LA Chargers: Ranking Justin Herbert and all 32 starting quarterbacks in 2021
By Jason Reed
23. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
- Average ranking: 23.6
- Highest ranking: 22
LA Chargers are still ecstatic that the Miami Dolphins chose Tua Tagovailoa over Justin Herbert in the 2020 NFL Draft. There is no denying that Tua's stock was much higher at the time but after one year Justin Herbert has the big advantage.
It is still way too early to give up on Tua, though. His situation was not great last year and most rookie quarterbacks cannot succeed in bad situations. Justin Herbert simply isn't most rookie quarterbacks.
22. Mac Jones, New England Patriots
- Average ranking: 22.6
- Highest ranking: 20
Mac Jones appeared to be the odd man out among the first-round quarterbacks in 2021 but he has arguably been the most impressive of the bunch in the preseason. He has outright won the job from Cam Newton and all of the information coming out of camp has been great for him.
Jones is absolutely in the best situation of all the rookie quarterbacks (for 2021) so it would not be surprising if he shoots up this list and is the highest-ranking rookie after 2021.
21. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Washington Football Team
- Average ranking: 20.6
- Highest ranking: 20
Ryan Fitzpatrick was ranked between 20th and 22nd in all of the quarterback rankings, which is a fair indication of where he currently is. He is definitely better than what Washington had last season, which is what the team was looking for.
He is not going to play the team to the Super Bowl but he can pilot a playoff run and is going to have a lot of fun along the way.
20. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Average ranking: 19.4
- Highest ranking: 19
Four of the five lists ranked Big Ben 19th but because of the nature of these lists, he checks in as the 20th ranked quarterback heading into 2021. Big Ben is undoubtedly a Hall of Famer but his best days are behind him and he notably got worse as last season wore on.
How much does Big Ben really have left? This is likely his last season and quite frankly, this ranking seems to be the ceiling for him.