Ranking every NFL team’s quarterback situation ahead of summer offseason program
By Nick Villano
The NFL is a quarterback league now more than ever. However, the quarterback position is hardly thriving like the primes of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Where do teams fall in the pecking order regarding the position as a whole?
Last season, 94 players completed a pass in the NFL during the regular season. 81 of those players were quarterbacks, showing how important it is to have depth at the position. Teams like the San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, and Baltimore Ravens had to rely on backups (or worse) in the postseason. So, when ranking quarterbacks, it’s best to look beyond the starter. Heck, even the Kansas City Chiefs needed Chad Henne to direct a touchdown drive on the way to a Super Bowl Championship.
That’s not to say that teams with rock-solid starters are going to lose major points based on who the backup is. With the rules protecting quarterbacks, the stars stay upright more often. Players like Tom Brady or Josh Allen can go their entire careers with very few missed games.
So, with all that said, let’s take a look at this team by team. This is a year where three quarterbacks were taken in the Top 5 of the NFL Draft. Eventually, the hope is they will be high on the list one day. However, right now, they are definitely toward the back end of this list. But they are definitely not last. In fact, the last-place team could jump up if we just get some positive injury news.
Who has the best quarterback depth chart in the NFL right now?
32. Arizona Cardinals
Projected Starter: Colt McCoy
Kyler Murray would be way higher on this list. He suffered a knee injury in Week 14, so there’s very little chance he will be under center in Week 1. It’s starting to look like it could be a long time before he’s back on the field. His new head coach Jonathan Gannon said the same thing.
That leaves the Cardinals with Colt McCoy as the starter. That’s a bad spot to be. McCoy was a serviceable backup for a long time, but he’s 36 years old, and even when he gets into games, he usually gets hurt.
If McCoy gets hurt, the Cardinals are looking at either Clayton Tune or David Blough. That is a bad place to be. The Cardinals need Murray back, but he might not come back. This could lead to a very hard season. If the Cards also get rid of Deandre Hopkins, this might be the worst offense in football by a long margin.