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All 32 NFL teams have officially reported to training camp. One of the most important things that each team needs to figure out before the start of the 2022 NFL season is who their starting quarterback will be for Week 1.
While this is a fairly simple question for most teams to answer right now, others will use training camp to determine which of their quarterbacks will win the job.
Three NFL teams are yet to settle on a starting quarterback. Here is a prediction of which quarterback will win the starting role for those three teams ahead of the first week of the season:
#1 Seattle Seahawks: Drew Lock
While the Seattle Seahawks are currently the favorites to acquire Jimmy Garoppolo via trade from the San Francisco 49ers, it still hasn't happened yet. If they land Garoppolo, he will almost certainly be their Week 1 starter, but for now they have a battle at the position entering training camp.
The Seahawks traded away Russell Wilson during the 2022 NFL offseason and received Drew Lock as part of the return package. He appears to have an edge over Geno Smith because he is six years younger, possesses more upside, and has more starting experience recently. Geno Smith as a starter has a below average record of 13 wins and 21losses. As for Lock, he has a record of 9 wins and 15 losses being the starting quarterback.
Smith has started just five games in the last seven years while Lock has started 21 games in the last three years.
#2 Pittsburgh Steelers: Mitchell Trubisky
Ben Roethlisberger officially announced his retirement following the 2021 NFL season. This forced the Pittsburgh Steelers to be active in the quarterback market during the offseason. They signed Mitchell Trubisky during the free agency period and also selected Kenny Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
While it appears extremely likely that Pickett will eventually be the starting quarterback for the Steelers, it may not be right away in Week 1. The Steelers may instead choose to start the season with Trubisky while allowing Pickett to learn and develop before eventually turning the job over to him later in the year. Trubisky is on his third team in five years. This may be his final shot to prove to the Steelers and the rest of the league that he is a starting quarterback.
#3 Carolina Panthers: Baker Mayfield
The Carolina Panthers have announced that they will have a true quarterback battle during training camp. Despite acquiring Baker Mayfield via trade with the Cleveland Browns during the 2022 NFL offseason, the Panthers have not settled on a starter. Mayfield and Sam Darnold are set to compete for the job leading up to the start of the regular season.
The fact that they traded for Mayfield is a pretty clear sign that the Panthers aren't quite sold on Darnold being their starting quarterback. This theory is further supported by their pursuit of Deshaun Watson during the offseason as well. While they claim it's a true quarterback competition in training camp, it would be pretty surprising if Mayfield isn't named the starter.
