LA Chargers midseason: Ranking Justin Herbert and all 32 quarterbacks
By Jason Reed
Where does LA Chargers rookie Justin Herbet stack up among all other starting quarterbacks?
Prior to the 2020 season, we ranked Tyrod Taylor among all 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL. Halfway through the season, Taylor is no longer the starting quarterback of the LA Chargers and instead, rookie quarterback Justin Herbert has been setting records.
Herbert has been great through seven games but is that enough to rank him highly among all other quarterbacks? To answer this question, just as we did before the season, the Bolt Beat staff got together and ranked all 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL.
The rankings provided below are the collective rankings. Each player will have their average ranking listed as well as their highest ranking. Let’s get into it.
32. Andy Dalton, Dallas Cowboys
- Average ranking: 31.29
- Highest ranking: 30
- Preseason ranking: N/A
Poor Andy Dalton. Dalton has only started one game for the Dallas Cowboys but it appears that he will return to starting duties once he is ready.
Regardless of who is starting for the Cowboys, they belong to be last on this list. Dallas has an extremely talented offense and while they are banged up in other areas as well, each of these quarterbacks has made this talented offense look… bad.
31. Sam Darnold, New York Jets
- Average ranking: 30.00
- Highest ranking: 29
- Preseason ranking: 28
Yes, Sam Darnold’s average ranking is 30th but he comes in at 31st, it will all make sense as we go along. Darnold’s future with the New York Jets is up in the air as the team is on a fast-track for Trevor Lawrence.
Darnold has potential, he has just been in a terrible situation with a terrible head coach. Some team like the Pittsburgh Steelers or Indianapolis Colts should take a chance on him.
30. Daniel Jones, New York Giants
- Average ranking: 29.57
- Highest ranking: 26
- Preseason ranking: 29
Everyone was shocked when the New York Giants selected Daniel Jones with the sixth-overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and Jones has lived up to the expectations that the doubters had. He has not been good in his NFL career.
Jones has wheels but he has a serious turnover problem. His supporting cast is not great but he cannot win games. Jones is 4-0 in his career against the Washington Football Team. He is 1-16 against every other team.
29. Nick Foles, Chicago Bears
- Average ranking: 28
- Highest ranking: 24
- Preseason ranking: N/A
Some of the Bolt Beat staffers ranked Nick Foles as the worst starting quarterback in the league and I cannot blame them. However, the Chicago Bears have a terrible offensive line and terrible head coach, so I give him some benefit of the doubt, personally.
Regardless, Foles finessed his way into a massive contract and is one of the most overpaid quarterbacks in the history of football. The Jacksonville Jaguars were not smart in signing him to that contract but were extremely smart in getting rid of it as soon as possible.
What’s worse is that the Bears opted to trade a fourth-round pick for someone who is not much better than Mitchell Trubisky.