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Teams often live and die by the play of their quarterback. This season in particular, quarterback play has been all over the place. Quarterbacks known as elite passers are struggling, while some unexpected stars are emerging. After making a few judgement calls on who the current starter is for a given team, I’ve ranked all 32 starting quarterbacks based on their play so far this season.
32. Tyler Huntley, Miami Dolphins
I have my doubts about whether Tyler Huntley will truly be the Dolphins’ starting quarterback for the remainder of the season, but he’s the best option for now. With Huntley at quarterback, the Dolphins’ explosiveness has been completely neutered. In two starts, Huntley is averaging just 5.5 yards per attempt with no passing touchdowns to his name. Defenses no longer respect the deep threat due to Huntley’s inaccuracy.
31. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Of all the rookie starting quarterbacks, I’m most worried about Bo Nix. He’s thrown just three touchdowns to go along with four interceptions. Nix has excelled at avoiding sacks, but he’s had trouble hitting open receivers consistently. I always advocate for patience with rookie quarterbacks, but there is absolutely cause for concern in Denver.
30. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
I truly believe that if Deshaun Watson was not being paid as much as he is, he would have already been benched. He seems unable to function in an NFL offense and has consistently hindered the Browns’ chances of winning. Cleveland has scored the second-least points per game in the NFL, and it’s largely due to the play of Watson.
29. Will Levis, Tennessee Titans
The Will Levis experiment seems to have failed. Tennessee spent their offseason building a supporting cast to give Levis the best possible chance of succeeding. Instead, he’s looked like arguably the worst starting quarterback in the league. While he still clearly possesses elite arm strength, Levis struggles to read defenses and is consistently inaccurate.
28. Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Drake Maye has shown a very limited sample of work so far this season. In his one appearance, the Patriots’ rookie completed four of eight passes for 22 yards. I expect Maye to struggle this season behind a below-average offensive line. He’ll have a challenging first start this weekend against a formidable Texans defense.
27. Aidan O’Connell, Las Vegas Raiders
Aidan O’Connell has only appeared in two games so far this season after taking over the starting job from Gardner Minshew. In short, his performances have been mediocre at best. O’Connell has posted a passer rating of 71.9 with one touchdown and one interception. It’s never a good sign when your star receiver requests a trade due in large part to poor quarterback play.
26. Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
Anthony Richardson has played about how one would expect an unrefined quarterback with a rocket for an arm to play so far this season. He consistently takes deep shots, whether they’re open or not. Per PFF, Richardson’s average depth of target this season is 13 yards, which ranks first in the NFL. The next highest is nearly a full 3 yards lower.
25. Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers
Andy Dalton has provided some much-needed life to the Panthers’ offense after taking over for Bryce Young in Week 3. After impressive performances against the Raiders and Bengals, Dalton struggled against a solid Bears defense. The true tragedy here is that a 36-year-old Andy Dalton is a significant improvement over last year’s first overall pick.
24. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
After two games, many fans were calling Caleb Williams a bust as if they expected him to live up to the insanely high expectations set for him from the first snap. As the season has progressed, Williams has begun to adjust to the speed of the NFL game. He’s thrown for five touchdowns and two interceptions across his last three games. Let’s wait at least a year before calling a generational prospect like Williams a bust.
23. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts is struggling more than he has at any other point in his career. His PFF passing grade of 51.7 ranks fourth-worst in the league. Whenever Hurts is forced to play outside of the structure of the offense, he seems to panic. If the Eagles hope to turn their season around, it needs to start with significant improvement from Hurts.
22. Daniel Jones, New York Giants
I’ll be honest, I would have expected Daniel Jones to rank lower on my list. The Giants passed on the opportunity to draft a quarterback in the top-ten, seemingly as a vote of confidence in Jones. While Jones has not exactly solidified himself as a franchise quarterback, he’s certainly eased some of the Giants’ fans calling for his job.
21. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
It’s difficult to put a finger on why Jared Goff has struggled thus far. My theory is that, without a third receiving option like Josh Reynolds, defenses are able to key in on Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam Laporta, making it much more difficult for Goff to find open receivers. Even with Goff’s slump in production, the Lions are off to a hot start.
20. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets
The Jets seem like they may be on the brink of collapse after firing head coach Robert Saleh, and Aaron Rodgers is not without blame. Aside from one stellar game against New England, Rodgers has looked extremely limited. The Jets offense ranks among the bottom ten in the NFL in points scored.
19. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Before the season, I ranked Matthew Stafford as the fifth-best quarterback in the NFL. I stand by that ranking. He has struggled significantly this season, sure. But I doubt any quarterback would look impressive with Jordan Whittington and Tutu Atwell as his best receiving options.
18. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Lawrence is the first of three consecutive quarterbacks on this list that have failed to live up to recent contract extensions. Statistically, he’s been fine, with a passer rating of 88.7. However, he’s struggled significantly under pressure. Lawrence’s pressure-to-sack rate of 24% ranks among the league’s worst.
17. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Jordan Love’s season has been limited thus far after his injury at the end of a Week 1 matchup with Philadelphia. In his three games, Love has managed a passer rating of 85.9, with eight touchdowns and five interceptions. In his three starts, Green Bay is just 1-2.
16. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott became the highest-paid player in NFL history this offseason with an extension that has him earning $60 million per year. While he hasn’t been bad so far this season, he’s far from living up to his contract. Prescott and his top target, CeeDee Lamb, have not been on the same page, resulting in the lowest completion percentage Dak has had since 2017.
15. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
It’s difficult to know what to make of Justin Herbert in a Jim Harbaugh offense. The Chargers, as expected, employ a run-heavy scheme. Herbert has just 100 dropbacks so far this season, which is the least of any quarterback who has started in every game. In his limited work, Herbert has been solid but not the top-tier passer he’s been in the past.
14. Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are the only remaining undefeated team in the NFC, and it’s largely because of the resurgence of Sam Darnold. Every game, Darnold produces a couple of moments that make fans hold their breath, but when he plays within the structure of the offense, he’s been more than impressive.
13. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons
After returning from an Achilles injury that ended his 2023 season, Kirk Cousins seems to slowly be finding the form that made him so dangerous in Minnesota. The Falcons quarterback has thrown eight touchdowns and five interceptions while leading the Falcons to a 3-2 start. If he continues to return to the star he once was, Atlanta could be in for a playoff run.
12. Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers
It’s hard not to root for Justin Fields on his comeback campaign. After being traded from Chicago for a sixth-round pick and initially named a backup in Pittsburgh, Fields has fully solidified himself as the Steelers’ starter moving forward. Outside of a few fumbles, he’s playing mistake-free football, just the way Mike Tomlin likes it.
11. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
It’s been a mixed bag for Geno Smith so far this season. With six touchdowns and six interceptions while leading a 3-3 team, it would make sense to put him more toward the middle of this list. However, Geno continues to have more asked of him than almost any other quarterback in the league. While he’s had his struggles this season, Smith remains one of the best passers in the league.
10. Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
Derek Carr and the Saints’ offense started off the season red-hot. Led by the ground game and deep play action passes, New Orleans looked unstoppable for a short time. Carr and the Saints have cooled down significantly since then, as the quarterback has managed just three touchdowns and three interceptions in his last three games.
9. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
In his rookie season, C.J. Stroud burst onto the scene to become one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. In his second year, it’s been more of the same. Stroud has already shown an elite ability to read defenses and avoid mistakes, traits that often don’t develop until later in a passer’s career.
8. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Kyler Murray is playing some of the best ball of his career. Per PFF, his big-time throw percentage of 7.6% is the highest among current starters. In short, that means that this guy is making a lot of difficult throws. with a better roster around him, I believe that Kyler would receive significantly more praise.
7. Brock Purdy, San Fransisco 49ers
Statistically, Brock Purdy may be playing better than any other quarterback in the league. He leads the league in yards per attempt with 8.8 and ranks second in both big-time throws and average depth of target, per PFF. However, he’s struggled to close out games against divisional opponents.
6. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
I pushed Patrick Mahomes as high as I could on this list. In reality, he simply isn’t playing at the level we’ve come to expect from him. Mahomes is tied for the league lead in interceptions with six. There is no doubt his production has again been hindered by a lack of receiving talent.
5. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels has been nothing short of sensational in his rookie year. While I believe the media needs to pump the brakes on the Daniels for MVP conversation, he is the clear frontrunner for Offensive Rookie of the Year. As any rookie would, Daniels has room to grow in his ability to go through his progressions without defaulting to scrambling, but the Commanders seem to have the best player of this draft class so far.
4. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
In many ways, Lamar Jackson is playing better than he did to win the MVP last season. He’s clearly benefitting from the addition of Derrick Henry, as defenses accounting for the running game leaves more space to work with in the passing game. however, Lamar has continued to struggle in crunch time.
3. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
If the Bengals were not 1-4, Burrow would likely rank higher on my list. The Bengals quarterback leads the NFL in passing touchdowns with twelve and has posted an impressive quarterback rating of 113.6 so far. His proficiency in the passing game is the sole reason I believe that the Bengals will turn their season around.
2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Through the first three weeks of the season, Josh Allen was playing like Superman. He was the frontrunner for the MVP and had the Bills off to a 3-0 start. The last two weeks have been a different story for Allen and the Bills, as Allen has thrown just one touchdown in the last two games. Despite his recent struggles, he’s been able to limit the turnovers that plagued the beginning of his 2023 season.
1. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Let me be abundantly clear: I do not believe that Baker Mayfield is the best quarterback in the NFL. In fact, I wouldn’t even call him a top-5 quarterback. But it’s hard to argue with his production so far this season. With eleven touchdowns to just two interceptions and a passer rating of 112.2, the former “bust” is proving his worth in Tampa Bay.
