5 quarterbacks poised for better year in 2019

5. Derek Carr

If Carr doesn’t have a better year in 2019, he’ll be out of a job. The good news is that he’s positioned well to improve on what was the worst season of his career. The former second-round pick threw for a personal-best 4,049 yards and completed 68.9 percent of his throws, but 19 touchdowns was a career-worst. Additionally, Carr rarely pushed the ball down the field. This season, Carr has Antonio Brown and Tyrell Williams as weapons on the outside, along with Trent Brown at right tackle and rookie running back Josh Jacobs behind him.

4. Josh Allen

Allen had no help at all in the passing game as a rookie with the Buffalo Bills. General manager Brandon Beane wisely recognized this and went hard in free agency, adding receivers Cole Beasley and John Brown, along with tight end Dawson Knox and running back Devin Singletary in the draft. The Bills also signed veteran center Mitch Morse away from Kansas City. Allen isn’t going to be putting up video game numbers, but he should improve significantly on 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions from 2018.

3. Sam Darnold

By the end of his first season, Darnold was beginning to look like a quarterback with top-flight potential. Then the New York Jets went out and got him some support in the way of running back Le’Veon Bell and receiver Jamison Crowder in free agency. Factor in the continued maturation of receiver Robby Anderson and the return of Quincy Enunwa, and New York has some talent to work with on the outside. Darnold is also working with the offensive-minded Adam Gase, who comes over from Miami to be his head coach. There’s still going to be some growing pains for the former third-overall pick, but Darnold should be superior to his 2018 form.

2. Kirk Cousins

This one is more about team than individual. Cousins threw for 4,298 yards and 30 touchdowns in his first year with the Vikings, but a team with Super Bowl aspirations went 8-7-1 and missed the playoffs. While some of that has nothing to do with Cousins, it’s also fair to point out that Minnesota played seven games against eventual playoff teams. They went 1-6. If Cousins is going to justify a fully-guaranteed $84 million contract, he needs to be the driving force in winning some of those affairs.

1. Aaron Rodgers

Rodgers finally has a new offense under head coach Matt LaFleur. Will he return to the days of throwing for 40 touchdowns and 4,400 yards? Tough to say, but Green Bay should see more creativity from an offense that increasingly ran slant-flat combinations almost every other down.