Texas quarterback Arch Manning hasn’t seen the field as early as many anticipated thus far in his collegiate career. But according to former NFL quarterback Drew Brees, that may not be a bad thing.
Last season, Manning saw the field just one time, coming in during garbage time in a game against Texas Tech. Instead, Quinn Ewers, who will be returning for what will be his final year of eligibility, has been starting over Manning.
Many expected Manning, much like his old teammate Maalik Murphy, to transfer away from the program this offseason in hopes of starting elsewhere with Ewers returning. But instead, Manning decided to return to Texas and further learn the position from the sidelines under Ewers.
Some may see this as Manning potentially wasting his potential. But Drew Brees sees this as a positive in Manning’s overall goal of one day playing in the NFL.
“The best thing for Arch Manning to do is to spend five years at the University of Texas,” Brees said in a recent conversation with The Athletic. “I’ll pause and let everybody just absorb that.”
Further explaining why he feels this way, Brees detailed that he believes college quarterbacks no longer come into the NFL with as much experience needed to succeed, which is why we are perhaps seeing more busted prospects than ever.
“To me, it takes at least 50 high-quality starts before you are really ready to kind of take it to the next level as a quarterback. And so, there’s plenty of guys who have been drafted in the top 10 picks over the years who, man, they only started 10 games, 12 games, 15 games in college. Yes, there’s all this upside. Or man, they can throw the ball a mile. There’s all this talent, there’s this, there’s that and, man, they get in the NFL and they struggle, right?
“It’s because they just don’t have a lot of experience, and they’re not really given an opportunity to grow and develop, because you’re now in a league where it’s your job and they’re expected to win.”
Brees may have a very good point here. Learning under someone like Ewers and head coach Steve Sarkisian, who has a reputation of developing elite quarterbacks for the NFL level, may not be such a bad thing for Manning’s development.
Only time will tell whether Manning’s years of growth while sitting on the bench will make him a better player at the end of the day. But clearly, Drew Brees believes that Manning is doing the right thing.
