The AFC North suddenly has perhaps the best, or at least most intriguing, collection of quarterbacks of any division in football. Nine-time Pro Bowl selection Russell Wilson will attempt to resurrect his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers after being cut loose by the Denver Broncos, while Chicago Bears castoff Justin Fields tries to pry the starting job from him. Joe Burrow and Deshaun Watson, meanwhile, are both returning from season-ending injuries with the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns, respectively. And, of course, there’s the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, coming off a second career NFL Most Valuable Player Award and looking to bounce back from a poor performance in the AFC championship game as he continues to seek an elusive first trip to a Super Bowl. A less heralded move was that of now ex-Ravens backup quarterback Tyler Huntley bolting for the Browns, agreeing on Sunday to a one-year deal worth the veteran minimum.
Given how little Cleveland paid, it’s clear the Ravens had little interest in bringing back Huntley, one of their more than 20 unrestricted free agents entering the offseason, for a fifth year. Though he would have provided familiarity, that was perhaps the problem – Baltimore knew what it had. Over the past three seasons, Huntley started 10 games for the Ravens while Jackson was injured and had a 3-7 record in that span. That included Baltimore’s AFC wild-card game against the Cincinnati Bengals in January 2023, when Huntley was stripped on third-and-goal from the 1-yard-line early in the fourth quarter and defensive end Sam Hubbard returned it 98 yards for the decisive touchdown. Signed by Baltimore as an undrafted rookie out of Utah in 2020, he completed 64.6% of his passes for 1,957 yards and eight touchdowns in the regular season. Huntley now goes from a locker next to Jackson’s to backing up Watson and battling Jameis Winston and 2023 fifth-round pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson on the Browns’ depth chart.
But Huntley’s departure also raises a question: Who will be the Ravens’ No. 2 quarterback? Given Jackson’s injury history – he missed 10 games in 2021 and 2022 combined because of injury – it’s a pertinent question. Currently, the only other quarterbacks on Baltimore’s roster are 2023 undrafted rookie Malik Cunningham and veteran Josh Johnson, who has played for an NFL-record 14 teams, turns 38 in May and last week re-signed for another year with the Ravens. Put another way, Baltimore will likely want to bolster that group through free agency and/or next month’s draft. With several other holes to fill on the roster – including offensive tackle, outside linebacker and guard – adding another quarterback is far from the most pressing need, but it is one general manager Eric DeCosta will need to address, among others.
Joshua Dobbs At 29, Dobbs has already played for seven organizations, including the Browns and Steelers. Last season, he led the Arizona Cardinals to a stunning 28-16 upset of the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3, but success in the desert was short-lived. He went 1-7 for Arizona, which included a loss to the Ravens and was traded to the Minnesota Vikings after Kirk Cousins suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. He came off the bench to lead the Vikings to a comeback victory over the Atlanta Falcons in November after not taking any reps during the week but was eventually benched two games later after struggling. In all, he had a record of 3-9 as a starter last season and threw 13 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. For his career, Dobbs has completed 62.2% of his passes for 2,290 yards, 15 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He also has 496 career rushing yards.
