Five quarterbacks were taken in the 1st-round of the 2018 NFL draft. Year four is in the books for all but one of these players.
A season after three of the five quarterbacks taken in the first-round of the 2018 NFL draft made the playoffs, expectations were high heading into 2021.
Instead, regression was the name of the game as the season progressed. Only Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills led their team back to the playoffs while the other two playoff participants from last season spent the last game of the 2021-22 season on the sidelines.
Injuries plagued the quarterback class for much of the season, with only Allen playing in all 17 games. Even when on the field, there were struggles from all five quarterbacks. At times, they looked like they were playing in their first or second season, not their fourth.
Such can be the nature of the NFL, where fortunes often turn on a dime. Four of these quarterbacks now have the offseason to prepare, heal up, and work on what ailed them in 2021. Two should have no trouble leading their team again as the starting quarterback. One could be a starter, depending on where the chips fall, and one could be battling for a chance to remain in the league.
For Allen, however, his season continues, where hopes are that the Bills return to the AFC Championship Game (and beyond).
Josh Allen
An AFC East title wasn't secured until the final week but Allen and the Bills are back hosting a playoff game. An 11-6 season gave the Bills the third seed, whey they play host to the sixth-seed New England Patriots on Saturday.
Allen was the best, and most consistent, of the five first-round quarterbacks this season. He played close to an MVP-level again in 2021. Allen's numbers were slightly down in some areas from his spectacular year three but he was forced to carry the Bills in other ways.
Regular season passing stats were indeed down but not by much. Allen passed for 4407 yards, 137 less than the year before. Touchdown passes were nearly on par (36 in '21, 37 in '20) and Allen had six 300-yard games this season.
Completion percentage dropped from 69.2 in 2020 to 63.3 this season. That number partially took a nosedive because of Allen's last two games, where he was 35-71 for 359 yards. Allen also had three of his career-high 15 interceptions in the second-to-last-game of the regular season.
It was the running game from Allen that really leveled up this season.
Allen ran for a career-high 763 yards, besting his previous high from his rookie season by 132 yards. He averaged 6.3 yards per carry and scored six times as he was often the focus of Buffalo's running attack in 2021.
Allen took off the last three games, all Buffalo victories. He carried the ball 32 times for 208 yards. Buffalo went 5-2 in games which Allen rushed for 50 yards or more.
Sacks played a heavy part in some of Allen's struggles but an issue that has seemingly been solved the last three games. Buffalo allowed zero sacks in this span and Allen has been sacked 26 times this season.
The sky continues to be the limit for Allen and the Bills. A wide-open AFC East field could see Buffalo with a Super Bowl berth by time the playoffs are all said and done. And if not, they should be competitors for years to come.
Lamar Jackson
The Baltimore Ravens ended the season on a six-game losing streak, losing five of those games by a combined eight points.
It was a trying season for Baltimore, from the moment camp opened. They dealt with illness, roster turnover, and injuries, including an ankle injury to star quarterback Lamar Jackson that saw him miss most of the season's final five games.
Jackson left a week 14 loss to Cleveland early in the game to never make it back on the field. It was Jackson's first missed action due to injury in his career, which also contributed to Baltimore missing the the playoffs for the first time in Jackson's tenure.
Jackson was 7-5 as a starter in 2021 as Baltimore finished 8-9. Before his injury, he was on pace to set a career-high in passing yards as Baltimore was forced to pass more this season. With their top running backs injured from the get-go, Jackson was the primary focus in the running game.
So, to balance that out, the Ravens passed the ball more. And the early results were flashy, with Baltimore starting the season 5-1 and Jackson having the game of his life in a week 5 overtime victory against the Indianapolis Colts.
Jackson was nearly perfect in that game, going 37-43 for 442 yards and four touchdown passes. He also carried the ball 14 times for 62 yards in that game.
On the season, Jackson finished with 2882 passing yards, 16 touchdown passes, and 13 interceptions (most in his career to-date). Despite being opposing teams focal point in the ground game, Jackson managed to still rush for 767 yards, though for the first time in his four years yards per carry were under six (5.8).
Jackson was also sacked 38 times.
Getting healthy, and getting strong compliments in the running game healthy, will be a key for Jackson and the Ravens in 2022. Progress in the aerial attack was shown and a better balance on offense for this team could lead to big things in the future.
Baker Mayfield
Multiple injuries, forcing the issue, and dropped passes all contributed to Baker Mayfield's struggles in 2021.
Mayfield started the season locked in, throwing for 300 yards or more twice in the season's first five weeks. Then Mayfield hurt his shoulder in week 6 and was never quite the same, not once topping the mark after.
A disappointing season ended with shoulder surgery scheduled and a Cleveland team on the outside of the playoffs looking in.
With one of the strongest running attacks in the NFL, led by Nick Chubb, less pressure should be placed on Mayfield. And that's one of the reasons the team was so successful in 2020. The formula couldn't be replicated in 2021 and Mayfield wasn't quite as efficient.
Now, some of the blame can be assigned to him but when one is also dealing with 4-5 dropped passes per game, that can be frustrating, too.
Mayfield went 6-8 as a starter in 2021 and interceptions became a problem down the stretch. He finished with 13 but 7 of those happened in his final three starts as Cleveland was battling for a playoff spot.
Mayfield tossed 17 touchdowns, completed 60.5, and threw for 3010 yards, the lowest of his career.
All signs point to Mayfield being back under center with Cleveland in 2022. He'll likely need a receiver or two add to the arsenal. And the rise of the playoff-bound Cincinnati Bengals mean the AFC North is getting even tougher. But if Chubb is rocking and Mayfield is rolling, the Browns should be back in the thick of things next season. For Mayfield, that means a little more calm, and a lot more accuracy.
Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold's fourth season began with a bang. A new team seemingly provided new life to Darnold as the Carolina Panthers were rolling in those early weeks.
Then, the wheels fell off.
Darnold slumped, running back Christian McCaffrey got injured, and then Darnold did, too. In between, he was pulled but ultimately came back to show a little something in Carolina's last two games.
All told, it was again a season of struggles from the no. 3 pick. Darnold appeared in 12 games, finishing 4-7 as a starter (this after winning the season's first three games).
After the hot start, in which Darnold threw for 300 yards or more in three games, he did not cross that mark again. There was trouble in even throwing for 200 yards, which Darnold did only twice in the last eight games in which he appeared.
By his own admission, Darnold knows that he's "not playing good enough". Health has been in issue, too, in his first four years as Darnold is yet to play a full season. In 2021, the 12 games saw him throw for 2527 yards (more than in year three), with nine touchdown passes and 13 interceptions.
Darnold did notch a career-high with 222 rushing yards, finding the end zone five times.
Looking ahead to 2022, there's a decent chance Darnold will be back as starting quarterback for the Panthers. If healthy, the Panthers have the pieces in place to have an offense that can produce points. Like Mayfield, Darnold will need to find consistency and hope the playmakers around him stay on the field. Darnold, however, might have a more limited window to prove his worth. And if things begin badly, a career backup as his job title could be on the horizon.
Josh Rosen
As the backup to Matt Ryan on the Atlanta Falcons, there wasn't a high probability Josh Rosen was going to see much game action this season.
And that held true to form, with Rosen only seeing some playing time in mop-up duty.
That didn't go too well, with Rosen completing as many passes to the Falcons as he did to opponents. He finished the season 2-11 for 19 yards and two interceptions.
At this point, it's difficult to see Rosen garnering a starting spot somewhere in 2022. He's got the tools to succeed but just hasn't put everything together. While I feel he was given up on too soon as the starter in Arizona and Miami, Rosen hasn't done a whole lot since to earn much more. There's definitely still a chance he succeeds down the line but chances are in 2022, Rosen will be battling to simply get on a roster somewhere.
That ties thing up for the 2021 season. For more about this series chronicling the journey of these five quarterbacks, check out the other posts from year four below:
Year 4: Season Preview
Year 4: Thru week 4
Year 4: Thru week 9
Year 4: Thru week 13
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
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