How does Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow stack up against the other 31 signal-callers in the NFL?
This year, more than any other, we saw just how vital a quarterback was to the success and capability of their team.
If a team doesn’t have an elite-level quarterback, it’s going to be hard to win in this league, especially with all of the young talents that are growing at the position—making it far more crucial to find that guy, whether it be in the draft or free agency that can compete at the highest level and lead their team to a Championship.
With the Bengals’ season wrapped up and now a long offseason on the horizon, I took the time to rank all 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL from the 2021 season. Where do I have Burrow ranked? Read on to find out!
32. Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers
When Sam Darnold was selected out of USC by the Jets No. 3 overall, he had some mechanical issues on display, but the upside with his arm talent and mobility in and around the pocket drew interest from teams across the board. He struggled in New York, but many thought that was just the classic Jets as the problem.
Eventually, after being traded to the Panthers, he won the starting job in camp and looked like the scouts envisioned him to look like at the start of the year but that didn’t last long. Through Darnolds’ short career so far, he has 50 touchdowns, 39 interceptions, and 20 fumbles.
His turnover problem is his most significant issue, but the accuracy that he had in college was lacking under Matt Rhule this year, and the confidence from this 24-year-old is non-existent.
31. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Though Jared Goff’s first two years as a full-time starter in the league showed a lot of promise, he eventually was too much for the Rams to overcome. They sent him to Detroit in exchange for Matthew Stafford, who fans are all too familiar with, unfortunately.
One could say part of the struggle with Goff’s play falls on the Lions and his surrounding cast, but we’ve seen quarterbacks do more with less at times, so that excuse can only be used so much. Going into this new season, Goff’s ranking is accurate. It could be a little higher, but the upside of some of the younger quarterbacks led me to position them above the California product.