NFL teams enter summer with major quarterback and roster questions

NFL teams are using the early-summer period to reassess their quarterback plans with roughly three months left before the start of the regular season. The annual June check-in often surfaces unresolved issues tied to contracts, injury recovery and long-term roster direction.

Several clubs still face meaningful uncertainty at the position even if a preferred starter exists on paper. Among the situations drawing particular attention are the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills.

Across these teams, the questions vary in nature. Arizona is sorting a wide-open depth chart after a high-profile exit. Atlanta is balancing a recent top draft pick’s recovery with the arrival of a veteran option under a new leadership group. Baltimore’s on-field starter is clear, but the longer-term contract picture remains a storyline, while Buffalo’s quarterback situation is settled but the supporting cast continues to change.

The league’s calendar makes this a pivotal evaluation window. Training-camp reps and preseason snaps can determine whether a competition is real, whether a veteran holds off a younger challenger, and whether contract discussions gain momentum before the regular season begins.

Arizona’s post-Murray depth chart and 2027 planning

Arizona’s quarterback room is in flux after the Cardinals released Kyler Murray. The source material describes a situation in which the team does not know for sure who will start in Week 1, later in the season, or in 2027 and beyond. That uncertainty places extra weight on training camp and preseason as the club looks to define both a short-term pecking order and a longer-term plan.

Jacoby Brissett, who finished last season as the starter, reported to mandatory minicamp after skipping portions of the offseason program while unhappy with his contract, according to the source. Brissett is slated to make $4.88 million this season, with $1.5 million guaranteed, and the most he can earn with incentives is $7.39 million. The same material frames his push for improved terms as understandable if he is expected to open the season as the starter.

The Cardinals also signed veteran Gardner Minshew II as a free agent and drafted Carson Beck in the third round, with Kedon Slovis still on the roster. The source suggests Arizona will likely want to see what it has in Beck at some point this season before shaping its 2027 draft approach, a factor that could influence how the team distributes reps once the season begins.

Atlanta weighs Penix recovery against Tagovailoa’s push

In Atlanta, the central question is whether Michael Penix Jr. can reestablish himself as the long-term answer once healthy. The eighth pick of the 2024 draft, Penix began 2025 as the starter but suffered a serious knee injury that ended his season after nine games, per the source. That timeline leaves the Falcons managing both a recovery process and a high-stakes evaluation of the position.

The quarterback decision is complicated by organizational change. The source says the Falcons fired general manager Terry Fontenot and coach Raheem Morris this offseason, and the new regime has no draft-based loyalty to Penix. Atlanta also signed former Miami starter Tua Tagovailoa, and the same material notes he enters the summer as the healthier option, setting up a plausible competition depending on Penix’s recovery.

The source highlights that the new coaching staff would prefer clarity sooner rather than later, but it also leaves open the possibility that the situation could extend into the season if Penix is not ready to compete at full speed in camp.

Baltimore’s extension timeline and Buffalo’s evolving supporting cast

In Baltimore, the quarterback question is centered on contract timing rather than the identity of the starter. Lamar Jackson has two years left on his current deal, and the source says the team held offseason extension talks that did not produce an agreement. It characterizes an extension as still plausible at any point this year, while noting that the longer the process runs into or beyond the season, the louder questions about Jackson’s future in Baltimore may become.

The Ravens also enter the season with a new head coach in Jesse Minter and a new offensive coordinator in Declan Doyle, according to the same material. Those changes add a layer of uncertainty to how the offense looks in 2026, and the source suggests that performance and organizational direction could shape how negotiations feel later in the year.

In Buffalo, the quarterback situation is stable, but the roster around Josh Allen is still being reworked. The source says the Bills acquired wide receiver D.J. Moore from Chicago as they continue reshaping the offense two years after trading away Stefon Diggs. It also points to a need for greater week-to-week impact from younger targets such as Keon Coleman and Dalton Kincaid as Buffalo evaluates whether the current receiver group can deliver consistent production.

Training-camp usage, injury recovery progress and any contract movement will be the main indicators to watch as these situations begin to narrow ahead of Week 1.