Most QBs started in an NFL season: Nathan Peterman, Sam Howell will set mark at 66 in Week 18

Jacob Camenker

Most QBs started in an NFL season: Nathan Peterman, Sam Howell will set mark at 66 in Week 18 image

The NFL was set to see a lot of changes at quarterback in 2022 after a flurry of offseason trades involving Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, Matt Ryan and Carson Wentz, among others, shook up depth charts at the position across the league.

Many were excited to see how each team's new quarterback rooms would look in 2022. Fans of most franchises had hope that things would be better and that they had finally found their franchise quarterback.

Instead, many of the new acquisitions struggled. That led to changes at quarterback that, when coupled with the usual attrition at the position, ended up making history.

As the NFL enters Week 18, it is poised to break a 15-year-old record surrounding quarterback usage. Teams across the league will have combined to start more players at quarterback than any other non-strike campaign.

The record will be set in Week 18 once a couple of new starters come onto the field for the Bears and Commanders, respectively. Chicago will give Nathan Peterman a chance to make his first start of the season while Washington will give rookie Sam Howell a chance to show what he has ahead of the offseason.

MORE: Full NFL schedule, dates, times for Week 18

There may be more coming as other NFL teams look toward the future, too. But as it stands, here's a look at the NFL's soon-to-be-record-breaking list of starting quarterbacks for the season.

How many different NFL quarterbacks have started in 2022?

Once Peterman and Howell take their first snaps at quarterback for the Bears and Commanders on Sunday, the NFL will have started 66 different quarterbacks during the 2022 NFL season. That will break the previous non-strike season record of 64, which was set during the 2007 season and had been tied when David Blough started for the Cardinals in Week 17.

The strike-impacted 1987 campaign is the only season that saw more quarterbacks earn starts than the 2022 season. Fittingly, 87 different players started at the position in '87, a mark that will be hard for the league to meet again without another labor stoppage.

Just 11 of the NFL's 32 teams have started the same quarterback in every game so far during the 2022 season. That number could dwindle — and the list of utilized passers grow — if any other playoff-bound teams elect to rest their starters in Week 18.

Meanwhile, two teams in the NFL have used four different starting quarterbacks. The Cardinals began the season with Kyler Murray as their starter but have turned to Colt McCoy, Trace McSorley and Blough since Murray tore his ACL and meniscus against the Patriots.

The Rams have also used four starters. Matthew Stafford began the season as the team's top passer but was in and out of the lineup due to concussions and a spinal cord contusion. The reigning Super Bowl champions have since started John Wolford, Bryce Perkins and Baker Mayfield in his place.

NFL POWER RANKINGS: Chiefs, 49ers continue to rise entering Week 18

NFL starting QBs 2022 season

Below is the full list of all 66 quarterbacks to start during the 2022 NFL season, including Week 18.

PlayerTeamStarts
Justin FieldsBears15
Trevor SiemianBears1
Nathan PetermanBears1
Joe BurrowBengals15
Josh AllenBills15
Russell WilsonBroncos14
Brett RypienBroncos2
Jacoby BrissettBrowns11
Deshaun WatsonBrowns5
Tom BradyBuccaneers16
Kyler MurrayCardinals11
Colt McCoyCardinals3
David BloughCardinals1
Trace McSorleyCardinals1
Justin HerbertChargers16
Patrick MahomesChiefs16
Matt RyanColts12
Sam EhlingerColts2
Nick FolesColts2
Taylor HeinickeCommanders9
Carson WentzCommanders7
Sam HowellCommanders1
Dak PrescottCowboys11
Cooper RushCowboys5
Tua TagovailoaDolphins13
Teddy BridgewaterDolphins2
Skylar ThompsonDolphins1
Jalen HurtsEagles14
Gardner Minshew IIEagles2
Marcus MariotaFalcons13
Desmond RidderFalcons3
Jimmy Garoppolo49ers10
Brock Purdy49ers4
Trey Lance49ers2
Daniel JonesGiants16
Trevor LawrenceJaguars16
Zach WilsonJets9
Mike WhiteJets4
Joe FlaccoJets3
Jared GoffLions16
Aaron RodgersPackers16
Sam DarnoldPanthers5
P.J. WalkerPanthers5
Baker MayfieldPanthers/Rams9
Mac JonesPatriots13
Bailey ZappePatriots2
Brian HoyerPatriots1
Derek CarrRaiders15
Jarrett StidhamRaiders1
Matthew StaffordRams9
John WolfordRams3
Bryce PerkinsRams1
Lamar JacksonRavens12
Tyler HuntleyRavens4
Andy DaltonSaints13
Jameis WinstonSaints3
Geno SmithSeahawks16
Kenny PickettSteelers11
Mitchell TrubiskySteelers5
Davis MillsTexans14
Kyle AllenTexans2
Jeff DriskelTexans2
Ryan TannehillTitans12
Malik WillisTitans3
Joshua DobbsTitans1
Kirk CousinsVikings16

It is worth noting that one other quarterback, Chris Streveler of the Jets, was also credited with a start during the 2022 NFL season. However, his start came at receiver against the Jaguars, so he did not get credited with a start at the quarterback position.

Strangely, Davis Mills was credited with a start at quarterback after doing the same thing in Weeks 15 and 16. He lined up at receiver with backup Jeff Driskel at quarterback to start each of those games. Strangely, both Mills and Driskel were credited with starts, but it was Mills who ended up being the starter of record.

So, if you're wondering why the Texans are credited with 18 total starts from quarterbacks, that is the reason.

Jacob Camenker

Jacob Camenker first joined The Sporting News as a fantasy football intern in 2018 after his graduation from UMass. He became a full-time employee with TSN in 2021 and now serves as a senior content producer with a particular focus on the NFL. Jacob worked at NBC Sports Boston as a content producer from 2019 to 2021. He is an avid fan of the NFL Draft and ranked 10th in FantasyPros’ Mock Draft Accuracy metric in both 2021 and 2022.