All eyes are on the Chicago Bears to see whether they’ll stick with quarterback Justin Fields. The Arizona Cardinals also have a similar scenario, but it seems they have already decided to remain committed to Kyler Murray, according to reports.
The Pittsburgh Steelers also have a quarterback dilemma involving Kenny Pickett. And the Indianapolis Colts will have a decision to make with pending free agent Gardner Minshew.
Also, will there be drastic changes with the Tennessee Titans missing the postseason again with an aging roster?
We take a look at the possible changes involving notable quarterbacks and a prominent head coach in Nashville for this week’s “Fact or Fiction.”
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Steelers should find another starter to replace Kenny Pickett
Manzano’s view: Fact
It’s not looking good for Pickett to retain his starting job next season with the Steelers. He’s healthy, but coach Mike Tomlin will likely continue starting Mason Rudolph for the wild-card game. (The Steelers clinched a playoff spot with the Jacksonville Jaguars’ loss to the Titans.) Also, the Steelers’ offense has drastically improved since Rudolph took over and guided the team to a three-game winning streak to end the regular season. The Steelers could give Pickett one more season because they invested a first-round pick in him two years ago. Also, Pickett could point the blame at former offensive coordinator Matt Canada for why he struggled in his first two seasons. Pittsburgh should at least add another quarterback to compete with Pickett, or perhaps it’s a training camp battle between him and Rudolph. But it’s tough seeing Rudolph playing this well through a full NFL season. Whatever approach the team takes, it can’t just hand Pickett the starting job the way it did this past offseason. Pickett had 2,070 passing yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions in 12 starts this season.
Cardinals are right to stick with Kyler Murray
Manzano’s view: Fact
The Cardinals have reportedly decided to stay with Murray. It’s the right move because of the positives Arizona has seen offensively since Murray returned from his torn ACL in Week 10. They didn’t win much, but the Cardinals defeated the Philadelphia Eagles and Steelers with Murray. They nearly pulled off the upset Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, but fell 21–20 after a missed field-goal attempt as time expired. Also, Arizona could get better results during the second season of Murray’s partnership with coach Jonathan Gannon and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, especially if the team decides to draft a wide receiver with its top-four pick, such as Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers. The Cardinals will have two first-round picks in 2024 to help them continue building with Murray. Perhaps they can gain more draft picks if they decided to trade with quarterback-needy teams.
Colts need to re-sign Gardner Minshew
Manzano’s view: Fact
Minshew earned an extra $2 million on the one-year, $3.5 million deal he signed with the Colts for playing at least 65% of the offensive snaps in 2023. Even with the bonus, the Colts had one of the best bargains of the season because Minshew put the team in a position to make the postseason after rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson sustained a season-ending shoulder injury in October. Minshew might have played his last game in Indianapolis after Saturday’s heartbreaking 23–19 loss to the Houston Texans, but the Colts should do everything they can to re-sign Minshew, even if the price tag goes north of $6 million for the 2024 season. Richardson will be the Colts’ starting quarterback next season, but the 2023 No. 4 pick hasn’t shown he can stay healthy for a season. Richardson dealt with a handful of injuries in the four games he played. In the year of the backups, the Colts know better than most teams that it’s wise to pay the premium for a quality No. 2 quarterback. Minshew will probably have multiple suitors if he hits free agency in March, but the Colts will have about $71.1 million in cap space, according to Overthecap.com.
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DeMeco Ryans should win Coach of the Year
Manzano’s view: Fiction
This one was tough because Ryans has changed the fortunes of the Texans in just one season. But I couldn’t ignore what Kevin Stefanski has overcome to get the Cleveland Browns into the postseason. Too bad the votes are due before the playoffs, because the race could be decided by the outcome of the Texans-Browns wild-card game next week. But that’s not the case, so I’m going with Stefanski, who developed a productive offense with 38-year-old Joe Flacco. The former Super Bowl MVP arrived after injuries to Deshaun Watson and poor play from Dorian Thompson-Robinson and PJ Walker. The Browns also had to overcome the season-ending injury to running back Nick Chubb. Oh, and Stefanski made the right decision to hire defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who turned the Browns into one of the best defenses in the NFL. But Ryans deserves plenty of credit for guiding the Texans to 10 wins and the AFC South title, and putting rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud in a position to succeed. The votes will be very compelling to see after they announce the winner.
Titans, Mike Vrabel should part ways
The Titans do need a roster reset, but they already have the right coach to lead them into a new era. Vrabel had his players prepared for Sunday’s upset 28–20 victory against the Jaguars, knocking their AFC South rivals out of playoff contention. It was a rough season for Tennessee, but the team was competitive in most games because Vrabel hates losing, which he made clear in a passionate news conference earlier in the week. Rumors have swirled about Vrabel and the Titans parting ways because of recent differences, perhaps related to the roster. If that’s the case, the two sides should figure out how to get on the same page, because they did a lot of winning during Vrabel’s first six seasons. Perhaps the Titans will say goodbye to Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill, but they shouldn’t bid farewell to Vrabel, who would likely have plenty of interest from other teams if he’s in need of a new job soon.
