There's a reason that NFL quarterbacks get paid a lot more money than players at any other position — they impact the game far more than anyone else on an NFL field. We saw an example of this with the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6. Credit the Browns' defense, but does anyone really think the Ravens would've been held to 10 points (and none in the second half) with Lamar Jackson in the fold over Tyler Huntley?

I certainly don't. Jackson seems likely to be back from injury in Week 7, which is why Huntley isn't on this list, but there are several other quarterbacks who should be benched after rough showings this week. Below you'll find those quarterbacks, as well as ideal replacements.

Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns

Replacement: Shedeur Sanders

Remember when Deshaun Watson was seemingly on a comeback arc? He played fairly well for a couple of weeks to keep his job as the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback, but now he's reverted to the form we expected from him entering the year. Watson completed less than 50 percent of his passes in an ugly Week 5 loss against the Jets, and he went just 16-for-26 for 164 yards against the Ravens. He was sacked five times as well. Does it really matter that this came in a winning effort?

In most cases, scoring 13 points won't be good enough to win a game. The Browns won this game almost solely due to their defense starring once again. It'd behoove Todd Monken to notice this and make a needed switch at the quarterback position.

Is Shedeur Sanders a starting quarterback in this league? Probably not, but neither is Watson, based on the vast majority of what we've seen this year. There's no reason to believe Sanders can't complete a shade above 50 percent of his throws. Why not see what you have in Sanders with a new regime in place? What do the Browns really have to lose?

Jameis Winston, New York Giants

Replacement: J.J. McCarthy

The New York Giants were 2-0-1 with Jameis Winston as their starting quarterback despite some iffy play from the veteran quarterback, but the good vibes quickly vanished in the team's Week 6 game against the 1-4 New Orleans Saints. Winston completed just 14 of his 26 pass attempts for 152 yards and threw two interceptions.

This is what the Jameis Winston experience is. He'll come up with some big throws on occasion, but he's also incredibly turnover-prone. It's really hard for teams to win consistently with him under center, which is why he'd be the Giants' backup with a healthy Jaxson Dart. It's even harder for Winston to avoid turnovers when the Giants have no running game whatsoever to turn to. The game got ugly in the second half — so ugly that the Giants pulled Wilson in favor of J.J. McCarthy, who honored Winston in the best way possible by immediately proceeding to throw an interception.

As bad an omen as that might've seemed to be, McCarthy locked in from there, nearly leading the Giants back from a 34-10 fourth-quarter deficit. McCarthy showed enough in that fourth quarter to be given a start. I understand that his run in Minnesota was a massive failure, but let's not forget that he was a top-10 pick just a couple of years ago. Perhaps he can show off some of his upside with the Giants. He certainly can't be much worse than Winston was in Week 6.

Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts

Replacement: Anthony Richardson Sr.

Bringing Daniel Jones back was a fine decision for the Indianapolis Colts to have made, given how well he played last season, but boy, has he been a disaster this season. I mean, what is this throw?

Clean pocket, decides to lob a $40M foot long. Sick of Daniel Jones. pic.twitter.com/rp4N8DIuoh

— Colts Coverage (@Colts_Coverage) October 18, 2026

This was one of two interceptions thrown by Jones (both in the red zone), who went 22-for-40 for 269 yards in a LOSS to the TENNESSEE TITANS. The Titans earned their first win since last December in a game the Colts were leading by two scores in the second half, and Jones' inability to stop turning the ball over (he now has nine turnovers in six games this season) played a major role in Tennessee's comeback.

If the Colts have any desire to save their season, benching Jones feels like a must. If head coach Shane Steichen has any desire to save his job, benching Jones feels like a must. Anthony Richardson Sr. probably won't be much better, but at least he has more upside than Jones and might be able to provide a spark. He can't be any worse, right?

Tanner McKee, Philadelphia Eagles

Replacement: Spencer Rattler, or another trade candidate

The Philadelphia Eagles just placed Jalen Hurts on IR, meaning Tanner McKee is their starting quarterback for the foreseeable future. The Eagles got a sense of what that looks like in Week 6, and it wasn't pretty. McKee wasn't awful; he didn't turn the ball over, which is nice, but it's also worth noting that he had just 215 passing yards on 45 attempts. That's an average of just 4.7 yards per attempt.

I understand that the offensive line is a shell of what it once was and that Saquon Barkley was out, but the Eagles can do better here. If they're serious about trying to keep their season alive, Howie Roseman should try to make a trade.

A guy like Spencer Rattler, who is pinned to the bench in New Orleans, could make a lot of sense. Rattler's ceiling isn't incredibly high, but he's an accurate quarterback with a better arm than McKee, who might be able to get more out of this Eagles' offense. The fact that he has 14 starts under his belt could come in handy, too. If the Eagles don't want Rattler, trading for a different quarterback upgrade would make sense.