NFL players bafflingly rank mediocre QB over Chargers' Justin Herbert

It has been clear since the moment he stepped on the field with a 15-minute notice in Week 2 of the 2020 season that Justin Herbert is special. The LA Chargers hit the jackpot with Herbert, who is absolutely good enough to give the team multiple shots at winning a Super Bowl.

It is hard to deny Herbert as one of the best quarterbacks in the entire league but after a disappointing 2023 season, many are questioning whether or not Herbert is elite. Even though Herbert turned in multiple masterpieces last season, the Chargers going 5-12 and Herbert missing time with injury has hurt his stock.

As a result, Herbert tumbled down the NFL 100 rankings and was ranked No. 75 by his peers in the league. That alone is slightly disrespectful to Herbert but it is made even worse when you consider who Herbert's peers ranked so far ahead of him in the top 100.

Tua Tagovailoa ranked 39 spots higher than Chargers' Justin Herbert

Who watches both Justin Herbert and Tua Tagovailoa and comes away with the conclusion that the latter is the better quarterback? Not only was Tua ranked above Herbert, but he was not even ranked in the same ballpark as the Chargers' signal-caller.

This is a classic example of how team success can sway public opinion, even to those who play in the league. The Miami Dolphins have been more successful than the Chargers in the last two years in large part due to a massive coaching advantage and skill positions galore on the offensive side of the ball.

If the Dolphins would have drafted Herbert over Tua and he was in the same situation as the former Alabama QB then his numbers would be through the moon. Heck, there is a decent chance Herbert would have an MVP award under his belt if he was gifted the same situation Tua has been gifted the last two years.

On the contrary, Tua has not proven he can be someone who takes over and wins games. Whenever the Dolphins have needed him to be the one to deliver, he has fallen short. That is all Herbert has had to do with the Chargers and if Tua was on the Bolts he would not even be in the NFL 100 to begin with.

There is no world in which Tagovailoa is a more talented quarterback than Herbert but alas, team success matters in the eyes of NFL players. That also explains why Jordan Love ranks above both Herbert and Tagovailoa after putting together half a great season and a surprising playoff win over the Dallas Cowboys.

With no disrespect to Love, he has not done nearly enough in the league yet to rank miles ahead of the Chargers' quarterback but recency bias is a very real thing in the NFL. Herbert will remind everyone of how wrong they are with a new coaching staff in place in 2024.

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