Gardner Minshew

Minshew signed a two-year $25 million deal in March to join Las Vegas, where he competed with fellow quarterback Aidan O'Connell for much of the spring and summer before ultimately being named as the Week 1 starter. Minshew started 13 games last year with the Colts after rookie Anthony Richardson went down and was mostly his mediocre self. He was slightly more efficient for the Colts than O'Connell was for the Raiders, but Minshew still only ranked 25th in on-target percentage (70.4) while his 6.7 YPA was 23rd. Minshew can probably be trusted to take care of the ball better than O'Connell and has the veteran leadership traits that comfort coaches. He also is more mobile than O'Connell, who did not have even one scramble yard last season. Minshew will throw to veteran WRs Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers as well as young TEs Brock Bowers (a rookie first-round pick) and Michael Mayer (a second-round pick last year). Meanwhile, coach Antonio Pierce has made it clear he wants to emphasize the running game despite losing RB Josh Jacobs without signing or drafting a comparable replacement. Minshew must learn the playbook of new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, who presided over one of the league's worst passing offenses the last two years in Chicago before getting fired.

After two years as the backup in Philadelphia (four starts), Minshew signed this offseason with Indianapolis where he could begin the year as the starter. Fourth overall pick Anthony Richardson will take over at some point, perhaps as soon as Week 1, but Minshew is a steady veteran who takes care of the ball (1.6 career INT percentage, 5th lowest since 2019) and can lead an offense. He doesn’t have a big arm but is effective throwing deep -- he completed five of eight attempts of 20-plus yards last season, and his career 56.4 percent on-target rate on such throws is second highest in the league since 2019 (min. 65 attempts). In Indianapolis, he’ll have Michael Pittman 2022 second-round pick Alex Pierce and rookie third-rounder Josh Downs to target at wide receiver, along with Jonathan Taylor out of the backfield and a likely committee at tight end. Minshew also has good instincts as a scrambler, though he lacks the size or speed to add much on designed runs. That could be enough for value in two-QB leagues if he ends up making starts.

Once the Jaguars took Trevor Lawrence first overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, Minshew's days as a starting option for the team were numbered. Eventually, the 2019 sixth-rounder was shipped off to Philadelphia for a sixth-round pick at the end of the preseason. Minshew proved to be a good addition for the Eagles, winning both games he started in the absence of Jalen Hurts. While the 27-year-old didn't come close to matching Hurts' rushing production, Minshew had the edge in completion rate (67.2 vs 61.3), yards per attempt (7.4 vs 7.3) and frequency of 20-plus yard passes (3.5 per game vs 2.9). As things stand, the Washington State product profiles as one of the better backup QBs in the league, though it wouldn't surprise us if a team needing an experienced signal caller tries to trade for Minshew at some point in the coming months.

Minshew Mania died a quiet death last season, thanks to a midseason thumb injury and then not getting the starting job back immediately when healthy. It’s not that Minshew regressed; he was pretty much the same as the year before — his TD rate, INT rate and YPA were basically unchanged, and his bad-pass percentage (18.7) and aDOT (8.0) were again both middle of the pack. But therein lies the problem — little to no growth for what was already a middling QB. If Minshew isn’t traded, he’ll back up first overall pick Trevor Lawrence. If he is traded (or pressed into service via a Lawrence injury), he could still have value in two-QB leagues. Despite limited arm strength, Minshew is effective going downfield, and his mobility help his numbers.

A sixth-round draft pick last year, Minshew was supposed to back up Nick Foles all season. But Foles broke his collarbone Week 1, and Minshew Mania was born. He ranked sixth in the NFL with a 1.3 INT percentage, throwing only six picks on 470 attempts, and led the rookie class with a 91.2 passer rating. Minshew does not have a strong arm (why he fell to the sixth round), but his timing and touch are excellent, making him one of the league's better deep-ball passers. He led the NFL in completion percentage (47.6), YPA (17.2) and passer rating (125.6) on attempts longer than 20 yards last season (min. 30 attempts). He also effectively used play action to beat defenses, ranking second in completion percentage (79.3) and third in passer rating (142.7). While he's not tall at 6-1, he's a good athlete who can make plays with his legs (344 rushing yards, 5th among QBs), though he needs to improve his ball security after fumbling 13 times, losing seven. Minshew completed just 60.6 percent of his passes last year, but accuracy was a strength coming out of college (70.7 percent, 2nd nationally) and with his quick release and skilled progression work, it's reasonable to expect improvement in Year 2. New OC Jay Gruden should help, and Foles is gone, so Minshew won't be looking over his shoulder this season.

Minshew transferred to Washington State for his final collegiate season and proceeded to finish top-two in the country in passing yards, completions, attempts and completion percentage. The 23-year-old totaled 4,779 yards with 38 touchdowns and nine interceptions. A sixth-round pick in April's draft, Minshew somehow finds himself in the position to potentially earn the backup job in his rookie season in Jacksonville. Last year's quarterbacks Blake Bortles and Cody Kessler have been jettisoned, leaving 2018 sixth-round pick Tanner Lee and Minshew to battle for backup duties behind new starter Nick Foles. Lee made his way to the active roster for the season finale and should have a small leg up on the newcomer, but Minshew should have every opportunity in training camp to prove he's the better No. 2 option.