Month: July 2020

https://theathletic.com/1945894/2020/07/27/2020-quarterback-tiers-50-coaches-and-evaluators-rank-the-nfl-starters/

Behind a pay wall… summary below:

Methodology: “Fifty NFL coaches and evaluators rated 35 veteran quarterbacks this year while providing candid evaluations that appear in the analysis below. The process was simple. Coaches and evaluators placed each quarterback in one of five tiers, from best (Tier 1) to worst (Tier 5). Once ballots were collected, results were averaged to create a ranking. Our unanimous Tier 1 choices averaged 1.00, while the lowest-rated player averaged 4.30. Quarterbacks fell into the tiers in which they received the most votes.

The survey excludes rookies. We included two quarterbacks for New England, Chicago, Washington and Las Vegas because those teams’ situations are interesting and/or it’s plausible to think more than one veteran could start for various reasons. Enough preamble. Let’s talk quarterbacks!”

Rankings (TBD this is the most objective list I’ve seen):

1. Tie: Wilson & Mahomes
2. Tie (see above)
3. Rodgers
4. Brees
5. Watson
6. Brady (Tier 2)
7. Jackson
8. Roethlisberger
9. Stafford
10. Ryan
11. Wentz
12. Prescott
13. Rivers
14. Murray (Tier 3)
15. Cousins
16. Goff
17. Garoppolo
18. Tan-Marino
19. Newton
20. Carr
21. Mayfield
22. Josh Allen
23. Bridgewater
24. Darnold
25. Daniel Jones
26. Foles
27. Mariota (Tier 4)
28. Fitzmagic
29. Tyrod Taylor
30. Drew Lock
31. Gardner Minshew
32. Trubisky

The list goes on but I cut off here.

Watson Summary:

Tier 1 votes: 28 | Tier 2 votes: 22 | 2019 Tier: 2

The average tier vote for Watson improved from 2.27 last year to 1.44 this year, the second-largest improvement in the survey. Only the Ravens’ Jackson made a larger jump. Voters thought Watson lagged behind the other Tier 1 quarterbacks in the finer points of the dropback passing game, but their respect for his ability to drive success with relatively little perceived support proved compelling, amid fears Watson could suffer from DeAndre Hopkins’ departure.

“The Buffalo game won me over,” an exec said of the Texans’ comeback from a 16-0 deficit to beat the Bills in the playoffs. “Watson gets everyone to believe in the face of certain peril. He makes the plays he needs to. This year will be a good test for him with a new cast.”

Led by Watson, the 2019 Texans were the only team to finish .500 or better while ranking 20th or lower in defensive EPA. Houston was 10-6.

“I look at the way the team wins,” a personnel director said. “Is it true complementary ball? Is it heavy run game? Does the quarterback rely on play-action? Is it stingy defense that allows them to have additional possessions? And then look at their supporting cast. When I think of the ones, I can put you into any roster and I know you are going to have a high level of success. I think with Deshaun Watson, there is a lot of, he wins in spite of his cast.”