With quarterback rooms throughout the NFL set, what division has the best quarterbacks and which division has the worst? Where does the AFC South fall?
In today’s NFL, everyone cares about quarterback play. It’s all about which teams have the best quarterbacks, and what are those quarterbacks doing to help their teams win. Now that early free agency and the 2023 NFL Draft has happened, every teams’ QB room is pretty much set, so the analysis can begin.
Analysts have already started to look at the quarterback situations throughout the league, highlighting QB competitions, intriguing matchups on the schedule, and circumstances for rookie quarterbacks. Of course, there are also quarterback rankings. Who’s the best quarterback in the league and how are the others ranked?
Adam Schein took a different approach to the ranking in a recent piece for NFL.com. Instead of ranking quarterbacks, Schein ranked the eight NFL divisions by their quarterbacks. Ranking all eight, Schein argued which division had the best QBs and which division had the worst.
For the AFC South, the division of the Indianapolis Colts, it was understandably low. Schein ranked the AFC South as the No. 7 division based on quarterbacks.
AFC South ranked No. 7 division based on quarterbacks
This is somewhat of an improvement for the AFC South. The division with the Colts, Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, and Jacksonville Jaguars are usually ranked last in division rankings. This time, the AFC South is one spot higher.
Despite having the second-worst ranking, Schein was complimentary of the division, and admitted that he wanted to rank them higher. The reason Schein ultimately ranked the AFC South at No. 7 is because the division has “a pair of unproven rookies and a veteran I don't believe in.”
Trevor Lawrence for the Jaguars is stamped, and Schein is high on CJ Stroud of the Texans and Anthony Richardson of the Colts, however, they still have to prove themselves. Ryan Tannehill is the veteran that Schein doesn’t believe in. Considering all of the young quarterback talent in this division, they have a chance to make the AFC South one of the top QB divisions in the near future.
It will be interesting to watch Lawrence continue to ascend, and see if Stroud and Richardson can catch up to him and also become top quarterbacks in this league. The Titans’ QB room is the biggest mystery. How long will Tannehill start, and when he’s no longer the starter, will Malik Willis or Will Levis takeover? These are the quarterback storylines that will unfold over the next few years in the AFC South.