St. Louis Battlehawks fans have been waiting all off-season with bated breath to see which of their three rostered quarterbacks — Chevan Cordeiro, Manny Wilkins, and Max Duggan — would be the starter for Week 1. The decision has finally been made and it's a surprise, to say the least. According to the team, both Duggan and Wilkins will take over as QB1, while Cordeiro will slot in as QB3.
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According to UFLAnalyst, Wilkins is expected to take the majority of snaps for the opening contest, but some fans believe Duggan will eventually become the lone starter as Wilkins takes over as QB2.
Wilkins entered the season as the incumbent, as he was with the team for the past two seasons. This conceivably gave him a leg up on Duggan and Cordeiro, who were both newcomers to the league and system this off-season. However, Duggan’s raw talent seems to have given him the edge over at least Cordeiro, who was the team’s first-round draft pick out of San Jose State, and will likely let him usurp Wilkins as he becomes more familiar with the system. Duggan was the only one of the three Battlehawks QBs to be drafted to the NFL, joining the Chargers as a seventh-round pick in 2023.
Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht spoke highly of all three quarterbacks in an interview with Randy Karraker and Brooke Grimsley on “The Randy Karraker Show featuring Brooke Grimsley,” saying that all three bring something unique to the team.
“Manny Wilkins…knows the system and has the ability to really take charge. Max Duggan took TCU to the National Championship a few years ago…he’s had a great camp. Chevan Cordeiro…is electric with the ball in his hand.”
The Battlehawks begin their season on Friday, March 28 at 7 PM CT on the road against the Houston Roughnecks. The game will air live on FOX.