KP8 Ranked Where for 2023 Season by CBS Sports?

[LakecrestSteeler]

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2023 ... rters/amp/

Quarterbacks make the NFL go 'round. Not always, of course; you still need a supporting cast to go the distance. But the cleanest path to competing for a championship is owning one of the league's select few elite signal-callers.

It's easier said than done. In fact, even if they wouldn't admit it, most NFL teams employ QBs they'd quickly discard if given a real opportunity to upgrade. It's why even mid-tier starters can command top dollar, and ascending young talents can easily reset the market at the position.

All that said, which QBs deserve top billing going into the 2023 season? And which ones are already candidates to be replaced? Here's our first ranking of all 32 projected starters, keeping in mind that these could look drastically different as the new schedule draws near and the games get underway:

2023 NFL OFFSEASON QB POWER RANKINGS
1
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Patrick Mahomes
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS QB
There is no debate here. The standard-setter for modern-day quarterbacking, Mahomes is fresh off his second Super Bowl title and the closest thing to an invincible playmaker at the position. Discount he and the Chiefs at your own peril.
2
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Joe Burrow
CINCINNATI BENGALS QB
It's a testament to his instant emergence as a precision pocket passer that, three years in, we're already a little surprised he doesn't have his own Super Bowl ring. The Bengals are in good hands as long as he's got even average protection.
3
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Jalen Hurts
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES QB
Wear and tear is something to monitor with Hurts because of his physical approach to the ground game, but you simply cannot question this man's will to win, and his seismic leap as a downfield passer in 2022 has him on an MVP course.
4
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Josh Allen
BUFFALO BILLS QB
He invites more contact than maybe any QB in the league, which is concerning when you pair it with a tendency to trust his arm more than his mind. Fortunately that arm and those bulldozing legs are as powerful as they come.
5
Headshot
Justin Herbert
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS QB
The naysayers point to the Chargers' middling record and conservative approach with him under center, but he's still been insanely productive through three seasons and boasts one of the smoothest, strongest arms in the game.
6
Headshot
Aaron Rodgers
NEW YORK JETS QB
Going on 40, Rodgers is getting the Tom Brady bump in anticipation of a revival after relocation. He's still one of the smartest, savviest, crispest throwers in the NFL, and now he's got a more well-rounded lineup than he had with the Packers.
7
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Lamar Jackson
BALTIMORE RAVENS QB
The red flags are glaring: two straight years with lingering injuries, little consistency as a downfield and late-season passer. But try keeping this man contained on a crucial down, with the game on the line. The electricity is unteachable.
8
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Trevor Lawrence
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS QB
The assumption here, of course, is that Lawrence will follow the trajectory set by new coach Doug Pederson in 2022. After a head-spinning rookie year, his laser arm and pocket awareness took a big leap, and now he's got even better weapons.
9
Headshot
Dak Prescott
DALLAS COWBOYS QB
A steady hand for Dallas who went uncharacteristically streaky in 2022, Prescott is a good demarcation between the "elite" and "pretty good" QBs. He's reliable in the pocket, puts up good numbers, but the crunch-time results have yet to show.
10
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Deshaun Watson
CLEVELAND BROWNS QB
Cleveland is betting lots of money that Watson's dazed post-suspension Browns debut was an anomaly. It probably was. Off-field concerns aside, he's been a Pro Bowl-caliber pocket passer for four of his five active NFL seasons.
11
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Kirk Cousins
MINNESOTA VIKINGS QB
Cousins' prime-time and playoff resume are the butt of jokes, but he's still in the upper half of proven vets with good timing-based darts and underrated resilience. The issue, as Vikings fans know, is that under pressure, the "it" factor hasn't shown.
12
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Brock Purdy
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS QB
Last year's "Mr. Irrelevant" was an improbably poised rookie, oozing veteran-level touch and elusiveness as a fill-in for Kyle Shanahan's offense. But now he's coming off a serious elbow injury with only eight completed starts under his belt.
13
Headshot
Jared Goff
DETROIT LIONS QB
Lions fans have gone from lamenting him as an afterthought of the 2021 Matthew Stafford trade to defending him like the second coming of Stafford. When all is well around him, he can still throw a beauty. But the off-script limitations remain.
14
Geno Smith
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS QB
Which Geno is here to stay: the 2022 breakout, who aired it out with ease? Or the turnover-friendly career backup, who may have popped back into play down the stretch as Seattle asked him to deliver too often? An improved setup should help.
15
Daniel Jones
NEW YORK GIANTS QB
We learned in his debut under Brian Daboll that he has untapped franchise-QB upside, thriving as a scrambler and play-action distributor. The question now is whether he's got enough help to make a significant leap pushing the ball downfield.
16
Justin Fields
CHICAGO BEARS QB
If you only considered a QB's rushing ability, Fields would be a top-three pick at worst. He was MVP-level explosive despite a porous supporting cast in Year 2. But you've gotta be able to throw smartly in the NFL, and he's still working on that.
17
Tua Tagovailoa
MIAMI DOLPHINS QB
There's a Brock Purdy-like element to Tua: he's young, he thrived early operating in a quick-strike Shanahan-style attack in 2022, but the sample size of dominance is so small, with a medical track record so concerning, that everything's in the air.
18
Matthew Stafford
LOS ANGELES RAMS QB
Talk about a whirlwind two-year ride in Los Angeles: first the Rams elevated him from good to great in 2021; then they both broke down physically in 2022. If he can stay upright, he's still serviceable, but what condition is he really in at 35?
19
Russell Wilson
DENVER BRONCOS QB
Perhaps no big name is better positioned to catapult up the ranks than Wilson, who looked erratic and out of place in his first post-Seahawks season, but now has Sean Payton and a beefed-up, possibly run-first Broncos offense on his side.
20
Kyler Murray
ARIZONA CARDINALS QB
Talent-wise, Murray belongs much higher; fully healthy, he's a nearly unstoppable scrambler with a ton of zip on his passes. But he's been hurt at least once in all four of his NFL seasons, and his freestyle tendencies need to be dialed down.
21
Bryce Young
CAROLINA PANTHERS QB
The first rookie on the rundown, Young is the total package except for his smaller stature, entering with pocket presence and general wisdom beyond his years. Better yet, he's opening his career around veteran pieces and a sturdy coaching staff.
22
Derek Carr
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS QB
When the Saints paid big bucks to sign Carr, they essentially bought themselves another wild card bid or three. Like a more rugged version of Kirk Cousins, he's gutsy and occasionally efficient but has almost always struggled when it counts.
23
Jimmy Garoppolo
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS QB
Here's the definition of a short-term bet at QB; Garoppolo has played a full season just once in almost a decade in the NFL. When healthy and protected, however, he's proven he can be more than serviceable playing point guard for a playoff team.
24
Jordan Love
GREEN BAY PACKERS QB
After three years watching and waiting behind Aaron Rodgers, it's finally his time to take over in Green Bay. His arm looked especially lively in limited relief last year, but it remains to be seen how he handles a full-time gig as "the guy."
25
Ryan Tannehill
TENNESSEE TITANS QB
Not entirely dissimilar to Jimmy Garoppolo, Tannehill is a fine but aging, increasingly battered figurehead for a team in transition. He's enjoyed some surprisingly high highs, but outside of a sturdy, run-first structure, his value is debatable.
26
Anthony Richardson
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS QB
The knock on Richardson coming out of Florida is that he's wholly unpolished as a passer. But his supersized athleticism should give him an instantly high floor; think 2022 Justin Fields, perhaps, but with an offensive-minded coach in Indy.
27
C.J. Stroud
HOUSTON TEXANS QB
While Stroud boasts a more pro-ready pocket-passing acumen than Anthony Richardson, he's not necessarily a game-changing threat on the ground, and his rebuilding Texans still have work to do in terms of giving him legit support.
28
Kenny Pickett
PITTSBURGH STEELERS QB
How far does "grit" get you? Certainly few young QBs are better-suited to grow thanks to an improved Steelers front and pass-catching group, but Pickett thrived more as a late-game fighter than efficient full-timer as a rookie.
29
Mac Jones
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS QB
Can new coordinator Bill O'Brien restore Jones' confidence and build around his strengths as a quick-strike thrower? Perhaps! But Jones has offered little outside of structure, and Bill Belichick has previously teased his dissatisfaction.
30
Baker Mayfield
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS QB
Mayfield has embraced his journeyman reality, still boasts some moxie and could enjoy a Bucs supporting cast that's better than what he had with the Panthers and Rams. But his reckless tendencies may not afford him the QB1 job for long.
31
Desmond Ridder
ATLANTA FALCONS QB
He may be set up to succeed if Arthur Smith is dead set on building an old-fashioned offense that runs through the ground game, but what if they have to play from behind? He was OK as a rookie, but only in contrast to the erratic Marcus Mariota.
32
Sam Howell
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS QB
He flashed a big arm in a Week 18 start, and the Commanders seem to like the gutsy mentality they also sought with Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke. But the 2022 fifth-rounder is wholly unproven otherwise.

[LakecrestSteeler]

I will bet KP8 moves up the list significantly by end of the season!

[Pabst]

I'm reminded of this: https://www.theonion.com/furious-bleach ... 1819574287

[Pabst]

Also, LOL at this:

6
Aaron Rodgers
NEW YORK JETS QB
Going on 40, Rodgers is getting the Tom Brady bump in anticipation of a revival after relocation. He's still one of the smartest, savviest, crispest throwers in the NFL, and now he's got a more well-rounded lineup than he had with the Packers.

13
Jared Goff
DETROIT LIONS QB
Lions fans have gone from lamenting him as an afterthought of the 2021 Matthew Stafford trade to defending him like the second coming of Stafford. When all is well around him, he can still throw a beauty. But the off-script limitations remain.

Goff was better across the board in every single stat category last season. His team had a better overall record, and he beat Rogers head-to-head twice. Goff is also 11 years younger. On what planet can you justify putting Rodgers 7 spots higher?

[Mick]

Entertaining that Purdy is ranked as the #4 QB in the NFC a handful of starts into his career.

Fun stat, at end of season PFF had charted Purdy as successfully throwing a total of 3 Big Time throws (high difficulty) in his entire NFL career. Pickett was charted successfully throwing 18 in approximately twice the playing time.

[Stosh-67]

Its only a list...........
Not to comforting to see that 7 of top 8 QBs on this list are in the AFC....with 3 in our division.
And 8 of top 10 in AFC as well.

[Stosh-67]

“I don’t give a shit if you’re tired. Rank the goddamn top 10 fingers on Tom Brady’s hands if you have to

Thats funny...

Not very difficult lists to make....or much pressure in your results.

Not like your list is going to fail, causing a building to collapse or car to accelerate into a wall or crowd.

[SteelerDayTrader]

Id put Geno at 11 and KP at 12….maybe slightly higher……but a lot does remain to be seen

Kenny is limited. He does seem to embrace it and work hard tho. Phil Simms won a Super Bowl

[anpsteel]

When I saw this list the other day, I thought, man, the bar to become a sports / NFL writer is really low


I am not really sure what this person is basing these rankings on, but it certainly isn’t logic or actually watching them perform

[Pabst]

I know this is beside the point, but since I brought up bleacher report, this is a real article from a real hockey writer on that website aruging that Sidney Crosby is not an all time great player:

Supporting Cast Helps
4 of 5

When you look at the Hall of Fame and see the likes of Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe, do you remember any of their teammates who were relevant? NO.

With Crosby his only year in which he didnt have a good team around him was his rookie season in 2005, in which the Penguins had the worst record in the NHL. I don't want to hear that he is the star player on a horrible team now. You look at the Penguins without Crosby, and they are still an Eastern Conference contender.

Looking at the 2011 roster, you got superstars like Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Kris LeTang, Brooks Orpik, Chris Kunitz and Marc-Andre Fleury. On any other team, those players on the main guys (except for the Detroit Red Wings).

So if Crosby is so great, why could he not win without these players his rookie season? If he was so great and a future Hall of Famer, then why did he lead his team without these players to the worst record in the NHL in 2005?

Seems to me as if he is not so great....

Paul Coffey? Mark Messier? Grant Fuhr? Jari Kurri? Glenn Anderson? Never heard of them. GIve me "superstars" like Brooks Orpik, Jordan Staal, and Chris Kunitz

As an FYI to non-hockey fans, pretty much the only argument against Gretzky being the GOAT was the fact that his teams were so loaded with talent.

[955876]

I love how all the unproven never taken a snap in the NFL before rookies magically leapfrogged KP too.

I think KP is going to have a good year and be just fine.

Provided Jibbs and Canada don’t fuck it up with bottom of the barrel scheme & play calling

[Pabst]

I love how all the unproven never taken a snap in the NFL before rookies magically leapfrogged KP too.

Hell, Anthony Richardson is the #3 QB on his own team

[Jobu]

I know this is beside the point, but since I brought up bleacher report, this is a real article from a real hockey writer on that website aruging that Sidney Crosby is not an all time great player:

Supporting Cast Helps
4 of 5

When you look at the Hall of Fame and see the likes of Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe, do you remember any of their teammates who were relevant? NO.

With Crosby his only year in which he didnt have a good team around him was his rookie season in 2005, in which the Penguins had the worst record in the NHL. I don't want to hear that he is the star player on a horrible team now. You look at the Penguins without Crosby, and they are still an Eastern Conference contender.

Looking at the 2011 roster, you got superstars like Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Kris LeTang, Brooks Orpik, Chris Kunitz and Marc-Andre Fleury. On any other team, those players on the main guys (except for the Detroit Red Wings).

So if Crosby is so great, why could he not win without these players his rookie season? If he was so great and a future Hall of Famer, then why did he lead his team without these players to the worst record in the NHL in 2005?

Seems to me as if he is not so great....

Paul Coffey? Mark Messier? Grant Fuhr? Jari Kurri? Glenn Anderson? Never heard of them. GIve me "superstars" like Brooks Orpik, Jordan Staal, and Chris Kunitz

As an FYI to non-hockey fans, pretty much the only argument against Gretzky being the GOAT was the fact that his teams were so loaded with talent.

Is that article supposed to be parody? If not, I can honestly say that it is the stupidest thing I’ve ever read!

[Pabst]

Is that article supposed to be parody? If not, I can honestly say that it is the stupidest thing I’ve ever read!

Oh, it's worse than you think. Here it is in all its glory: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/988 ... f-all-time

The TL;DR version:
1. He's injury prone (fair, I guess)
2. Lack of playoff success (only 2 Stanley Cup appearances, and 1 championship....at age 24)
3. Not all of his 215 career goals were based on him making a spectacular move around the goalie (yes, this is literally an argument he put forth)
4. Carried by a talented supporting cast (see earlier post)
5. Over-Hyped by the media. He then goes on to argue that Ovechkin is the best in the league...you know, the guy with zero Conference Final appearances in his career (at that time) when he just got done saying Sid lacked postseason success. Figure that one out

[Kodiak.]

Provided Jibbs and Canada don’t fuck it up with bottom of the barrel scheme & play calling

You say this as if it's not already a foregone conclusion.

I think Kenny will have a mixed year, and we'll all be scratching our head wondering how much better he'll be with a real OC, and whether there's enough talent around him.

[LakecrestSteeler]

I'm reminded of this: https://www.theonion.com/furious-bleach ... 1819574287

So true for some of these sites….most sites!

[955876]

I’m being cautiously optimistic they expand the offense now that they have added the pieces they’ve added.

If we get another year of opposing players laughing at how JV we are and Canada isn’t shitcanned with Jibbs seat also being lit on fire I’ll bitch then.

I think we open things up some.

Hoping a better word.

[franco32]

This list is funny. Someone should post it on KP's locker.

[K_C_]

Kenny will be fine.

I just hope we have enough at WR. I don't trust Diontae Johnson to improve one iota.

[Jobu]

I’m being cautiously optimistic they expand the offense now that they have added the pieces they’ve added.

If we get another year of opposing players laughing at how JV we are and Canada isn’t shitcanned with Jibbs seat also being lit on fire I’ll bitch then.

I think we open things up some.

Hoping a better word.

I wouldn’t count on it…
https://steelersdepot.com/2023/05/andy- ... her-teams/

[Mick]

This list is funny. Someone should post it on KP's locker.

not to be all “who the hell is mel kiper”, but who is cody benjamin? I tried to look him up on wikipedia and he doesn’t have an entry.

[Kodiak.]

I wouldn’t count on it…
https://steelersdepot.com/2023/05/andy- ... her-teams/

It's not the worst approach, now that we have arguably very average talent. Perfect approach if the goal is to be in the hunt for .500.

Mediocrity will continue to be the standard until we get something worse than mediocre. Unless Kenny magically morphs into a future HOFer, I have a really tough time getting excited by Mike Tomlin's Steelers.

[K_C_]

I wouldn’t count on it…
https://steelersdepot.com/2023/05/andy- ... her-teams/

It's not the worst approach, now that we have arguably very average talent. Perfect approach if the goal is to be in the hunt for .500.

Mediocrity will continue to be the standard until we get something worse than mediocre. Unless Kenny magically morphs into a future HOFer, I have a really tough time getting excited by Mike Tomlin's Steelers.

I don’t think Kenny needs to become an all time great for us to contend. He could end up great, but we obvious don’t know what the future lies for Pickett. The last quarter of the season should have everyone optimistic because the kid fought through a lot of adversity and played well.

The approach to offense I’m seeing looks a lot like what the 49ers are doing to me and that team came within a cunt hair of a Super Bowl with a rookie Mr Irrelevant under center last season.

This season the front office fixed the o-line. Added Philly’s best young guard and possibly a franchise LT. Added a TE who has the ability to possibly be both an extra tackle and a monster receiver, especially in the red zone.

We have beyond solid RB’s. Let’s see them behind this new o-line. There is talent at WR. If Diontae Johnson can put it together, I believe we could make a deep playoff run.

Either way, next season they put 80% of the draft into reinforcing the defense and finding Kenny 1 more stud receiver.

I think there’s a ton of room for optimism.

[fractalsteel]

Is that article supposed to be parody? If not, I can honestly say that it is the stupidest thing I’ve ever read!

Oh, it's worse than you think. Here it is in all its glory: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/988 ... f-all-time

The TL;DR version:
1. He's injury prone (fair, I guess)
2. Lack of playoff success (only 2 Stanley Cup appearances, and 1 championship....at age 24)
3. Not all of his 215 career goals were based on him making a spectacular move around the goalie (yes, this is literally an argument he put forth)
4. Carried by a talented supporting cast (see earlier post)
5. Over-Hyped by the media. He then goes on to argue that Ovechkin is the best in the league...you know, the guy with zero Conference Final appearances in his career (at that time) when he just got done saying Sid lacked postseason success. Figure that one out

And he said that Brooks Orpik is a superstar.

Pure Sid hate.
And I'm reminded that ten years ago Mike Milbury said the Ovechkin was the greatest player in NHL history.

Anyway, back to the topic, I have to see a change in Tomlin's offensive philosophy this coming season and on a consistent basis before I buy into this notion that things are changing on offense. We all know he will continue to run the dinosaur offense with maybe a few new wrinkles.

[Kodiak.]

I don’t think Kenny needs to become an all time great for us to contend.

We were a contender, maybe 1-2 years, with an all-time great on the backhalf of his career.

Tomlin just isn't willing to take the swings and risks to be great, nor put in the work. .500 is clearly good enough, and that's pretty clearly his goal.

[K_C_]

I don’t think Kenny needs to become an all time great for us to contend.

We were a contender, maybe 1-2 years, with an all-time great on the backhalf of his career.

Tomlin just isn't willing to take the swings and risks to be great, nor put in the work. .500 is clearly good enough, and that's pretty clearly his goal.

The AFC has improved a lot in the last few years. A lot. Just look at our division. Lamar is happy and will play injured. They gave him OBJ and Zay Flowers (my favorite receiver in the draft). He already has the best TE in the division. Thankfully Bill Cosby Jr in Cleveland may have more legal issues coming down the pike because he's one hellvua a QB when he's not looking at doing time. Joe Burrow has 2 superstar WR's and has his team as the second best in the AFC.

I believe Kenny has a lot of Burrow in him. They can distribute the ball accurately and can also use their legs to pick up valuable yardage/first downs.

Burrow has better weapons. The Steelers should be able to protect Kenny better and run the ball better. They could be very dangerous. Pickett will not be scared shitless. He has momentum coming off some good performances late. It's going to come down to our weapons playing up to their capabilities and if the defense can hold up.

There is a lot of room for optimism and the offense should be a lot better. A lot more explosive.

[955876]

I’m being cautiously optimistic they expand the offense now that they have added the pieces they’ve added.

If we get another year of opposing players laughing at how JV we are and Canada isn’t shitcanned with Jibbs seat also being lit on fire I’ll bitch then.

I think we open things up some.

Hoping a better word.

I wouldn’t count on it…
https://steelersdepot.com/2023/05/andy- ... her-teams/

Run strong throw long. Or we can hope.

I just think we will do a better job of pushing the ball downfield a bit more.

Now I said a bit…

[Orangesteel]

Is Kenny going to be fine? I keep reading that. Does fine beat all those QBs in the AFC? I’m rooting for the kid but he’s got a loooooooooong way to go.

[jewelsongs]

When Ben was a rookie, he wasn't the best QB in the league. We had a great defense and ran the ball really well. Ken doesn't have to be the best QB in the league. He has to manage the game, just like Ben did. Who ever ranked the QBs at CBS Sports is an idiot.

[Dan Smith--BYU]

Time for Peezy to give him the pissed off QB speech.