Drew Lock, Jeff Driskel, and Brett Rypien were dubbed the worst QB group in the NFL.
Is it possible that Drew Lock, Jeff Driskel, and Brett Rypien make up the worst quarterback depth chart in the NFL right now?
If you ask Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, the answer to that question is yes.
Volin published one of everyone’s favorite arbitrary offseason power rankings posts — quarterback depth chart rankings.
There’s no need for me to go through and tell you how ridiculous it is that ‘so and so’ is ranked ahead of Lock, Driskel, and Rypien because literally every quarterback group is ranked ahead of them.
Here’s his explanation of the ranking:
"The Broncos were encouraged by Lock’s 4-1 record down the stretch. But this is the least-experienced depth chart in the league, and could cost John Elway his job."
You hate to see someone who is paid to analyze the NFL play strictly the seniority card here and rank other groups ahead of the Broncos’ quarterback depth chart strictly based off of experience.
The fact of the matter is, Lock’s impact on the Broncos down the stretch of the 2019 season was undeniable. His presence on the roster raised all boats, and the Broncos didn’t just accidentally win four of the last five games last season with the only loss coming on the road in a blizzard against the Super Bowl champion Chiefs.
There are obviously some understandable rankings on this list — the Chiefs are number one by default having Patrick Mahomes on the roster, but it’s funny to see how you would rank quarterback ‘depth charts’ when some teams with great starting quarterbacks have terrible backups, like the Seahawks with Russell Wilson and Geno Smith.
What’s ironic about Volin’s non-factual statement about the Broncos having the ‘least-experienced depth chart’ in the NFL right now is that he ranks the Cincinnati Bengals with Joe Burrow and Ryan Finley — Finley had three starts last season — as the 15th best QB depth chart in the NFL, ahead of even the Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, and others.
At the end of the day, the opinion of one NFL analyst really doesn’t matter at all. It’s frustrating at times for fans to see the Broncos constantly overlooked and disrespected by national media, but while one guy has them ranked 32nd, another national pundit could have them in the top 15 based on Lock’s five starts and trajectory.
This list was a fun exercise but likely doesn’t accurately reflect the abilities of quarterback rooms across the league.