These QBs may be more important than you think + Trevon Diggs' trade potential | A to Z Sports NFL Newsletter

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These QBs might be more important than you think in 2025

With training camp underway this week, almost every team has its starting quarterback situation figured out. However, injuries and/or poor performance could mess things up in a hurry for plenty of squads whose QB situations are questionable at best. That’s where the emergency QBs come in.

Our guy Kyle Crabbs identified five QBs who could be more important in 2025 than we realize, with these guys potentially serving as emergency options this season.

Atlanta Falcons QB Kirk Cousins as a replacement starter: “The Falcons have put on a brave face here and insisted that they're totally fine with this resolution. Cousins is set to make $27.5 million this season and has another $10 million bonus for 2026 that is fully guaranteed as well. The risk of the financials, plus Kirk's age, make him the ‘in case of emergency to starter, break glass’ option and not much else.

“It's hard to envision a team giving Atlanta a meaningful offer unless an established starter goes down at the start of the season and full desperation takes over. You never want to root for injuries, but the Falcons need to be doing exactly that if their aspirations of getting out of Cousins' contract are going to come to life. Otherwise, they'll be paying the league's most expensive backup by a mile in 2025.”

New York Giants QB Jameis Winston as a low-end replacement starter: “…the Giants signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston to free agent deals in the spring before successfully maneuvering the 2025 NFL Draft to move up and select Jaxson Dart.

“Dart's presence and Wilson's presumed status as the immediate starter make Winston's role in the quarterback room, well, redundant. The hard sell for another team that could try to acquire him via trade is that he was just available to sign in March without having to surrender an asset. But with a two-year deal valued at $8 million in total value, a team could target him as a low-cost pivot if the starter goes down. He's almost certainly be cheaper than Cousins from a pick perspective and the salary discrepancy leans heavily towards Winston being the preferred option.”

Cleveland Browns QB Kenny Pickett as a potential replacement starter or legitimate backup: “Pickett will play this year on the final year of his rookie contract and currently populates a quarterback room that also boasts veteran Joe Flacco and two rookies that Cleveland acquired after picking up Pickett in March. Are the Browns tied to him at all? He was most recently traded for a 5th-round pick, so a team calling Cleveland likely knows what it would take to get his services proactively.”

Free agent QB Carson Wentz as a veteran backup: “The former No. 2 overall pick of the Philadelphia Eagles has bounced around the league over the last four seasons, including stops in Indianapolis, Washington, Los Angeles, and last year in Kansas City. In his one start in 2024, Wentz did not look comfortable against a ferocious Broncos defense while playing amid the backups in Week 18. He finished the game 10 of 17 passing for 98 yards and took four sacks in a shutout loss.

“Wentz is the most experienced name available that is currently without a team; so any team hoping to secure a true veteran backup without sending assets away should have him at the top of their speed dial.”

Free agent QB Teddy Bridgewater as a high-risk backup: “Bridgewater was last a starter in 2021 with the Broncos and collected a handful of starts for the Dolphins in 2022 — so it has been a while since he's played meaningful football. The question anyone considering Bridgewater must ask is if his presence and experience transcends the risk of what it would look like if he actually had to play. But when you're this deep in the list, the intrigue can serve as a tipping point.”

Tension grows between Trevon Diggs, Cowboys — is a trade on the horizon?

The Dallas Cowboys enforced a $500,000 de-escalator in cornerback Trevon Diggs' contract after the 26-year-old missed some of the team’s offseason programs due to rehabbing a knee injury.

Last Thursday, Diggs made a post on X/Twitter saying, “Ima win,” and teased a video that would release the “truth” behind his injury.

The speculation here is that the Cowboys were not fans of the way Diggs rehabbed his injury away from the team, and that the de-escalator was a way for them to send him that message. Now, some are wondering if Dallas could move on from Diggs, especially since the team could save $9 million by trading him now or over $12 million in 2026 by trading or releasing him after this season.

Our writers Mauricio Rodriguez and Wendell Ferreira speculated on a potential trade, coming up with one that makes the most sense. They found that the Green Bay Packers could be the most suitable partner. Here’s their mock trade:

• Packers get: CB Trevon Diggs, 2027 sixth-round draft pick
• Cowboys get: 2026 fourth-round draft pick

Here’s Wendell’s reasoning for the trade: “The Green Bay Packers are walking on thin ice at the cornerback position. It seems like a switch in approach, going to a weak-link system philosophy. The starting trio has three solid starters with Keisean Nixon, Nate Hobbs, and Carrington Valentine, but nobody is close to the top of the positional rankings.

“Even though Trevon Diggs also brings an element of injury risk, and cornerback inherently is a volatile position, adding a player with a proven track record of top-level performance for a reasonable price tag would help the Packers minimize the risk of truly putting a weak link on the field.”

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