Is QB1 Anthony Brown's Job to Lose?

The most important decision of the offseason still looms for the Oregon offense. I'll make the case for each QB.

Oregon is in a unique position exiting spring. The Ducks’ spring game featured all four scholarship quarterbacks. As with any offseason that doesn’t feature a returning starter, a lot of the attention is centered around who will be QB1 come fall. 

You might be wondering, how is there possibly a case for all four guys? Well, simply put, it depends which criteria you prioritize. 

Adding to the stakes is Oregon's week two trip to Columbus to face off against national runner up Ohio State. If this team has playoff aspirations, the Buckeyes are sure to serve as the ultimate litmus test. And if the Ducks lose that game, the margin for error will be very slim the rest of the way.

Anthony Brown | Senior | 6'2", 226 pounds | Cliffwood, New Jersey

Anthony Brown is the most experienced quarterback on the team after winning a lot of games in the ACC at Boston College / © Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Strengths: Experience, Poise, First Team Reps, Capable Runner, Maintains QB Depth for 2022

Weaknesses: Inconsistent Deep Accuracy, Doesn’t Develop a QB for Next Year

What We Saw Saturday:

 20/29, 230 yds, 1 TD, sacked 4 times. 

Brown got the most reps on Saturday and looking at the raw numbers, he was fairly efficient. As I mentioned, the deep ball was a concern. He missed Johnny Johnson on a would-be touchdown in his first series. On his second, he showed some impressive arm strength on a tight-spiralled 45-yard ball, but it was incomplete as he led Devon Williams just out of bounds.

Read more: Takeaways from Oregon's spring game

In the third quarter, Brown connected with Troy Franklin on a 30-yard pass over the defense that was almost a touchdown before being ruled out of bounds inside the five-yard line. Staying on the positives, he showed some of the same poise on Saturday that helped him convert key plays vs USC last year. His timing was impressive on his first touchdown pass to Travis Dye, getting the ball out while facing pressure from a collapsing pocket.

The four sacks were a bit worrisome, especially one early in the fourth quarter when Brown fumbled with Brandon Dorlus nearby. That said, the fact that pass rushers only need to touch the QB to earn a sack in spring action likely inflates this number a bit.

Biggest Question: Can Brown reach another gear from what we saw at Boston College? 

I say yes. The main reason being that he’s in a much better situation. The talent Mario Cristobal has surrounded the quarterback with is sure to make throws easier and help him build his confidence. 

That said, if Brown can’t develop a consistent deep ball, then the Oregon offense is going to struggle to compete with the high powered offenses the likes of Alabama, Ohio State and Clemson. Teams may be able to bring extra bodies into the box, and make life harder for Oregon’s run game.

Path to Start: Brown just needs to hold on to the lead he already has. In spring football, he took every rep with the first team. If Brown ends up with the job, it will be because the Oregon staff believes he gives the Ducks the best chance to win this year. At the end of the day, winning ball games is what matters most. 

After all, Brown has 4,900 passing yards and 42 TDs in his college career, and that experience could prove valuable in big moments this year.

The other factor is that if Brown does get the job, that likely means the other three young quarterbacks will stick around to compete again for the starting job next spring. That depth is valuable, although the downside is that Oregon would again be breaking in a first-time starter in 2022.

Jay Butterfield | Redshirt freshman | 6'6", 212 pounds | Brentwood, California

Jay Butterfield was ranked one of the top quarterbacks in the entire class of 2020 and enrolled early in the winter of 2019 / © Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Strengths: Arm Talent, Second Year of Reps, Four Years of Eligibility

Weaknesses: Lacks Great Mobility, Imperfect RPO/System Fit

What We Saw Saturday: 

6/9, 118 yds, 1 TD, 0 sacks taken

On his first snap he hit Franklin in stride, 40 yards down field. He followed it up with two impressive strikes to Kris Hutson to cap off one of the offense's most efficient drives of the day. 

The first bullet allowed Hutson space to make a man miss after the catch, while on the second, Butterfield escaped the pocket and lofted a ball to the back of the end zone while on the run. Notably, despite Butterfield lacking great mobility, he was the only of the four QBs to avoid taking a sack on Saturday, so take from that what you will.

Read more: Justin Flowe announces arrival at Oregon's spring game

Butterfield’s next series highlighted a few concerns. First he under-threw a deep ball, but tight end Terrance Ferguson was able to adjust and still make an impressive catch. On that same drive he bobbled a snap, but had the wherewith-all to scamper for a 9-yard gain. Then, with :40 left in the first half he was nearly intercepted throwing into a very tight window.

The ball came out a bit wobbly and may have been tipped at the line. But more concerning, he had Franklin open in the end zone just a few yards upfield on the same play. The offense failed to score on three plays in the red zone, and that was the end of the day for him.

Biggest Question: What is Butterfield’s Ceiling? 

There’s a lot to like about Butters. His command looked impressive on Saturday, his arm talent is better than Brown’s, and he’s had significantly more reps in his Oregon career than Thompson or Ashford.

The thing that is holding him back is his ceiling. Butterfield's lack of mobility makes him an imperfect fit for Moorhead’s RPO offense. Starting reps are precious, and if Oregon is going to use them on Butterfield they want to feel confident that he can be a national title caliber quarterback down the road.

Path to Start: Butterfield just needs to be consistent and take advantage of errors from those around him. If he is the only quarterback able to make good decisions consistently and throw an accurate deep ball, then he should have a good chance to win the job

Ty Thompson | True freshman (early enrollee) | 6'4", 215 pounds | Gilbert, Arizona

Ty Thompson is the highest-rated quarterback to ever sign with the Ducks and was an Elite 11 quarterback in high school.  / © Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Strengths: Championship Potential, Perfect System Fit, Elite Arm Talent, Mobile Enough

Weaknesses: Inexperienced, Inconsistent, Likely to Cause Other QB Transfers

What We Saw Saturday: 

5/9, 75 yds, sacked once

Thompson was on target with a few mid-range throws on his first series. He did more of the same on series two, connecting with Hutson, Ferguson, and Franklin to move the offense down the field. On a 3rd and 10, Thompson threw one of the better passes of the day, dropping a ball into Isaah Crocker over two defenders.

However, when the team moved into the red zone, Thompson began to show his age. The freshman tried to force two balls into tight windows, both of which could have been intercepted. Maybe he trusted his arm too much or just hasn’t adjusted to college defenses yet, but he needs to clean up those mistakes heading into the fall if he wants a shot at the starting job.

Read more: Top performers in Oregon's spring game

Biggest Question: Can he avoid freshman moments? If the Ducks do choose to go with Thompson, they are going to be trusting him to make an immediate leap from high school to college ball. He won’t have a season to learn what it’s like to balance the academic workload, travel on the road, or get extra practice reps in the offense. That inexperience could lead to big mistakes in crucial moments.

Elite talents have succeeded in their first year before. Trevor Lawrence led Clemson to a national championship as a true freshman, but he was also the first overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. You have to be a very special player to handle all that comes with the big stage early in your career. Simply put, you never know how a freshman will react in the make-or-break moments.

Path to Start: Thompson’s case is all about development for the future. If you’re picking one quarterback on the roster who you believe can play at a national championship level during their Oregon career, it has to be Ty Thompson. Giving him the starting job this fall would set this team up for success in the coming years.

That said, you also have to be able to win games this year. It would be a shame if Oregon went let's say 8-4 in the program's last season with the generational talent of Kayvon Thibodeaux on the edge. Thompson needs to take a leap in his development this summer, and show up to fall camp a much more polished product. We know he has the talent to do it, he just needs to put it all together. 

Robby Ashford | Redshirt freshman | 6'3", 225 pounds | Hoover, Alabama

Robby Ashford is the most athletic quarterback on the Oregon roster, also starring for Mark Wasikowski's baseball team in the spring.  / © Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Strengths: Dynamic Athlete, Best Runner, Good Arm Strength

Weaknesses: Inexperienced, Inconsistent, Splitting Time with Baseball

What We Saw Saturday: 

7/8, 123 yds, sacked twice

Ashford showed he has no shortage of tools on Saturday. He hit an impressive deep ball to Dont’e Thornton along the sideline before leading Oregon to a touchdown on his first series.

Then he took over in a 2-minute drill situation with 75 yards to go at the end of the game. Ashford was practically flawless. Rattling off chunk plays with laser accuracy, before hitting Thornton in stride on a busted coverage for a 44-yard touchdown.

Ashford then proceeded to show off his speed on the game-winning 2 point conversion. He avoided pressure, improvised, and won the race to the pylon to lift the offense over the defense 35-34.

Biggest Question: How important is Ashford’s athleticism? 

Oregon fans have an affinity for quarterbacks that can make plays with their feet, whether it be Marcus Mariota, Dennis Dixon, or all the way back to the days of Akili Smith. Unsurprisingly, a lot of Duck fans have gravitated towards Ashford as a result of his dual-threat abilities. But this isn’t a video game where everyone tries to do their best Michael Vick impression.

Read more: Oregon continues to churn out defensive backs in 2021 NFL Draft

Offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead has a system in mind, and it's going to be up to him to determine how important it is to have a running-threat at quarterback in that system. If that’s what Moorhead does prioritize, it’s clear to me that Ashford can make plays with his feet that no other QB on the Oregon roster is capable of.

Path to Start: Ashford needs to do more of what he did Saturday. As I said, it was an impressive performance. However, there has to be a reason why Ashford was the fourth quarterback we saw and why Butterfield was taking the third team reps ahead of him in practice last season. More than likely, he’s shown some other areas of concern in practice that didn’t show up on Saturday.

As with all the quarterbacks, he needs to be able to make accurate throws and proper reads with consistency. If he can do that, he’s lucky enough to have the natural athleticism to differentiate himself from the rest of the group. 

Bradley Yaffe | 6'3", 214 pounds | Sophomore | Atherton, California 

Yaffe enters his fourth season at Oregon after joining the program in 2018 / Bradley Yaffe on Instagram (@bradyaffe)

We also got to see walk-on quarterback Brad Yaffe on Saturday. He took over for a brief series in the fourth quarter and threw a nice completion to Josh Delgado for 15 yards. Yaffe continues to be an important part of the QB room, adding needed depth and sometimes working with the scout team to model opponents' offensive attacks.

More from Ducks Digest

[NFL Draft]: Ducks continue to pump out NFL defensive backs 

[Football]: Justin Flowe announces arrival with strong spring game performance

[Recruiting]: Oregon's NFL output at OL has Tyler Booker's full attention

[Basketball]: Angela Dugalic enters the transfer portal

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