5 NFL Quarterbacks on the Hot Seat at Midseason

After the trade deadline Tuesday, NFL teams have to take a realistic approach for the remainder of the year. Some clubs may need a change at quarterback to spark a midseason run for a playoff spot, while other front-office executives direct their attention to the 2021 offseason. 

In Week 7 of the 2019 term, the Tennessee Titans benched Marcus Mariota for Ryan Tannehill. That move worked out in their favor as the team advanced to the AFC Championship Game after a 2-4 start. An NFC team with a long-term investment in a high-profile quarterback could save its season with a bold roster move under center as well.

Another NFC team in the playoff mix should give its young backup signal-caller a second chance as a starter. Meanwhile, two AFC squads near the bottom of the standings may soon take an extended look at developmental players with 2021 offseason plans in mind.

We'll take the temperatures of quarterback hot seats across the league and single out five players who are in the most danger of losing their starting jobs this season because of subpar production, competition on the depth chart or a team's shift in focus toward the long-term future. 

In Week 4, the Chicago Bears made a switch at quarterback, transitioning from Mitchell Trubisky to Nick Foles. Yet, we cannot rule out another switcheroo. 

Last Sunday, against the New Orleans Saints, Foles threw for multiple touchdowns for the second time since he took over the starting position in relief of Trubisky.

Trubisky himself, however, was injured during his only snap on a read-option play in that Saints game. According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the former No. 2 overall pick is expected to miss "at least a few weeks" with a shoulder injury. 

Fox Sports analyst and Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman criticized the Bears' decision to make an early change under center. Former Bears offensive lineman Olin Kreutz, who now works for 670 The Score in Chicago, understands Aikman's perspective (h/t NBC Chicago's Alex Shapiro).

"You see Troy's point, because Nick does throw bad interceptions sometimes and you wonder what the hell happened there," Kreutz said. "When Mitch got benched for that bad interception, we've seen Nick make those kinds of plays."

Bryan Perez of Bears Wire added detailed context to Foles' Week 8 performance and why Trubisky possibly makes a better fit for the offense.

"Foles threw floaters, off-target ducks and ill-advised passes that were no different than what we've seen from Mitch Trubisky. But what he couldn't do was use his legs to break the pocket and slow the Saints' pass rush. Trubisky's best asset—his legs—is what the Bears offense needs at this point. The offensive line is that bad. Believe it or not, Mitch might be this team's only hope." 

Over the last two games, Foles has taken nine sacks. At times, it's on him to get rid of the ball, but the offensive line has had its fair share of issues, too.

The Bears have lost consecutive games, and they're set for a Week 9 matchup against the Tennessee Titans, who have also dropped back-to-back contests.

Chicago hasn't scored more than 23 points since Foles took over as the starter. Perhaps head coach Matt Nagy needs to flip the script for an offensive spark when Trubisky is healthy. 

Drew Lock desperately needed an impressive performance in his last outing. He missed Weeks 3 and 4 with a sprained AC joint, returned to action and didn't throw a touchdown pass in the following two games against the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs.

According to ESPN's Jeff Legwold, Lock had a noticeably rough start.

"In back-to-back games, Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock's rocky sophomore year has been put squarely under the football microscope," Legwold wrote. 

Lock eased concerns about his play for at least a week. He led Denver to a comeback victory in Week 8, throwing for 248 yards and three touchdowns. All of his scores came in the fourth quarter. Head coach Vic Fangio said the second-year quarterback "definitely needed it" in regard to last week's performance.

On one hand, Lock showed the ability to rally his team and score several points in a short window, but it took him three quarters to wake up against a middling Los Angeles Chargers defense. He has to do more to quiet doubters.

While Lock nursed his shoulder injury, Jeff Driskel had a rough Week 3 start in a 28-10 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brett Rypien played well enough to help the Broncos pull out a 37-28 victory over the New York Jets in Week 4, but he still threw three picks.

Denver used a second-round pick on Lock. The front office has to find out if he's the guy to lead the offense. The young signal-caller potentially faces pressure within his division.

As Chargers rookie quarterback Justin Herbert shows early flashes, Broncos executive vice president of football operations John Elway may grow impatient with Lock if his play continues to fluctuate, which could lead to another quarterback selection in the 2021 draft, pending the team's spot in the order. Right now, Denver has arguably the fourth-best quarterback in the AFC West.

Baker Mayfield doesn't deserve immense scrutiny for the Cleveland Browns' Week 8 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. His pass-catchers didn't provide much help with dropped passes in blustery weather.

A little over a week ago, ESPN's Dan Graziano suggested the Browns haven't contemplated a switch at quarterback.

"First of all, the Cleveland Browns are not about to bench Baker Mayfield for Case Keenum. They are not at that point. If you're thinking it's likely because of the prior relationship between Keenum and Browns coach Kevin Stefanski from their time together with the Minnesota Vikings in 2017, I'm here to tell you that you're overthinking it."

We should add the word "yet" to end of the second sentence in Graziano's statement above. The Browns could change course if Mayfield struggles in his game-manager role. In eight contests, he's thrown for more than 200 yards just three times. Cleveland ranks eighth in total carries and 29th in pass attempts.

Mayfield isn't the driving force behind the Browns' 5-3 start. In fact, this season, when tasked with coming from behind, he hasn't moved the ball consistently with his arm against quality opponents such as the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Keep in mind the current regime didn't draft Mayfield with the No. 1 overall pick in 2018, which may lead to wandering eyes if a high-level veteran signal-caller hits the open market in 2021.

Although Graziano doesn't believe Keenum poses an immediate threat to Mayfield's position, at some point the latter must show he can lead an offense to victory when the running backs struggle on the ground.

In a tight playoff race, with a premium on wins down the stretch, Stefanski could look to Keenum, who led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game during the 2017 campaign.

Gardner Minshew II's hot seat may have reached its boiling point, but we have to consider an injury factor. 

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Minshew has "multiple fractures and a strained ligament" in his thumb on his throwing hand.

Nevertheless, days before Minshew's injury came to light, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport suggested the Jacksonville Jaguars considered a quarterback switch going into their Week 7 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers. 

The Jaguars had a competitive battle with the Chargers and stuck with Minshew, who threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Yet, he'll be inactive when the team comes out of its Week 8 bye, per Rapoport, giving way for either Mike Glennon or rookie sixth-rounder Jake Luton to start against the Houston Texans. 

Because of Minshew's thumb injury, we cannot say the Jaguars clearly benched him for poor performance. However, he may not step back into a starting role if Glennon or Luton moves the offense with consistency. 

At 1-6, the Jaguars may go into roster evaluation mode and take a long look at Luton before coming up with a draft plan for the offseason. Jacksonville has two 2021 first-round picks.

After a 33-6 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Cam Newton put himself on the hot seat.

"The first thing I said to myself coming home was, 'You keep playing games like that, bro, and it's going to be a permanent change,'" Newton said on WEEI (h/t ESPN's Mike Reiss).

In a Week 7 loss to the 49ers, Newton threw for just 98 yards and three interceptions before being relieved by Jarrett Stidham. He followed that up with a 174-yard game through the air and once again failed to record a touchdown pass.

Through Week 8, Newton has just two touchdown passes—his last one to running back Rex Burkhead in Week 3 against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Newton didn't have wideouts N'Keal Harry (concussion) or Julian Edelman (knee surgery) available for the last contest, but he hasn't had a decent showing as a passer since he recorded 397 yards and a score against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2.

Although head coach Bill Belichick said he's "absolutely" going to stand by his current starter, the Patriots should evaluate Stidham if they fall too far out of the playoff picture. He had a chance to take over the huddle before the team signed Newton. In the Niners loss, the second-year pro was 6-of-10 for 64 yards and one pick, and his 39.2 passer rating was 0.5 worse than Newton's. 

In Week 8, Newton had a costly red-zone fumble, which allowed the Buffalo Bills to seal the victory and dropped the Patriots to 2-5.

Newton isn't under contract for the 2021 term. As the Patriots fall behind in the postseason race, they may look toward the future and evaluate Stidham before making a run at a free agent or an incoming prospect next year.