Predicting 10 best NFL quarterbacks in 2016

We’ll start this in reverse. Everything I just said about Tony Romo and Dez Bryant goes for Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. Jones is at the end of his ‘cheap’ rookie deal (which as a sidenote, just jumped from $2.5 million in 2014 to $10.1 million this year) and like Bryant, will be looking for a new contract.

Unlike Bryant though, he could very well be franchise tagged in 2016, so Ryan should have him at his disposal.

Of course, what the status of the group around Jones—and really the whole team—is a bit up in the air. There’s a strong chance Roddy White won’t be with the team due to age, and even if he is, he’s likely to be in a reduced role.

Maybe rookie Justin Hardy becomes a threat across from Jones, but fourth round picks tend to take a while to get up to speed. So the question is, even if Jones is back, who will join him?

The thing is, this has really been a question for a while and somebody has always stepped up and provided help. I expect this to be the case, of enough of one to keep Ryan very productive.

The Atlanta Falcons need to add some pieces to the offense for Ryan and I expect they will do so between the 2015 and 2016 seasons, which will make Ryan even more effective. While not among the top ‘elite’ tier of quarterbacks, Ryan has been very good since stepping into the NFL. I expect him to keep it up during the 2016 NFL season.

Next: Philip Rivers