Is Bryce Young on the Fast Track to Becoming a New York Giant?

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (9) passes the ball against Vanderbilt at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL on Saturday, Sep 24, 2022.

Earlier this offseason, after the Saints and Eagles made a huge pick swap that involved Philadelphia putting themselves in a prime position to make a move for one of the quarterbacks in the very strong 2023 draft class. Had the Jalen Hurts experiment fell flat on its face, I predicted Bryce Young to be a Philadelphia Eagle next season.

Now, after an offseason in which the entire league played a game of receiver roulette that ended in the Birds landing Jalen Hurts a top weapon in AJ Brown as well as the emergence of DeVonta Smith, Hurts appears to have turned a corner and be well on his way to becoming one of the NFL’s premier young quarterbacks.

For simplicity’s sake, let’s assume for now that Bryce Young will be the crown jewel of this quarterback class. Sure, CJ Stroud has looked great as well and will be in the conversation, but it’s safe to say that no one else is on the level of these two.

Looking at the scope of the league three weeks in and considering everybody’s quarterback situation and potential draft position, it’s becoming obvious where the top quarterback could land. The team with the most obvious combination of issues at quarterback, coupled with a terrible roster and a new regime looking to start over is very clearly the New York Giants.

Yes, they are currently 2-1 even though they have no business being so. Monday night’s snooze fest against the Dallas Cowboys made it apparent that the Giants have major issues at almost every position on the roster, but quarterback may be the most glaring. I’m just about done with Daniel Jones, and it’s becoming clear that the Giants are as well. This offense has other issues and must surround a young quarterback, whoever that may be, with some talent, but I am beyond convinced that Jones is not gonna be the guy to get them there.

Taking a look at other teams who could need a quarterback is an interesting case study. The only team in the AFC that I could see pulling the trigger on a new QB1 early in the draft is the Houston Texans, who I believe will win more games than the Giants. The Raiders have started out 0-3, but you have to assume they are committed to Derek Carr for at least the foreseeable future.

In the NFC, it gets a bit more complicated. Two of the conference’s bottom feeders, the Falcons and Panthers, selected quarterbacks in the most recent draft in Desmond Ridder and Matt Corral. Ridder may get a chance to prove himself this season, while Corral is out for the season with a foot injury. Panthers coach Matt Rhule is almost a sure fire bet to get fired, so would a new regime want to bring in a new QB? That remains to be seen.

The Bears are awful, but will not give up on Justin Fields this quickly. That really just leaves three possible teams who could need a QB early: The Commanders, the Lions, and the Seahawks. Here’s the thing though. All three of these teams are better than the Giants! The Lions and Seahawks, who are both on the Giants schedule, have shown an ability to put up some points and I don’t think the Giants mess of an offense is keeping up.

And while Carson Wentz has not been good for the Commanders, the Eagles sacked him nine (NINE!) times on Sunday and after committing draft capital to Wentz, I tend to believe they have bigger issues to fill. Not to mention that I believe they too will win more games and have a worse draft position than the Giants.

So all of this culminates in my belief that the Giants will be selecting a quarterback very early in this draft, and I believe it will be Bryce Young. For my money, throw the fluky record out, the Giants are the worst team in football and need a new quarterback next season more so than any of the other possible quarterback needy teams. It is going to be a LONG season for Big Blue, so hopefully fans can hang their hat on a new gunslinger in town come April.