver corps did not have a true No. 1 receiver until this season when the Giants drafted Malik Nabers sixth overall. He also played behind a lousy offensive line last season, allowing a league-high 85 sacks.
Questions remain on whether the offensive line will perform better. Jones will also be without star RB Saquon Barkley, who signed with the Eagles in free agency, and retired TE Darren Waller.
Jones will start the Giants' second preseason game on Saturday in Houston as his lead-up to the regular season opener against the Vikings in this critical season for him.
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1. AARON RODGERS, NEW YORK JETS
Aaron Rodgers’ return from his torn Achilles — sustained on the fourth play of last season’s opener — will garner the most attention and pressure this season.
It begins with a stiff test in the Monday night opener at San Francisco on Sept. 9.
Such is the case for the four-time MVP, who was traded last year from the Packers and was immediately hailed by New York Jets fans as the savior who would lead the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2010. He also had many Jets fans dreaming of the team’s first Super Bowl since 1969.
As usual, the 40-year-old Rodgers won’t play in any preseason games. He’s taken first-team reps throughout training camp, and coach Robert Saleh said, “His arm looks like he’s 30. So he’s chomping at it and ready to roll.”
Rodgers has a good supporting cast, led by 2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson at wide receiver and a fine running back in Breece Hall. The offensive line has been revamped after being a trouble spot last season (64 sacks allowed, fourth-most).
The Jets have six prime-time games this season, a testament to Rodgers as a marquee player and lightning rod of attention. After three straight 13-3 seasons but no Super Bowls with the Packers from 2019-2021, his final season in Green Bay did not go well (8-9 record, 91.1 passer rating, which was a career low as a starter).
Rodgers is under pressure to return to top form and lead the Jets to the promised land in 2025, his last year under contract.
This article first appeared on The 33rd Team and was syndicated with permission.
