Hmmmmmmm?
25. Baltimore Ravens
Starter: Joe Flacco
Backup: Ryan Mallett
Key stat: Flacco threw just one deep touchdown all of last season (20+ air yards), tied for fewest in the NFL.
Joe Flacco’s career is a study in the importance of timing. He managed to string together the best run of his career to take the team to the Super Bowl, and ultimately parlayed that into a big-money contract that he hasn’t been close to justifying since. Flacco has talent, but more than many QBs, he needs to be surrounded with the right supporting cast to excel, and even then you are at the mercy of his greater-than-average variance in form. 2015 was arguably the worst season of his career, and saw him complete fewer than 50 percent of his passes when pressured and throw twice as many interceptions (eight) as touchdowns (four) on those plays. This was a big reason the Ravens looked to the O-line early in the draft. Behind him, Ryan Mallett has had brief opportunities in his NFL career so far, but has yet to look like a viable NFL QB.
5. Seattle Seahawks
Starter: Russell Wilson
Backup: Trevone Boykin
Key stat: Wilson led the NFL last season with a passer rating of 105.5 on plays where the time to throw was 2.6+ seconds.
Russell Wilson has always been more than the game-managing quarterback his critics label him as. In 2015, he was the sixth-highest-graded QB in the league with an 85.5 mark and had excellent numbers across the board. When you add in his ability to make plays with his legs, both designed and when scrambling, you have one of the tougher players in the league to contain. Nowhere was that better illustrated than in the playoff game against Minnesota, whose defense suffocated Seattle virtually all game, but lost control of Wilson for just a few seconds and he punished them for a touchdown that was ultimately the difference. Long-time backup Tarvaris Jackson has departed, and rookie Trevone Boykin is currently the No. 2 QB on the Seahawks’ roster. Boykin earned the seventh-highest passing grade in the FBS last year.

Reply With Quote
NFL player rankings