Where does new Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson rank among the top quarterbacks in the NFL heading into the 2022 season?
The NFL landscape is always changing pretty drastically, but no position has had more major shifting than the quarterback position in the last handful of years. Russell Wilson is now a Denver Bronco, and in the last 10 years, the Broncos have acquired a pair of living legends at the game’s most important position.
The question now becomes — which teams are in the best situation at quarterback?
The Denver Broncos have been in quarterback purgatory for the last six years, and Russell Wilson’s arrival has finally gotten them out of it. Plenty of other teams are still in that dreaded QB purgatory and many are in worse shape now than they were just a couple of months ago.
Leading up to the 2022 NFL Draft, how should every team’s starting QB be ranked?
Let’s start from the bottom and find out where new Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson ranks among his peers in the NFL right now.
How high does Russell Wilson rank among all 32 NFL starting QBs?
32. Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers’ QB position is just flat-out in bad shape.
They took a risk on trading for Sam Darnold in the 2021 offseason, and that decision has seriously burned them.
Carolina was really in trouble after the fool’s gold that was their 3-0 start to the 2021 regular season. From that point on, Sam Darnold was horrendous and they became one of the worst teams in the NFL.
Injuries didn’t help, but it’s clear at this point that Darnold is just not the answer. As a result of their trades over the last year, the Panthers have no picks between 6 and 137 overall.
31. Marcus Mariota, Atlanta Falcons
If there’s any team that arguably has it worse than the Carolina Panthers at QB right now, it’s their division rivals in Atlanta.
The Falcons traded Matt Ryan for next-to-nothing this offseason and even though they have the clarity of a reset at this point, the situation they find themselves in is about as unenviable as it gets.
The only reason why the Falcons get the nod as “not quite the worst QB situation in the NFL” over the Panthers here is there is still a glimmer of hope for Marcus Mariota. I think that has all but faded for Sam Darnold in Carolina but Mariota has a shot at being a decent reclamation project option.
Still, I’m not banking on that.
30. Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
In an alternate NFL universe, the Denver Broncos used the 9th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on Justin Fields and do not have Russell Wilson as their quarterback.
Knowing what we know now, that is a scary alternate universe to consider.
Knowing what we knew a year ago at this time? I think many fans would have taken Fields over the hypothetical possibility of adding a quarterback later.
Fields just completed a horrendous rookie season for the Bears, which he should be afforded because many rookie QBs need time to take their lumps. However, he will now have a new play caller in Luke Getsy (who interviewed for the Broncos’ HC job) and arguably worse playmakers than he had a season ago.
29. Daniel Jones, New York Giants
I could have easily put Daniel Jones at no. 30 on this list, but I like his situation a little bit better than Fields’ right now with Brian Daboll as the head coach in New York and the players/draft assets the Giants have to surround Jones with proper talent.
Who knows what could happen with Jones if he gets into the right scheme and his playmakers stay healthy?
We simply haven’t seen that yet.
I’m not banking on a progression in year four, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he looks better this year than he has at any other point in his career.
28. Zach Wilson, New York Jets
Zach Wilson was the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and he, like Justin Fields, had a really bad rookie season.
There were some good moments for Wilson including some throws that hit the ground against the Denver Broncos, and it was just that kind of year for the Jets.
It didn’t help that Wilson struggled some with injury, which was a concern going back to his days at BYU.
If Wilson can’t take the next step in year two for the Jets, it’s going to be bad news for Robert Saleh & company. Not that taking Wilson was the wrong move at the time, but the Jets just haven’t been able to get it right at QB and they need Wilson to progress. For now, the jury’s out.
27. Mitchell Trubisky, Pittsburgh Steelers
It was painful to put Mitchell Trubisky ahead of some of the younger guys on this list with more long-term potential, but I might just be so crazy to actually like his situation with the Steelers.
I am sure the Steelers will draft someone in a couple of weeks and make this whole section irrelevant, but Trubisky is going to a very stable situation at a great organization with outstanding skill-position talent.
If the Steelers can upgrade the offensive line in the 2022 NFL Draft, I think Trubisky has a decent chance of really rebounding in Pittsburgh.
26. Davis Mills, Houston Texans
Perhaps I’m way too high on both of the quarterbacks in this section here, but starting with Davis Mills, I really liked what we saw at points in the 2021 season and I love that the Texans are putting their top pick from the 2021 class in position to succeed.
They retained Pep Hamilton, who has been nothing short of a QB whisperer in the last decade.
They re-signed Brandin Cooks to a big-money deal.
They have a chance to upgrade the offense even further in the 2022 NFL Draft. There’s no more Deshaun Watson distraction.
I like what we saw from Davis Mills last year and I think he’s in a great position to be even better moving forward.
25. Drew Lock, Seattle Seahawks
Call me sappy, call me sentimental, call me whatever you want to.
I hope Drew Lock does great in Seattle and I like his fit a lot in Shane Waldron’s offense.
Not to mention, Lock will have no shortage of weapons to get the ball to in Seattle with his 2019 classmate Noah Fant going with him in the trade for Russell Wilson, as well as DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett already in house along with former second-round pick D’Wayne Eskridge, who could have a breakout role for Seattle in the near future.
I think the transition back to the offense Lock was drafted to play in will be super helpful, and I think we saw some nice strides from him at the end of last season. I’ll take the egg on my face if he loses the starting QB battle to Geno Smith or a rookie, I just like Lock’s situation in Seattle better than some of the other guys at the bottom of this list.
24. Jameis Winston, New Orleans Saints
Differentiating near the bottom of the list of the top 32 NFL quarterbacks was really difficult.
On the one hand, Jameis Winston played some of the best football of his career early in the 2021 season.
On the other hand, Sean Payton is gone, Terron Armstead is gone, and the Saints need help at the WR position in a bad way.
Winston got a two-year deal to return to New Orleans and I think he will do okay, but I don’t know if he’ll come close to matching the pace he was on in 2021 when he was on pace for over 50 touchdown passes.
23. Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers
Speaking of situations, I don’t know that any QB is stepping into a better one than Trey Lance.
The 49ers still haven’t traded Jimmy Garoppolo, so is it even right to put Lance on this list yet?
They’ll eventually trade Jimmy G., right?
Anticipating Lance as the starter in San Francisco, I think Kyle Shanahan will put him in a great position to succeed early on. The 49ers have the playmakers offensively to really support a young quarterback like this and Lance has now had a year to absorb the offense, build chemistry with his teammates, and become acclimated to life in the NFL after starting just one season at North Dakota State.
It will be fascinating to see how he responds to the full-time role whenever that winds up happening.
22. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins could have gone any number of directions this offseason at the quarterback position, and many anticipated they would be front-runners for Deshaun Watson.
In the end, the Dolphins’ front office doubled down on their decision to draft Tua Tagovailoa in the class of 2022, making the decision to let go of Brian Flores in part because he wouldn’t fully commit to Tua despite finishing with a winning record the last two seasons.
The Dolphins hired former Denver Broncos ball boy Mike McDaniel to come in as their new head coach to create an offense that can help Tagovailoa, and they added a big-time weapon to help as well.
The Dolphins added wide receiver Tyreek Hill this offseason in one of the biggest and most stunning moves of the year.
With the weapons he now has at his disposal as well as the full backing of the team, Tagovailoa is under immense pressure to excel.
21. Carson Wentz, Washington Commanders
Carson Wentz is coming off of a pretty decent “rebound” season with the Indianapolis Colts, believe it or not.
You wouldn’t know it based on the fact that the Colts dumped him after just one year, but Wentz was solid statistically in 2021. It didn’t work out between him and the Colts with head coach Frank Reich, who was with the Eagles during Wentz’s formative years in the NFL.
The decision to trade Wentz likely came from the top down. Jim Irsay wasn’t going to tolerate a 98 percent shot at the playoffs absolutely vaporizing.
The Washington Commanders, who have been in a constant state of QB purgatory, were all over the quarterback market this offseason and even made a play for Russell Wilson.
Ultimately, I feel like they overpaid for Wentz with the capital they gave up as well as the amount of his contract they took in the process, but if they feel more confident about the guy under center, good for them.
20. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Jared Goff might be ranked way too high on this list for your liking, and I’ll admit that a major reason why he’s so high on the list is due to the fact that he played pretty darn good football down the stretch.
Goff was the number one pick in the 2016 NFL Draft just a couple of months after the Broncos won Super Bowl 50 by the Rams, and he wound up helping get them all the way to the Super Bowl in just a couple of years.
Unfortunately, they fell painfully short of winning, and Goff was pinpointed as the reason the Rams were being held back, so they traded for Matthew Stafford.
It’s hard to argue with the results.
I love the toughness Goff played with down the stretch last season. Getting traded to the pitiful Lions can’t have been easy for him, but he helped them win more games than many thought they would win.
It will be interesting to see how much the Lions can improve this year with better weapons for Goff to get the ball to.
19. Mac Jones, New England Patriots
The Patriots just sat back in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft and Mac Jones fell right into their laps.
In hindsight, Jones couldn’t have been more tailor-made for the New England Patriots, which should come as no surprise given the fact he played his college ball for Nick Saban.
Jones made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and looks like a decent long-term option for the Patriots. Still, the loss of Josh McDaniels hurts. The Patriots didn’t replace him with anyone.
How much will that affect Jones’ future in the league?
Can the Patriots get him some better weapons?
I like Jones’ situation, but I don’t love it as much now that McDaniels is in Las Vegas.
18. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Denver Broncos got the better of the 2021 first overall pick early in his rookie season, but not before Lawrence had a really good first drive against Vic Fangio’s defense.
In the end, it was Lawrence’s 2021 classmate — Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II — that stole the show in that game.
Lawrence didn’t have a good rookie season, like most of the other QBs in his class. He, unfortunately, had no choice but to play for Urban Meyer and that turned out to be a complete disaster.
With Doug Pederson in the building, it feels like things should turn around rather quickly for Lawrence. They can’t possibly get worse, right?
17. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts took a massive step forward in his second NFL season and helped lead the Eagles to the playoffs.
They got bounced out of the postseason pretty quickly, but Hurts was good enough that the Eagles didn’t feel the need to make any aggressive move in the 2022 offseason for a quarterback.
We’ll see what happens in 2023 as the Eagles have multiple first-round picks yet again, but for the time being, Hurts looks like he could be a stud dual-threat for them.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see him jump into the top half of quarterbacks by the end of the season.
16. Matt Ryan, Indianapolis Colts
We’ll see how “wrong” about this one I am as the 2022 NFL season progresses.
I am much lower on Matt Ryan than some seem to be. There are apparently a lot of people who feel like Matt Ryan is about to have a resurgence in his late 30s after some down years with the Atlanta Falcons.
There’s no better argument against wins in the NFL being a quarterback stat than Matt Ryan, at least now that Matthew Stafford is with the Los Angeles Rams.
The Falcons’ roster has been atrocious and slowly getting worse. What was Ryan supposed to do? It didn’t feel like he was the same guy that led the Falcons to the Super Bowl a handful of years ago, that’s all I know.
Hopefully, he can get back to some high-leverage games on a much better team in Indianapolis.
15. Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans
Ryan Tannehill deserves some due respect for helping the Titans be one of the winningest teams in the league over the last couple of seasons.
He’s had the privilege of handing the ball off to Derrick Henry and the Titans have played extremely well as a team for head coach Mike Vrabel, but Tannehill hasn’t just been riding everyone else’s coattails.
He’s done a good job but for me, Tannehill is not a needle-moving type of quarterback. He’s solid but certainly not dynamic.
It feels like the Titans are one stretch of bad play from Tannehill away from being one of the 10 worst teams in the NFL.
14. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
Kirk Cousins is the epitome of above-average at the quarterback position.
He’s reached the proverbial ceiling, it seems, but Cousins is a statistically impressive player at the quarterback position and he will go down as one of the richest players to play the position in modern history.
The Vikings acquired Cousins in 2018 free agency and they’ve had mixed results with him under center. Some weeks, Cousins is able to light defenses up and make the Vikings’ offense look outstanding.
Other weeks, you can’t help but wonder what in the world he’s thinking out there.
To reiterate — wins are not a QB stat but doesn’t it seem fitting that Cousins’ career record is 59-59-2?
13. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
By season’s end, Deshaun Watson could very well be a top-10 quarterback on this list.
As of right now, he’s getting bumped out of the top 10 completely.
Watson’s off-field issues don’t impact his ranking here so much as the fact that the last time he was on the field, his team stunk badly.
That’s not something you expect of a top-10 NFL quarterback, especially one as talented as Watson.
Now, he’s been out of football for a year and it will be fascinating to see how well he can play after that year off, especially with all of the mental, emotional, and physical toll his off-field issues have taken in that timeframe.
I still can’t believe the Browns gave him $230 million guaranteed.
12. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Based on the way Jackson played last year, this ranking is generous.
Based on the way he’s played for the majority of his career?
This ranking is blasphemy.
I figured I would meet somewhere in the middle and keep Jackson right on the cusp of being a top-10 quarterback in the league as we enter the offseason.
He has the ability to be one of the best overall players in the NFL when he’s at his best, but his efficiency this past season in terms of touchdown percentage and interception percentage was the worst we have ever seen.
I love watching Lamar Jackson play and I think he’s going to bounce back this year, but he’s got to go out there and do it on the field again to get back into the top 10.
11. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
The drama between Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals is really intensifying.
It’s fun to watch from the outside looking in because the Cardinals seemingly have legitimate reasons not to pay Murray $40 million per season just yet.
Has Murray given them that level of play?
It’s fair to question, at the very least.
The former Heisman winner and number one pick won’t be playing for the Cardinals absent a new deal, so maybe we’ll see him playing baseball soon or maybe the Cardinals will trade him.
Either way, Murray is a dynamic talent who has MVP potential and he’s right on the edge of being one of the 10 best players at his position in the world.
10. Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders
This ranking may be surprising to some, but I think a strong case can be made for Derek Carr as one of the 10 best quarterbacks in the NFL right now.
His numbers may not reflect it, but Carr is an outstanding leader, he’s accurate, he distributes the ball well, and now he’s got Josh McDaniels and Davante Adams on his side.
Shockingly, this ranking makes Carr the fourth-best QB in the AFC West but 10th best in the NFL.
I think the Raiders’ offseason moves have really elevated Carr up this list and he was already creeping up there for me anyway.
Carr is so underrated and I think the fact that the Raiders have won 18 games the last two years is indicative of just how much he’s been worth to this franchise because their defense has been bad. They paid him accordingly.
9. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott is one of the quarterbacks in the NFL that I would consider a true elevator of the talent around him.
Although the Cowboys laid an egg in the playoffs this past year, Prescott was back to his elite ways out there, throwing for nearly 4,500 yards with 37 touchdowns.
Prescott is such a difference-maker as both a passer and a runner, but how much will missing Amari Cooper affect his game in 2022?
Since the Cowboys were able to bring back both CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup, I think Prescott will be okay. He was as good as we’ve ever seen him in 2021 with a touchdown percentage at 6.2 percent.
8. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals’ magical run to the Super Bowl last season ended with the disappointing scene of Joe Burrow on the ground beneath the triumphant Aaron Donald.
Although Donald can beat any offensive lineman, the Bengals’ mission in 2022 was clear and obvious — protect your franchise quarterback at any cost.
Up to this point, they’ve signed three new starters on the offensive line and we’ll see what they do in the 2022 NFL Draft.
For now, Joe Burrow is clearly one of the most impactful starting quarterbacks in the game with such a natural feel for the position. There are few ways you can actually beat Burrow unless he literally gets destroyed in the pocket.
I can’t recall seeing many quarterbacks better at escaping pressure than this guy. It’s a blast to watch him with the talented trio of receivers the Bengals have.
7. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
For all of those people who thought that Matthew Stafford would thrive outside of Detroit, the 2021 season was likely cathartic.
Stafford in the Sean McVay offense was the casual football fan’s delight, and a fantasy football player’s dream come true.
Stafford proved this past year what many already knew, but most had not been able to see due to the culture and constant roster dysfunction in Detroit — this guy is a legitimate MVP type of quarterback when he’s on top of his game.
Now that he’s in Los Angeles, we should see that version of him for the foreseeable future.
6. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
I debated where to put Justin Herbert on this list for quite some time.
Do I put him ahead of Russell Wilson so this doesn’t come across as biased? Do I put him ahead of Russell Wilson because of the MVP-like potential he’s shown?
In the end, I went with what my gut truly feels, which is that Russell Wilson is the better overall QB at this point but Herbert could certainly prove me wrong there.
At any rate, I don’t think putting Herbert 6th on the list is a slight by any means. He’s outstanding, exciting, and if the Broncos didn’t have Russell Wilson, I’d be insanely jealous that the Chargers managed to get him where they did in 2020.
The Chargers getting Herbert as the QB3 of the 2020 class feels like an absolute heist, much like the Buffalo Bills getting Josh Allen as the QB3 of the 2018 class.
5. Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos
And here it is. I believe Russell Wilson is a top-five quarterback in the NFL today, and I don’t think that’s hyperbole.
Wilson had his first 40-touchdown season back in 2020 and if not for a finger injury in 2021, he was on pace to throw 34 through the first five games of the season.
Wilson is one of the biggest difference-makers in the entire NFL and has been since he came into the league back in 2012.
Broncos fans unfortunately know all too well just what kind of difference-maker Russell Wilson is and is capable of being.
After coming back miraculously early from his finger injury last season, Wilson threw nine touchdowns over the final three games for the Seahawks as Seattle won two out of three, even with all of the looming changes.
Wilson is one of the best leaders in the game, and he’s only missed the playoffs twice in his entire career. The Broncos are lucky to have him.
4. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tom Brady’s retirement lasted about as long as he could stand to watch Encanto for the 100th time, I’m sure.
He spent some quality time with his family, and I’m sure after memorizing the song We Don’t Talk About Bruno front to back, he decided he’d rather play football for a couple more seasons.
Brady was honestly as good as we’ve seen him in the 2021 season, picking apart defenses and dealing with rotating skill players due to injuries.
With a good majority of the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl crew back again in 2022, Brady should have another huge year and may be the best overall QB in the NFC.
3. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
The back-to-back MVP didn’t end up in Denver in the 2022 offseason, and he lost Davante Adams.
It’s hard to feel sorry for Aaron Rodgers given the record-setting contract he signed, but you can’t help but wonder how the loss of Adams is going to affect his play.
The Packers need to make good use of those picks they got in the Davante Adams trade, because Rodgers’ weapons right now are not even remotely comparable.
Nobody in the Draft is going to be able to truly replace Adams, but the Packers need to find someone that can consistently create separation and quickly earn Rodgers’ trust.
Without Adams, are we going to see a third straight MVP season? I doubt it. But Rodgers is still a superstar on the field.
2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
The debate between Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes is about to significantly heat up in the 2021 season.
Josh Allen and the Bills took the Chiefs to the brink of elimination in the playoffs, but the Bills’ defense couldn’t hold up at the end of an all-time great shootout.
Allen’s progression since his time at Wyoming is nothing short of remarkable. I won’t soon forget sitting in the stands at the 2018 Senior Bowl, watching Allen launch multiple passes out of the back of the end zone way over the head of his intended receiver.
Considering some of the questions about accuracy he had coming out of college, it’s fun to look back and laugh at some evaluations of Allen, mine included.
Now, he’s a legitimate MVP candidate and arguably the best player in the entire NFL.
I would contend he’s more talented than Patrick Mahomes, but he’s got to beat him on the field to get the nod as number one.
1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes is still Patrick Mahomes.
Life is going to be different for Mahomes now that he doesn’t have Tyreek Hill among his weapons, but even without Hill, how can we expect Mahomes to be that much worse than what we’ve seen since the start of the 2018 season?
Mahomes is a perennial MVP candidate and one of the most unique players you’ll ever see at the quarterback position. He’s capable of making throws that very few in history can make.
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He can break down a defense with his pocket presence or he can demoralize a defense by turning a sack into a 50-yard touchdown with his escape-ability and a flick of the wrist.
Mahomes is not unbeatable, but he’s been as close to a cheat code as you will find in today’s NFL.