Two years after they were billed as the future of the position, the quarterbacks drafted in 2024 are the story of an ugly NFL Week 2.
The weekend produced a wave of takeaways from outlets including USA Today, NFL.com, ESPN and The New York Times, and a common thread runs through them: angry defenses, injured passers and upsets that rearranged the early-season map. For that sophomore class of signal-callers, the reviews were brutal.
USA Today's weekly roundup framed it bluntly, describing 2026 as a master class in misery for the group. The framing lands because several of these players were handed starting jobs — and in some cases significant money — before they had proven they could hold up over a full season.
Sunday did not offer much reassurance. Around the league, defenses played with an edge, and more than one quarterback left his game banged up. The results cut against expectations, with favorites losing in ways that reshuffled how the division races look heading into Week 3.
The 2024 class was never guaranteed to hit. Every draft produces misses, and rookie-year flashes do not always translate. What makes this stretch notable is the timing. Teams that committed to these passers are now approaching the point where the contract and the roster around them start to harden, leaving less room to change course.
For now, the questions outnumber the answers. Coaches will spend the week reviewing film and managing injuries. The next month should tell whether this was a rough patch or something closer to a verdict.