Ask a former NFL player: Is Josh Rosen or Dwayne Haskins in a worse situation for a young QB?

It’s time for my weekly mailbag! As always, please send any questions to me on Twitter or Instagram.

The trade deadline is fast approaching, and SB Nation will have you covered with all the big moves. I’ve got a trade question in today’s mailbag, but first I’m going to start with a look at two young players who are having a rough season.

Which young QB is in a worse situation: Josh Rosen or Dwayne Haskins? — @Ry_Howell13

It’s easily Rosen, because he’s in no situation at all. The Dolphins clearly don’t consider him the future of their franchise, as they let him start for a few weeks and then went back to Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Miami will most likely draft a quarterback with its top pick and Rosen then becomes a career backup, unless someone trades for him, which I doubt will happen.

Haskins will have the benefit of a new coaching staff for the 2020 season. There’s dysfunction in the Washington organization that might hurt his development, but at least he’s got a shot to start over with a staff who believes in him.

That is, of course, if Washington doesn’t destroy his confidence before the end of this season. The team needs to choose a side: Either start him or don’t. Having Haskins enter games cold is a waste. He’s got no opportunity to succeed because he’s not taking the practice reps during the week. Those reps go to the starting quarterback, which is Case Keenum right now. It’s so stupid and not helping Haskins at all.

Should the Chiefs make a trade before the deadline or are they best served to stay put and get healthy? — @jdiz1617

So many Chiefs fans have been asking this question as the deadline approaches and they’re seeing other contenders make moves, especially the Patriots. The Chiefs need help on defense, at either defensive tackle or defensive back. Now, if Frank Clark plays better and Chris Jones comes back healthy, defensive tackle might not be such a concern. But defensive back will always be a need.

The best cornerback on the market, Jalen Ramsey, went to the Rams. Patrick Peterson, the longtime Cardinals defensive back, could be on the market, but without a second-round pick next season, do the Chiefs trade a first-round pick? I’m not sure it makes sense to trade a first for Peterson, especially with the need to replenish the roster through the draft coming up.

After the Chiefs pay Patrick Mahomes and I’d assume Chris Jones this offseason, the cap number will soar. Filling roster holes through free agency probably isn’t as likely, so draft picks will be at a premium for the Chiefs.

Lastly, let’s remember the Chiefs will be fine when Mahomes, Jones, and left tackle Eric Fisher are healthy. There’s no need to panic and give up valuable draft assets.

Which team with a winning record currently is a pretender that is going to fade into the background by the end of the season? — @chrisblystone

After one month of the season, we had 24 teams at .500 or above. It was open season for moving up or down in the standings. Entering Week 8, the picture is clearer. There are two teams, the Rams and Panthers, that I could see falling back closer to .500 before the end of the season. However, I don’t consider them pretenders, per se.

The two teams I’d look at as pretenders are the Bills and Ravens, even though I think both will make the playoffs. I covered the Bills in my latest podcast episode, which you can check out here. The short version is the Bills’ offense is mediocre. They don’t score enough, their efficiency numbers aren’t good, and their points per possession is in the bottom third of the NFL.

In fact, Football Outsiders called them “the worst 5-1 team in DVOA history.” But their defense is good enough to get them into the playoffs anyway.

Y’all know I don’t have much faith in the Ravens’ offense. Despite a big win against the Seahawks, the offense scored just 16 points. The Bengals put up better numbers and points than the Ravens in Seattle. Down the stretch, they have the Patriots, Bills, Texans, 49ers, Browns, and Steelers, all teams have defenses that can shut them down.

And, unlike last season, the Ravens’ defense isn’t balling them out. Their defense is ranked 18th by Football Outsiders, and they’ve moved up after last week. So, I’m not totally buying them yet.