There is one position that impacts NFL betting more than any other, and that is the quarterback position. Quarterbacks move lines, while most positions are not capable of doing the same, which makes ranking the quarterback position in the NFL more important than doing so at any other position. Here, we rank each team’s quarterback situation from worst to first, to help you do your NFL handicapping throughout the 2023 season.
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32. Atlanta Falcons
Key Players at this Position: Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke
The Atlanta Falcons made the choice to draft Desmond Ridder, and his first season as a pro was not great. Ridder averaged 6.2 yards per attempt in limited action during the second half of last season. He threw two touchdowns and no interceptions, but the Falcons offense was far from capable with him running the show. It will be interesting to see how he plays this year, as the Falcons will likely try to lineup and run the ball again this season after drafting Bijan Robinson. But he needs to get better, that is the bottom line.
31. Indianapolis Colts
Key Players at this Position: Gardner Minshew, Anthony Richardson
This season’s Indianapolis Colts will be another team that simply tries to mash the ball down the throat of their opponents behind a star running back. Jonathan Taylor will do everything he can to hide the flaws of Gardner Minshew and eventually Anthony Richardson. But Richardson as the expected long-term starter for this team is a bleak thought, as he struggled with SEC talent around him in college, and he could have a hard time adjusting to NFL defenses as well.
30. Carolina Panthers
Key Players at this Position: Bryce Young, Andy Dalton
A better rookie quarterback option from the most recent draft class can be found in Carolina, where Bryce Young is set to be the quarterback of the future for the Panthers. Young will not have the advantage of playing for Alabama anymore, but he has plenty of tools of his own that could make for a respectable NFL career. He will also be able to learn from a veteran quarterback in Andy Dalton, which is a nice way to start out.
29. Houston Texans
Key Players at this Position: C.J. Stroud, Davis Mills
C.J. Stroud might end up being the best quarterback to come from the 2023 rookie class. But the fact that the next best quarterback in his position group with the Texans is Davis Mills is unfortunate for him. Stroud may one day overcome the organization around him in Houston, but he has been put in a really difficult spot here, and that is a shame.
28. Green Bay Packers
Key Players at this Position: Jordan Love
It is finally time for Jordan Love to put up or shut up, as he is done sitting behind Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. Love has three touchdowns and three interceptions in his career in spot duty in the place of Rodgers. Until he proves that he can play at a high level as a starter, the Packers will be relegated to the lower tier of our NFL quarterback rankings.
27. Washington Commanders
Key Players at this Position: Sam Howell, Jacoby Brissett
Sam Howell played one game last season for the Washington Commanders, and beat the Dallas Cowboys on the final day of the regular season. He did so against a Dallas team that had its eyes on the playoffs rather than that final regular season game. But that is still something for Commanders fans to feel optimism about. Whether he can play at a high level for a full season against teams that care about the games they are playing in, that may not be in the cards just yet.
26. New England Patriots
Key Players at this Position: Mac Jones
Mac Jones ranked 18th in passing yards last season among NFL quarterbacks, which put him right in between Matt Ryan and Andy Dalton. That is not a good sign for the Patriots, who have pinned their hopes to Jones as the future of the franchise at the quarterback position. While switching to Bill O’Brien at offensive coordinator could be a substantial upgrade over working with Matt Patricia, switching systems again can’t be helpful for a quarterback just trying to get better in this league.
25. New York Giants
Key Players at this Position: Daniel Jones
Daniel Jones played 16 games for the New York Giants last season, and threw 15 touchdown passes. He is a threat with his legs, but in terms of his ability to complete passes, he’s still not somebody that can be counted on, especially in spots where he can’t use his running game to confuse opponents. Jones needs to prove himself as more of a true pass-capable quarterback this year, especially with Saquon Barkley contract drama looming.
24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Key Players at this Position: Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfield is the least consistent quarterback in football. When he is at his best, he can engineer comebacks and make his offense look very difficult to defend. When at his worst, his teams look like they are a college team taking on professionals. That makes him a difficult quarterback to rank, but he is certainly not a top-20 quarterback, that we can all agree on.
23. Chicago Bears
Key Players at this Position: Justin Fields
There is a lot of hype surrounding Justin Fields coming into this season, and a lot of it involves the acquisition of DJ Moore for some reason. Fields led the worst passing offense in the NFL last year, as he failed to average 150 passing yards per game. Why DJ Moore, who has played on very few successful teams in his career, is expected to change that is beyond me. Fields has great mobility, and will be a fun watch this season, but he needs to be better at throwing the football before he moves up this list.
22. Pittsburgh Steelers
Key Players at this Position: Kenny Pickett
Kenny Pickett is another quarterback expected to be much better this season, despite plenty of struggles of his own last year. His 6.2 yards per pass attempt was equal to the number for Desmond Ridder, despite Pickett having some nice weapons around him at the skill positions. This will be a very telling season for Pickett in Pittsburgh, as he needs to take some major strides to help his team compete in the AFC North.
21. Tennessee Titans
Key Players at this Position: Ryan Tannehill, Will Levis
Will Levis was drafted to be the eventual replacement for Ryan Tannehill, but it is hard to see Levis being any better than Tannehill at quarterback. Levis may have the prototypical tools to play the position, but blaming Tannehill for the Titans gutting their receiving corps around him is insane to begin with. Tannehill will be fine, as his main job is to give the ball to Derrick Henry anyway, and we’ll see what Levis has in him after that.
20. Arizona Cardinals
Key Players at this Position: Kyler Murray
Next in our NFL quarterback rankings is Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals. Injuries and turnovers have derailed him over the last couple of seasons, as he has morphed into a slightly below average quarterback for a slightly below average team. There is a chance that things can go completely off the rails this season, as he has lost DeAndre Hopkins, but there is also the possibility that being separated from career loser Kliff Kingsbury helps him return to form.
19. Las Vegas Raiders
Key Players at this Position: Jimmy Garoppolo
Jimmy Garoppolo is never going to blow anyone away with his statistical output, but he is not going to ruin a team’s chances of competing either. The Raiders should not be much worse off with Garoppolo than they were with Derek Carr, as this Raiders team is built to win games with their running game and pass rush above all else. Garoppolo, should he stay healthy, will also have a strong receiving corps to work with and that should help him play his best.
18. New Orleans Saints
Key Players at this Position: Derek Carr
Speaking of Derek Carr, he comes in just below the mid-way point of our NFL quarterback rankings. Carr left Las Vegas after last season and has resurfaced with the New Orleans Saints. Even if Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara have trouble staying on the field this season for different reasons, Carr will still have skill players like Jamaal Williams and Chris Olave to work with. Those players may be a downgrade from the likes of Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs, but Carr should manage just fine.
17. Cleveland Browns
Key Players at this Position: Deshaun Watson
Deshaun Watson has not played a full season of football since three seasons ago, when he was the lone bright spot on a pretty miserable Houston Texans roster. Since then, he sat out while waiting for a move to another team, then sat out again due to a suspension for alleged crimes that are considered especially heinous. Either way, he is going to have some major rust to knock off early this season, and his performance this year could go in one of many directions.
16. Minnesota Vikings
Key Players at this Position: Kirk Cousins
If you had to pick one quarterback to land directly in the middle of this list, it would have to be Kirk Cousins, wouldn’t it? Against losing teams, Cousins looks like a Hall of Fame talent. Against winning teams, Cousins looks like he has never encountered the game of football before. He is the definition of the term “mid” and he will likely remain that way as this season wears on.
15. Denver Broncos
Key Players at this Position: Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson completed just 60.5% of his passes last season, a mark that was worse than quarterbacks such as Davis Mills, John Wolford, and Marcus Mariota. He is expected to show some improvement this season with Sean Payton coaching him, but blaming last year’s coaching staff for his struggles completing makeable throws feels like a cop-out. Wilson himself will need to be better, no matter who is coaching him.
14. Seattle Seahawks
Key Players at this Position: Geno Smith
Geno Smith was one of the biggest success stories of the 2022 NFL season, as he threw the fourth-most touchdown passes in the league. Only Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and Josh Allen threw more touchdown passes than Smith a season ago. He is likely to regress somewhat this season, but Smith is clearly a quarterback who belongs in the top-half of the league rankings at his position, and that is an incredible story given the path his career has taken.
13. San Francisco 49ers
Key Players at this Position: Brock Purdy, Trey Lance, Sam Darnold
Brock Purdy was nothing short of incredible last season, until he was injured in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, Purdy’s return date is a question mark, even if there is hope that he will return for the start of next season. Either way, once Purdy is back, he is likely to be a solid option under center for a 49ers team that could very well win the NFC this year.
12. Los Angeles Rams
Key Players at this Position: Matthew Stafford
A healthy Matthew Stafford led the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl two seasons ago. This past year, both Stafford and his top target in Cooper Kupp were not right physically. With both expected to be back on the field to start this season, look for the Rams to at least resemble a decent team again, even if they are not capable of reaching the heights they did when they won the Lombardi Trophy. Stafford, who has built himself quite the career resume, will be a big reason for their improvement in 2023.
11. New York Jets
Key Players at this Position: Aaron Rodgers
The biggest leap for a team in terms of quarterback quality from last year to this year has to come from the New York Jets. While Aaron Rodgers is not the all-time great that he once was at this stage of his career, he is a massive upgrade from Zach Wilson, Mike White, and Joe Flacco. Look for Rodgers to give the Jets a shot in the arm (pun very much intended) this season, as they should compete more seriously for a playoff berth.
10. Jacksonville Jaguars
Key Players at this Position: Trevor Lawrence
Trevor Lawrence took a nice leap forward last season as the quarterback of the Jacksonville Jaguars. While his peaks and valleys are still a little more extreme than we might like, he is very clearly trending upward in this league. If Lawrence can cut back on the turnovers more regularly, after throwing four interceptions in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, he could ascend even further on this list soon.
9. Detroit Lions
Key Players at this Position: Jared Goff
After being written off as a bust after his time with the Los Angeles Rams, Jared Goff went and turned his career around as a member of the Detroit Lions. Goff led the Lions to a top-five finish in scoring offense last season, and nearly got the Lions to the playoffs, which is an accomplishment in and of itself. If Goff can keep the Lions offense rolling this year, Detroit could be the class of the NFC North, which would be an incredible achievement.
8. Miami Dolphins
Key Players at this Position: Tua Tagovailoa
When healthy, Tua Tagovailoa is one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the NFL. He led the league in yards per pass attempt last season, throwing for a massive 8.9 yards per attempt in 2022, despite sustaining multiple head injuries. If his offensive line can protect him, Tagovailoa will continue to feast with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle as his main targets through the air.
7. Baltimore Ravens
Key Players at this Position: Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson finally got paid, but the question for him going into this year will be whether or not he can stay on the field. The Ravens signal caller has missed most of the second half of the season two years in a row. On top of that, there are questions about his ability to throw the football in big games. But his overall performance level is undeniable during the regular season, and he is firmly in the top-10 based on that alone.
6. Dallas Cowboys
Key Players at this Position: Dak Prescott
Dak Prescott deserves a lot of credit for keeping the Dallas Cowboys offense functioning despite the deterioration of Zeke Elliott in the running game. Prescott clearly needs to limit his turnovers, as he was tied for the most interceptions in the NFL with Davis Mills a season ago. But Prescott will be one of the league’s top passers again this year if he stays healthy, and will likely lead Dallas to another top-five scoring season as well.
5. Philadelphia Eagles
Key Players at this Position: Jalen Hurts
It has been a meteoric rise for Jalen Hurts and the offense of the Philadelphia Eagles. Hurts led Philadelphia to within a few minutes of a Super Bowl last season, and his ability to make a huge impact both on the air and on the ground is something most quarterbacks simply cannot replicate. While the film on Hurts is now out there, he will still have success in the season to come for the Eagles.
4. Los Angeles Chargers
Key Players at this Position: Justin Herbert
Justin Herbert is a lot like a pitcher in baseball who does not have a great record but has great individual stats. He finished second to Patrick Mahomes in passing yardage last season, though he only tied for eighth in touchdown passes with 25. If the team around Herbert can stay healthy and improve a bit, this could be the year that he really takes a step forward.
3. Buffalo Bills
Key Players at this Position: Josh Allen
Josh Allen is clearly in the elite tier of quarterbacks in the NFL, though he ranks slightly behind Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes. At this level of quarterbacking, you begin splitting hairs, and the fact that Allen has lost to Burrow and Mahomes in consecutive postseasons puts him behind both. However, Allen had 35 touchdown passes last season and will be an MVP contender again this year, which is not a bad place to be at all.
2. Cincinnati Bengals
Key Players at this Position: Joe Burrow
Joe Burrow has lived up to the hype as a number one overall draft pick, and then some. He has led his Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl and to the AFC Championship Game in back-to-back years. And while the Bengals did not win in either of those spots, Burrow has made them one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the league. That will remain the case in 2023, and the Bengals could very well cash in and win a title behind Burrow this year.
1. Kansas City Chiefs
Key Players at this Position: Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes may not be the greatest quarterback of all-time just yet, as some have argued. But if he continues to play the way he has in recent seasons, he could very well end up there. Mahomes led the league with 41 touchdown passes last season, and won NFL MVP honors while his team won the Super Bowl. Expect another massive year from Mahomes and for the Chiefs to be among the last teams standing once again.
Other NFL Position Rankings
Before this season begins, be sure to check out our position rankings at the following positions. Links will be available as soon as each position has been posted, so check back leading up the preseason on a regular basis.