Storylines We'll Have To Wait On: The Quarterback Battle

Dylan McCaffrey and Joe Milton were set to duke it out.

When the season was still on, Michigan fans everywhere were beyond anxious to see who, out of redshirt junior Dylan McCaffrey and redshirt sophomore Joe Milton, would be named the starting quarterback for the opener against Washington. Now, we'll all have to wait what seems like an eternity to find out.

The quarterback battle was everyone's biggest question after two years of Shea Patterson at the helm. A few months ago, I had a feeling that McCaffrey was probably atop the depth chart, but recently it sounded like Milton might be making a push and may have been running with the ones more often. I personally think Milton is the more intriguing and exciting pick, but there are certainly question marks surrounding his game.

As I've stated in the past, I watched Milton in high school and witnessed him effortlessly chuck the ball all over the field. During the 2019 season, I watched him during pregame warmups throw the ball 60-plus yards down the field with little effort. He's big, strong armed, athletic and confident. Those qualities can make a quarterback great, but they can also get one in trouble, which we've seen from Milton in limited action.

There's also a lot of intrigue with McCaffrey. He has a stronger arm than Patterson, but not as strong as Milton's. He can really run as we've already seen in game action, but reports are that Milton actually ran a faster 40 time during winter conditioning. However they each timed, they can both go. If you look back at some of McCaffrey's long runs from last year, he pulls away from linebackers and defensive backs once he reaches full speed.

I was really excited for the offense this year with either guy. I think both are more naturally talented than Patterson and certainly with Milton, the threat of the deep pass would've been much greater. Milton has the size, speed, strength and arm strength to do everything on the football field, but there have been some accuracy issues.

McCaffrey is a very capable athlete as well, and seems to have some of the "it" factor you look for in a quarterback. However, even in limited action, durability has been a major issue for the lanky QB. 

It's a bummer because whoever would've won the job would've had a plethora of weapons at his disposal. Guys like Nico Collins and Nick Eubanks, along with Chris Evans, were getting ready for their final year at U-M. Now, we're all wondering if we'll see them in a winged helmet again. The quarterback battle will pick up again at some point, but if those guys are gone that will certainly make for a different product.

How do you think the quarterback battle would've played out? Do you think it will be different now that we have to wait even longer? Who do you think will win the job? Is that who you'd pick?