Tier 8: Young quarterbacks that the jury is still deciding on
- 30. Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons
- 29. Sam Howell, Washington Commanders
- 28. Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
- 27. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
- 26. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
- 25. Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers
- 24. Mac Jones, New England Patriots
- 23. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
- 22. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
The eighth tier might be the second-lowest tier in our quarterback rankings but it makes up the most signal-callers. There are a lot of quarterbacks in the league who are either entering a prove-it year or are just barely getting into the league and have to establish themselves.
The young quarterbacks entering a prove-it year are Desmond Ridder, Sam Howell, Jordan Love and Mac Jones. Each of the four quarterbacks is in different phases of their development and has various leashes in terms of how much patience their respective teams will have.
Ridder and Howell won't get another chance to start if they stink up the place in 2023 as they did not have the pre-established value behind their name. Love is finally getting a chance to start and doesn't get a year or two to develop. Jones was mediocre last season and needs to improve.
The rookies making up the 2023 draft class include Anthony Richardson, C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young. Young was the No. 1 overall pick, so he naturally ranks higher than his rookie counterparts.
Kenny Pickett and Brock Purdy are in their own situations. Pickett doesn't have to be amazing in his sophomore season to keep the job but it is not totally a prove-it year. As long as he isn't actively losing the Steelers games, he will get at least one more year as a starter.
Purdy almost has to prove that his run last season was for real. What he did in 2022 was miraculous but most NFL pundits gave more credit to head coach Kyle Shanahan. Was Purdy a flash in the pan? Or can he recover from his Tommy John surgery?