Training camp is underway, so the football content faucet has begun to flow, but with so few frontline players actually playing in the preseason, especially in Week 1 of the preseason, we welcome any bit of drama or power rankings to fill the void left behind by good football players choosing not to play in games. Undoubtedly, one of the most highly anticipated pieces to drop each preseason is Mike Sandy’s “QB Tiers” ranking for The Athletic.
Each offseason Mike Sando polls a diverse group of 50 NFL coaches and front office folks and asks them to rank all of the quarterbacks in tiers. This year, the make up of the voting constituency was six general managers, six assistant general managers, six former general managers, five other executives, eight head coaches and 19 other coaches, including 15 coordinators
The goal was simple: Tier every veteran QB in the NFL. Here were this season’s rankings:
So there you go. After a sophomore season that saw C.J. Stroud regress in nearly every statistical category, the causation of which had less to do with Stroud himself and more to do with his surroundings, Stroud still lands in the top 10, tied for ninth with Super Bowl MVP, and Channelview native, Jalen Hurts.
Obviously, with a finish this high, despite somewhat pedestrian numbers, the sample of 50 NFL people are taking great stock in (a) my causation theory espoused above, (b) a second straight 10-win season and division title, and (c) another lopsided postseason win, as a home underdog. Stroud’s trajectory is still heavily skewed upwards, with the big question being how quickly he acclimates to a new system that gives him far greater snap to snap responsibility than last season’s system, under Bobby Slowik.
We should also mention, C.J. Stroud finished 39th in the NFL’s Top 100, as voted upon by his peers:
So, I’m happy with and generally agree with these assessments of Stroud. Back end of the top ten feels about right. 39th overall feels about right. Here are a few thoughts on other aspects of these QB Tier rankings:
I defy you to find a QB power rankings with a different Top Four than this one
Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson. You literally cannot find a set of QB power rankings for the upcoming season where the top four has another name outside of those four. The order may be different rankings to rankings, but the four names are the same. To be clear, I have zero quibble with this. If anything, it provides a stark reminder of what the Texans are up against in trying to win the AFC. All four of those signal callers are in the AFC, and three of them are on the Texans’ schedule this coming season.
Experts are still skeptical about Jalen Hurts
This is an example of the exact same ranking being viewed totally differently by two fan bases. In Houston, I would guess fans are pretty happy with C.J. Stroud finishing tied for ninth in Sando’s article. In Philadelphia, they are probably ready to storm the offices of The Athletic with Jalen Hurts finishing tied for ninth. After all, he is the reigning, defending Super Bowl MVP. For whatever reason, the same way it’s hard to find an expert who doesn’t have the above quartet as their top four, it’s hard to find one that ranks Hurts anywhere near the top five. It’s a strange thing.
Someday the love for Justin Herbert will end
Since arriving in the league in 2020, Justin Herbert is known for two things — first, piling up some pretty impressive stats during the regular season, and second, playing well in exactly ZERO memorable games. In fact, in his two playoff games, he’s blown a 27-0 lead to a Trevor Lawrence-led Jags team, and getting blown out by the Texans last postseason. In short, Herbert’s entire career history is full of empty calories and bright lights failure. But, wow, what a big arm! I hate that he is ranked seventh. I can’t hate it enough.
Let’s take inventory of the 2024 rookie class, will Caleb ever ascend?
Jayden Daniels, the second overall pick in 2024, is the undeniable winner of this process from last season’s rookie class, as he should be. He got the Commanders to the NFC Title Game. Beyond that, there is a whole lot of mystery and head scratching going on with the other five first round picks. Nix had the best teams performance of those five, getting the Broncos into the postseason, but that was good enough for a tie for 20th. After that, not a single one higher than 22nd. If I had to pick one to ascend into the top dozen or so, give me the elder statesman, 25 year old Michael Penix of the Falcons, who has a respectable run game, and some nice targets to throw to, in a division that has two of the worst teams in football, Carolina and New Orleans.
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