Alabama will look to repeat as national champions this year as it aims to add a 19th title to its trophy case. The Crimson Tide opens its season on Sept. 4 against Miami inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. To help pass the time until then, BamaInsider is delving into 21 topics and questions concerning the 2021 season.
Today, we continue our series by asking which former Alabama QB will have the most success in the NFL this season.
Gone are the days when “game managers” lined up behind center for the Crimson Tide. Alabama seems to have transformed into a quarterback school overnight.
Alabama became just the second program in NFL Draft history to produce first-round quarterbacks in consecutive years as Mac Jones was selected by the New England Patriots with the No. 15 overall pick this year after the Miami Dolphins selected Tua Tagovailoa at No. 5 overall last year. In total, there are currently four former Tide quarterbacks in the NFL. Jalen Hurts is in his second season with the Philadelphia Eagles while AJ McCarron recently signed with the Atlanta Falcons as he enters his seventh season in the league.
Tagovailoa and Hurts are both tabbed to be starters for their respective teams. Jones is currently behind Cam Newton on the Patriots' depth chart but is expected to make a strong push for the starting job this offseason and could overtake the former MVP by the end of the year. McCarron will serve as the backup to Matt Ryan in Atlanta and will be the next man up if the 36-year-old suffers an injury.
Here’s a look at where each former Alabama quarterback stands as they enter the season.
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Last year’s stats: 10 games; 186 of 290 (64.1 percent); 1,814 passing yards; 11 passing TDs; 5 passing INTs, 87.1 RTG; 109 rushing yards; 3.0 yards per carry, 3 rushing TDs
Outlook: Tagovailoa is the safest bet on this list. Entering his second season in the league, he recently said his hip feels “10 times better than it did last year” when he was still recovering from his horrific injury at Alabama in November of 2019.
Along with returning to full health, the Dolphins invested in the left-hander, drafting his former Alabama teammate, Jaylen Waddle, while also adding Will Fuller V in free agency. A 100 percent Tagovailoa with a reloaded arsenal of weapons to work with could be a scary thought for the rest of the NFL.
The biggest question is whether or not the Dolphins will be able to do a better job of keeping him upright. Tagovailoa was sacked 20 times last season, including a whopping six times during a loss to Denver. Miami returns a young offensive line that could be poised to take a big step this season. That unit’s improvement should have a lot to say about Tagovailoa’s success.
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Last year’s stats: 15 games; 77 of 148 (52 percent); 1,061 passing yards; 6 passing TDs; 4 passing INTs, 77.6 RTG; 354 rushing yards; 5.6 yards per carry, 3 rushing TDs
Outlook: Technically, first-year head coach Nick Sirianni has yet to name Hurts as his starter. However, the Eagles traded away Carson Wentz and didn’t draft a quarterback this offseason, seemingly indicating that Hurts will be the No. 1 option behind center. Philadelphia did sign former Super Bowl winner Joe Flacco as well as undrafted free agent Jamie Newman, but neither of those options seem like a serious threat for the starting job at the moment.
Hurts dazzled with his legs during his rookie season last year, running for 272 yards and three touchdowns on 46 carries during his four starts. Passing the ball was a different story as he completed just 51.9 percent of his passes over that span.
Hurts figures to have more success through the air this season as he will be reunited with former Alabama teammate DeVonta Smith, who the Eagles selected with the No. 10 overall pick in this year’s draft. Philadelphia should also be able to provide more protection as its offensive line returns to full health after being hit hard by injuries last season.
Mac Jones, New England Patriots
Last year’s stats (college): 13 games; 311 of 402 (77.4 percent); 4,500 passing yards; 41 passing TDs; 4 passing INTs, 203.06 RTG; 14 rushing yards; 0.4 yards per carry, 1 rushing TDs
Outlook: For Jones to make an impact during his rookie season, he’ll first need to prove he’s ready to play at the next level. So far, the reigning Davey O'Brien Award winner is off to a good start.
Jones has received plenty of praise during the Patriots’ organized team activities this summer, including a glowing report from head coach Bill Belichick who spoke highly of the rookie’s work ethic last week.
“He puts in a lot of time and, certainly, giving his very best effort to do everything we’ve asked him to do and do it the way that we’ve asked him to do it, which is a great place to start,” Belichick told reporters. “He’s earned a lot of respect for that, but he’s got a long way to go, and we’ll see how it goes.”
If Jones is able usurp Newton for the starting role, he figures to have the strongest supporting cast among Alabama's current NFL quarterbacks. On top of boasting one of the league’s best offensive lines, the Patriots restocked their receiving options this offseason, signing wideouts Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne as well as tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith.
AJ McCarron, Atlanta Falcons
Last year’s stats: Did not play
Outlook: McCarron was brought on to serve as a backup and likely won’t see much action this season. That being said, he should get the nod over undrafted rookie Feleipe Franks in the event that Ryan suffers an injury. McCarron’s last start was with the Houston Texans in 2019 when he completed 21 of 36 passes for 225 yards with an interception during a 35-14 defeat to the Tennessee Titans.
If McCarron does happen to take the field this fall, he’ll have a couple of big-time targets to throw to in former Alabama receiver Calvin Ridley as well as tight end Kyle Pitts, who was selected No. 4 overall in this year’s draft. However, he won’t be able to connect with former Tide teammate Julio Jones, as the Falcons recently dealt the seven-time Pro Bowler to the Titans.
Today, we continue our series by asking which former Alabama QB will have the most success in the NFL this season.
Gone are the days when “game managers” lined up behind center for the Crimson Tide. Alabama seems to have transformed into a quarterback school overnight.
Alabama became just the second program in NFL Draft history to produce first-round quarterbacks in consecutive years as Mac Jones was selected by the New England Patriots with the No. 15 overall pick this year after the Miami Dolphins selected Tua Tagovailoa at No. 5 overall last year. In total, there are currently four former Tide quarterbacks in the NFL. Jalen Hurts is in his second season with the Philadelphia Eagles while AJ McCarron recently signed with the Atlanta Falcons as he enters his seventh season in the league.
Tagovailoa and Hurts are both tabbed to be starters for their respective teams. Jones is currently behind Cam Newton on the Patriots' depth chart but is expected to make a strong push for the starting job this offseason and could overtake the former MVP by the end of the year. McCarron will serve as the backup to Matt Ryan in Atlanta and will be the next man up if the 36-year-old suffers an injury.
Here’s a look at where each former Alabama quarterback stands as they enter the season.
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Last year’s stats: 10 games; 186 of 290 (64.1 percent); 1,814 passing yards; 11 passing TDs; 5 passing INTs, 87.1 RTG; 109 rushing yards; 3.0 yards per carry, 3 rushing TDs
Outlook: Tagovailoa is the safest bet on this list. Entering his second season in the league, he recently said his hip feels “10 times better than it did last year” when he was still recovering from his horrific injury at Alabama in November of 2019.
Along with returning to full health, the Dolphins invested in the left-hander, drafting his former Alabama teammate, Jaylen Waddle, while also adding Will Fuller V in free agency. A 100 percent Tagovailoa with a reloaded arsenal of weapons to work with could be a scary thought for the rest of the NFL.
The biggest question is whether or not the Dolphins will be able to do a better job of keeping him upright. Tagovailoa was sacked 20 times last season, including a whopping six times during a loss to Denver. Miami returns a young offensive line that could be poised to take a big step this season. That unit’s improvement should have a lot to say about Tagovailoa’s success.
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Last year’s stats: 15 games; 77 of 148 (52 percent); 1,061 passing yards; 6 passing TDs; 4 passing INTs, 77.6 RTG; 354 rushing yards; 5.6 yards per carry, 3 rushing TDs
Outlook: Technically, first-year head coach Nick Sirianni has yet to name Hurts as his starter. However, the Eagles traded away Carson Wentz and didn’t draft a quarterback this offseason, seemingly indicating that Hurts will be the No. 1 option behind center. Philadelphia did sign former Super Bowl winner Joe Flacco as well as undrafted free agent Jamie Newman, but neither of those options seem like a serious threat for the starting job at the moment.
Hurts dazzled with his legs during his rookie season last year, running for 272 yards and three touchdowns on 46 carries during his four starts. Passing the ball was a different story as he completed just 51.9 percent of his passes over that span.
Hurts figures to have more success through the air this season as he will be reunited with former Alabama teammate DeVonta Smith, who the Eagles selected with the No. 10 overall pick in this year’s draft. Philadelphia should also be able to provide more protection as its offensive line returns to full health after being hit hard by injuries last season.
Mac Jones, New England Patriots
Last year’s stats (college): 13 games; 311 of 402 (77.4 percent); 4,500 passing yards; 41 passing TDs; 4 passing INTs, 203.06 RTG; 14 rushing yards; 0.4 yards per carry, 1 rushing TDs
Outlook: For Jones to make an impact during his rookie season, he’ll first need to prove he’s ready to play at the next level. So far, the reigning Davey O'Brien Award winner is off to a good start.
Jones has received plenty of praise during the Patriots’ organized team activities this summer, including a glowing report from head coach Bill Belichick who spoke highly of the rookie’s work ethic last week.
“He puts in a lot of time and, certainly, giving his very best effort to do everything we’ve asked him to do and do it the way that we’ve asked him to do it, which is a great place to start,” Belichick told reporters. “He’s earned a lot of respect for that, but he’s got a long way to go, and we’ll see how it goes.”
If Jones is able usurp Newton for the starting role, he figures to have the strongest supporting cast among Alabama's current NFL quarterbacks. On top of boasting one of the league’s best offensive lines, the Patriots restocked their receiving options this offseason, signing wideouts Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne as well as tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith.
AJ McCarron, Atlanta Falcons
Last year’s stats: Did not play
Outlook: McCarron was brought on to serve as a backup and likely won’t see much action this season. That being said, he should get the nod over undrafted rookie Feleipe Franks in the event that Ryan suffers an injury. McCarron’s last start was with the Houston Texans in 2019 when he completed 21 of 36 passes for 225 yards with an interception during a 35-14 defeat to the Tennessee Titans.
If McCarron does happen to take the field this fall, he’ll have a couple of big-time targets to throw to in former Alabama receiver Calvin Ridley as well as tight end Kyle Pitts, who was selected No. 4 overall in this year’s draft. However, he won’t be able to connect with former Tide teammate Julio Jones, as the Falcons recently dealt the seven-time Pro Bowler to the Titans.
