I’m not a big Jacoby Brissett fan, but I see the wisdom in Washington signing him. He gives them a veteran to pair with Sam Howell, and he was far better than anyone expected last year in Cleveland.
With the Browns, Brissett was more effective than Deshaun Watson. He averaged 53 more passing yards, with a higher completion percentage, more yards per attempt and a better passer rating. The offense averaged a touchdown more per game when he was on the field.
So if the plan in Washington is to roll with Howell, it makes sense to have Brissett as the backup. He can be a mentor and sounding board, and the offense won’t fall apart if they need to put him in for some games.
If nothing else, Brissett will take care of the ball. He’s started 48 games as a pro, and he’s thrown only 22 interceptions in those games. In the 32-team era, only two other quarterbacks with at least 40 starts have averaged less than a half an interception per game – Aaron Rodgers and Tyrod Taylor.
Not throwing interceptions, to clarify, isn’t necessarily a selling point, particularly in fantasy leagues. When a quarterback like Brissett or Alex Smith isn’t throwing interceptions, it sometimes means they’re too hesitant to take chances, settling for check-down throws. With a gunner quarterback (think Ryan Fitzpatrick) there’s more willingness to try to gun the ball into tight winds, resulting in more interceptions but also more big plays.
FEWEST INTERCEPTIONS PER GAME (2002-) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | St | Yds/G | TD | Int | Int/G |
Tyrod Taylor | 53 | 195 | 57 | 23 | .43 |
Jacoby Brissett | 48 | 208 | 48 | 22 | .46 |
Aaron Rodgers | 223 | 263 | 474 | 104 | .47 |
Colin Kaepernick | 58 | 207 | 72 | 30 | .52 |
Mark Brunell | 52 | 180 | 57 | 28 | .54 |
Russell Wilson | 173 | 235 | 308 | 98 | .57 |
Patrick Mahomes | 80 | 303 | 192 | 49 | .61 |
Lamar Jackson | 61 | 199 | 100 | 38 | .62 |
Tom Brady | 319 | 271 | 631 | 200 | .63 |
Alex Smith | 167 | 209 | 195 | 105 | .63 |
Daniel Jones | 53 | 219 | 60 | 34 | .64 |
Jeff Garcia | 74 | 199 | 84 | 48 | .65 |
Teddy Bridgewater | 65 | 220 | 72 | 43 | .66 |
Robert Griffin | 42 | 211 | 41 | 28 | .67 |
Dak Prescott | 97 | 257 | 166 | 65 | .67 |
Deshaun Watson | 59 | 263 | 110 | 40 | .68 |
David Garrard | 76 | 206 | 87 | 52 | .68 |
Donovan McNabb | 123 | 242 | 180 | 85 | .69 |
Derek Carr | 142 | 248 | 217 | 99 | .70 |
Jared Goff | 100 | 259 | 155 | 70 | .70 |
—Ian Allan