# Tyler Sullivan: A CBS Sports piece predicts the winners of the four ongoing quarterback battles — Kyler Murray in Minnesota, Tua Tagovailoa in Atlanta, Deshaun Watson in Cleveland and Kirk Cousins in Las Vegas — and names several veterans (Brissett, Geno Smith, Malik Willis) as their teams' Week 1 starters, with rookie Fernando Mendoza opening as Cousins' backup.

**Claimed:** Aug 3, 2026
**Pundit:** Tyler Sullivan — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/tyler-sullivan
**Outlet:** CBS Sports — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/cbs-sports
**How it reached us:** published in writing
**Original:** https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-training-camp-quarterback-battles-2026-season/

9 checkable claims — 9 depth chart calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.

It names 16 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

4 of 9 have settled so far, averaging 75 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess at the same calls.

Of the 5 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 1 and below it on 4.

> Prediction : Kyler Murray wins the Week 1 job.

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Deshaun Watson to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
  - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess
- **Kirk Cousins to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders
  - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess
- **Kyler Murray to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings
  - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess
- **Tua Tagovailoa to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Tua Tagovailoa, Atlanta Falcons
  - Verdict: scored 0 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess
- **Geno Smith to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Geno Smith, New York Jets
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Fernando Mendoza to be 2nd on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas Raiders
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Malik Willis to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Jacoby Brissett to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **J.J. McCarthy to be 2nd on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
  - Verdict: not settled yet

## Who this take is about

- Deshaun Watson — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/deshaun-watson
- Cleveland Browns — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/browns
- Kirk Cousins — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/kirk-cousins
- Las Vegas Raiders — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/raiders
- Kyler Murray — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/kyler-murray
- Minnesota Vikings — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/vikings
- Tua Tagovailoa — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/tua-tagovailoa
- Atlanta Falcons — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/falcons
- Geno Smith — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/geno-smith
- New York Jets — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/jets
- Fernando Mendoza — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/fernando-mendoza
- Malik Willis — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/malik-willis
- Miami Dolphins — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/dolphins
- Jacoby Brissett — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jacoby-brissett
- Arizona Cardinals — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/cardinals
- J.J. McCarthy — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/j-j-mccarthy

## What others said about the same people

- Chris Simms on Minnesota Vikings: Simms went through the entire Week 3 slate with straight-up winners and predicted final scores, taking Jacksonville, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Detroit, Houston, Carolina, Kansas City, Seattle, the Giants, Baltimore, New Orleans, Minnesota, San Francisco, Denver and Philadelphia. He also expected Zay Flowers and Puka Nacua to sit, Kyler Murray to play, and said Marvin Harrison Jr. projects as no better than a good No. 2 or high-end No. 3 receiver. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/662b7ba3-1bf6-4ad0-9f93-9f2ab83143fd (scored 90.48)
- Steven Ruiz on Las Vegas Raiders: Previewing Week 3, Ruiz picked the Ravens to beat the Cowboys in Brazil, Jacksonville over New England in a low-scoring game, an upset by the Broncos over the Rams, the Raiders over the Saints, the Eagles over the Bears, the Lions over the Jets, and his Hail Mary that Houston beats Indianapolis by two touchdowns. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a30ff469-4972-4c48-855b-ba984e4de9d0 (scored 100)
- Nate Tice on Las Vegas Raiders: Tice matched his guest on every Week 3 game, picking the Ravens over the Cowboys, the Jaguars over the Patriots in a close game, the Broncos to upset the Rams, the Raiders over the Saints, the Eagles over the Bears and the Lions over the Jets. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b8378e16-ea5c-4107-a883-28aaf0e71134 (scored 100)
- Sam Monson on Minnesota Vikings: Monson picked the Chargers to beat the Bills outright (jokingly crediting Buffalo's gray 'Nickel City' jerseys), took the Vikings to win outright in Tampa, and said Seattle would destroy Washington. He also reiterated his Super Bowl pick of Denver over the Rams, called the Dolphins destined for the No. 1 overall pick, and said the Saints are a worst-to-first candidate in the NFC South. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/0b810ffd-fd93-4ea2-a208-b1353dea5fb0 (scored 100)
- Carter Bahns on Jeshaun Jones: A CBS Sports piece expects suspended Vikings receiver Jeshaun Jones to lose his roster battle and be cut by the Aug. 30 deadline, given Minnesota's established receiver group. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/98c7155f-d05c-43cb-8c03-4f50d43211a8 (scored 0)
- Ryan Wilson on J.J. McCarthy: Recalling his pre-draft evaluation, Wilson notes he had ranked J.J. McCarthy as the fifth quarterback in the 2024 class and given him a second-round grade rather than a first-round one, citing the gap between Michigan's system and NFL demands. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/44cc5859-8b2b-4fbf-b5c0-62c635f2e357 (scored 100)

## More depth chart calls

The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

- Pat Fitzmaurice on Jonah Coleman: In his Week 3 waiver column, Fitzmaurice makes several depth-chart calls around injuries: Jonah Coleman leading Denver's backfield, Marcus Mariota taking over in Washington, Michael Penix Jr. starting once healthy, and Malik Washington serving as Miami's top receiver, plus availability expectations for Detroit's injured safeties. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/2cbd48f6-15ea-4aa5-84bc-bcc50d94d09a (scored 0)
- Pat Fitzmaurice on Rashod Bateman: In his Week 2 waiver wire column, Fitzmaurice recommends a slate of pickups he expects to outperform their current rostership (Kaelon Black, Deebo Samuel, Tyler Shough, Geno Smith and others), lays out several depth-chart expectations (Black as the 49ers' No. 2 back, Shedeur Sanders eventually taking over in Cleveland, Penix returning for Atlanta), and flags Fool's Gold/drop candidates such as Mike Gesicki, Kendrick Bourne and Rashid Shaheed. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/6218d3c2-61e7-4ace-9976-b51eeefdf22c (scored 0)
- Bill Huber on Chris McClellan: Huber's first Packers rookie progress report projects second-round cornerback Brandon Cisse to hold onto his spot with the No. 1 defense, third-round defensive tackle Chris McClellan to start in Week 1, and fifth-round lineman Jager Burton to be the team's top interior backup rather than a starter. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/dcf9daae-b511-490c-b438-173cf91e8597 (scored 0)
- Randy Gurzi on Jadarian Price: Gurzi suggests the Seahawks could sign three free agents — safety Donovan Wilson, guard Kevin Zeitler, and running back Kareem Hunt — if weaknesses show up after Week 1. He also notes Trevon Diggs starting on the practice squad and describes Seattle's projected backfield roles. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/350eed1b-4675-4a2d-aaf5-812e20678283 (scored 100)
- Jeff Kerr on Jalyx Hunt: From an Eagles training camp practice, Kerr projects Willie Lampkin as a possible 53-man roster player, Jalyx Hunt as the likely Week 1 starting edge rusher over Nolan Smith, Byron Young as the No. 4 defensive tackle, Jake Elliott as the uncontested kicker, and Darius Cooper pressuring Hollywood Brown for the WR4 role. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/f314062a-7912-4727-8ff1-9edc813f10e1 (scored 0)
- Emmett Matasovsky on Christian Izien: Matasovsky says Dobbs is currently leading the backup quarterback race and suggests Christian Izien may be pressed into a starting safety role in Week 1 while Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph rehab. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/9715ee92-1646-4ee4-8911-e3e4cbae9027 (scored 0)

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Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages.

Full method: https://missedtakes.co/methodology

We summarize what a pundit said and quote a short span for attribution; we never republish their article. If this is wrong, tell us:
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