By: Andy Davies

The NFC West was considered the elite division in the NFL as little as a year ago but things have progressed since, despite having the current Super Bowl champions in the Los Angeles Rams. 

Russell Wilson is no longer in the division, and no one quite knows who will be the QB1 in San Francisco. 

But who is the divisions best quarterback? Here are the rankings of the NFC West quarterbacks from best to worst.

Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams)

What better place to start than with the QB1 of the Super Bowl Champions. Whilst Stafford was not the reason the Rams won Super Bowl 56 over the Cincinnati Bengals, with 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions, he was certainly the final piece of the jigsaw as the Rams hoisted the Lombardi Trophy for the first time since the 1999 season. 

The Rams were always contenders, making it all the way to Super Bowl 53, but there was always something missing at the quarterback position. Jared Goff did well but even he would admit he was probably not good enough to take the Rams where they needed.

He was traded to the Detroit Lions in exchange for Stafford and the rest is history. Stafford had reached the postseason on three previous occasions, but each time came up short at the first attempt. His lack of playoff wins was a factor pointed out by sceptics when he arrived but when the Rams made the playoffs, Stafford showed why the team gave up so much to get him. In four games, he threw for 1,188 yards, 9 touchdowns and 3 interceptions as well as having a 70% completion percentage (98 from 140).

In the regular season, Stafford also impressed. Only Tom Brady (43) threw for more touchdown passes (41), with Stafford throwing for the third-most passing yards (4,886). 

Stafford is clearly the choice for the number one spot on this list and it will take a lot for the other players in this list to catch him up.

Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals)

Murray’s future is unclear, with his fifth option exercised but no longer-term deal in place at time of writing. 

The 2019 first overall pick has shown signs of his potential but is yet to fulfil this on a consistent basis. In three seasons, he has thrown for 11,480 yards, 70 touchdowns and 34 interceptions, whilst also recording  1,786 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns. 

A trend of Murray’s career so far is starting off the season well but tailing off down the stretch. He will need a big year to convince the Cardinals front office that he is the player moving forward. Either way, he still remains second on this list.

Jimmy Garoppolo (San Francisco 49ers)

When the 49ers lost to the Rams in the NFC Championship game back in January, it was seen by many to be the end of Jimmy G in San Francisco. However, he is still on the team.

Having missed OTA’s due to rehab on his shoulder,  he has yet to be traded. Say what you want about Jimmy G, but he wins games. Simple as that. Whilst he has never been the reason for the 49ers winning games, he is a very serviceable quarterback. With uncertainty over Lance after reports of the organisation being underwhelmed, Garoppolo is the right guy to be under centre for the 49ers in week one. 

Drew Lock/Geno Smith (Seattle Seahawks)

Whether it is Lock or Smith, there is no way they aren’t at the bottom of this list. Lock has a great start to life in the NFL, when he started for the Denver Broncos towards the end of the 2019 season, his 2020 and 2021 campaigns flattered to deceive. Meanwhile, Smith has been a backup for most of his career. Neither of these quarterbacks, whoever starts against the Broncos in week one, are likely to inspire confidence from fans or the Seattle coaching staff. 

The post Ranking the NFC West Quarterbacks right now appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Written by: Benedetto Vitale – Twitter (@TalksVitale)

The quarterback buzz mill is in full swing and the latest victim is Russell Wilson. Due to recent reports of him voicing frustration about the Seattle Seahawks front office, it’s now speculated by some that Wilson would be open to leaving Seattle. He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league, as he finished 2020 with 4,212 passing yards and 40 touchdowns. 

The reason why Wilson voiced his opinion is due to the fact the front office has failed to acquire legitimate help on the offensive line. Wilson has been running for his life throughout most of his career. In the last three seasons, he’s been sacked a total of 146 times. 

If the Seahawks do dish Wilson away in a trade, they’re essentially saying they can’t find the help Wilson requires. They’ll put themselves in a much more difficult situation going this route. Instead of finding help on the offensive line, they’ll be hoping to land a QB to replace Wilson. A task easier said than done, but the front office can attempt to find someone via free agency, trade, or the NFL draft. Here are three potential QB replacements for the Seahawks. 

Dak Prescott Signs With Seattle?

One route the Seattle front office could go is signing Dak Prescott. He’s been one of the most under-appreciated quarterbacks in the league. He only played five games this year due to injury, but he went bonkers in that short period. He finished with 1,856 passing yards and nine touchdowns. 

This will be a difficult signing to pull off, as the Dallas Cowboys still have the right to re-sign Prescott to a long-term deal. Matt Johnson, a writer for Sportsnaught explains Prescott’s current contract situation. He states, “If an extension isn’t reached before the July 15 deadline, he’ll either hit free agency as a 28-year-old star quarterback or become the first player to be tagged three times.”

If Wilson leaves Seattle, this would be the best-case scenario for the Seahawks. Prescott is a top QB in the NFL and would allow for the Seahawks to continue playing at a high level without many bumps in the road. His ability to sling it downfield and spread the ball around to his receivers would keep the Seahawks competitive in a tough NFC West division.

The Seahawks Draft Mac Jones

Another direction the Seahawks could go is selecting a quarterback in the NFL draft. They don’t have a first-round selection this year, meaning Seattle may have to trade up to find a prospect to replace Wilson. Mac Jones would be the perfect candidate for the job, as he’s proven capable of playing well with a great cast around him. He finished 2020 at Alabama with 4,500 passing yards and 41 touchdowns. 

Jones has been receiving a lot of hype lately as the NFL draft approaches. He had an impressive senior year, which makes him a possible top QB prospect in the draft this year. With that said, it’s unclear when Jones will be drafted. 

An author for Pro Football Network, Ian Cummings explains Jones’ draft projection. He explains, saying, “For now, I see Jones as a solid mid-round quarterback, who will probably end up being a day two pick. With that being said, I could see an NFL team convincing themselves to pick him late in round one”¦”

This wouldn’t be the worst thing for Seattle. Jones seems ready for the pro level. With a supporting cast of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, giving Jones a great WR group to work with. 

Seattle Possibly Trades for Sam Darnold?

This may not be a QB Seahawks fans want to see as a possible option, as Sam Darnold hasn’t done anything to make people believe he can play in this league for a long time. He’s had spurts, but it hasn’t been consistent. In 2020 he was benched for Joe Flacco, but still managed 2,208 passing yards and nine touchdowns. 

It’s still uncertain whether or not Darnold is apart of the New York Jets’ future or not. With a new head coach, he may want to find a new QB he feels is better suitable for the job. In a Sports Illustrated article written by Michael Shapiro, the author explains, “New York isn’t ready to deal Darnold just yet, per Schefter. The Jets reportedly ”˜haven’t made any final and firm quarterback decisions’ and “all options are being explored.”

The upside to Darnold is that he’s still only 23 years old. He’s also never been given a chance in New York as the front office hasn’t built the roster to help him succeed. If he finds himself in Seattle, he’d have the best group around him since his days at USC. Also considering Pete Carroll plans to utilize the run more often next year, this could be a great new start for Sam Darnold.

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