By: Andy Davies

The AFC South has been won by the Tennessee Titans, but the addition of Matt Ryan by the Indianapolis Colts and the loss of A.J. Brown for the Titans means the division is as usual, very wide open.

Since 2013, all four teams in the AFC South have won the division. However, who has the best quarterback?

In our final quarterback ranking list, here are your AFC South quarterback rankings.

1. Matt Ryan (Indianapolis Colts)

The only MVP winner in this list, Ryan joined the Colts this offseason after over ten years with the Atlanta Falcons.

In 2021, he still managed to throw for 3,968 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.  Unless injury strikes, Ryan will reach the 60,000 career passing yards mark, currently being 265 away. Only seven players have previously reached the 60,000 mark and Ryan , who is currently eighth on the list for most career passing yards, can eclipse Phillip Rivers into sixth place on the list should he throw at least 3,705 yards or more.

A really good season, where he throws at least 33 touchdowns will also allow Ryan to reach 400 career passing touchdowns. He would become just the eighth player in NFL history to reach the 60,000

Whilst he showed signs of ageing last season, he still makes it as the best quarterback in this list, in what is a bad bunch.

2. Ryan Tannehill (Tennessee Titans)

Tannehill was an eighth overall pick in 2013, when he was selected by the Miami Dolphins. However, injuries and inconsistent play (as well as bad coaching) saw him eventually traded to the Titans in 2018.

He came in for Marcus Mariota mid-season and ended up winning Comeback Player of the Year. Over the course of his career, he has thrown for over 30,000 passing yards, 199 touchdowns and 102 interceptions. Despite this, he has shown signs of decline in the past twelve months. 

In 2021, he threw for 3,734 touchdowns, 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. This is a stark contrast to the 33 touchdowns and 7 interceptions he threw in 2022.

His position as the Titans’ starter is also in question, with the team choosing to draft Liberty QB Malik Willis in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He showed his potential in Thursday night’s preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, completing 6 of his 11 passes for 107 yards  as well as a 7-yard touchdown run.

Tannehill has proved to be a good quarterback for Tennessee, excelling in particular when using RPO plays. However, he has yet to prove he can be the guy to take the Titans to the next level. 

This was proved in their Divisional Round when the number one seed Titans lost to the Cincinnati Bengals, despite Joe Burrow being sacked nine times. Tannehill threw three costly interceptions, and his future has been questioned ever since.

Despite having running back Derrick Henry and a brilliant head coach in Mike Vrabel, the loss of A.J. Brown could end up being the final nail in the Ryan Tannehill Titans coffin.

3. Davis Mills (Houston Texans)

Houston could be a realistic destination for Tannehill should the team decide they don’t want to pursue long term with their current starter Davis Mills. 

Mills was drafted 67^th overall out of Stanford and actually had a solid first NFL season in 2021. He was arguably the second-best rookie quarterback in a class that albeit did not exactly light up the league. In 13 games, he threw for 2,665 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. 

These are neither outstanding nor terrible stats. He did a solid job in a season of turmoil, with everything that went on off the field. 

Solid is exactly why Mills is third on this list. He wasn’t terrible but also hasn’t quite done enough to break into the top two.

4. Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars)

The 2021 first overall pick had a torrid rookie year but is now free from a dysfunctional Urban Meyer. He threw for 3,641 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions.

However, he can no longer use the Meyer excuse with new head coach Doug Pederson. Should Lawrence have another bad year, there will be more and more usage of the word “bust”. 

Right now, it is hard to put him anywhere but the bottom of this list. Despite this, should he fulfill the potential that we all saw in Clemson, then he will certainly be a lot higher than fourth.

The post Ranking the AFC South Quarterbacks right now appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

What are the long term implications?

Daniel Racz @Danny___Dimes 

Introduction

In an era where elite wide receivers can’t stay out of the news and spend their careers across multiple teams, Julio Jones’ tenure with the Falcons feels like an anomaly. Julio came out of Alabama and the Falcons selected him sixth overall in the 2011 draft. For a decade, Julio was a premier wide receiver with the Falcons. Julio totaled 12,896 yards, 848 receptions, and 60 touchdowns in Atlanta. His magnificent career will undoubtedly put him in the hall of fame, but his story is not done yet.

Rumors regarding Julio wanting out of Atlanta were present for the entire offseason, but they picked up after the draft. During a call between Shannon Sharpe and Julio Jones, Julio expressed his desire to play for a competitive team and his displeasure with staying with the Atlanta Falcons for the 2021 season. So, the Titans jumped in. General Manager Jon Robinson offered a second-round pick and a fourth-round pick for Julio Jones and a sixth-round pick. The compensation for a 32-year-old Julio Jones is similar to the capital that the Arizona Cardinals moved for Deandre Hopkins. 

Though Tennessee had to give up valuable draft picks to acquire Julio, they are undoubtedly a winner of the trade. Atlanta received somewhat fair compensation, but they mishandled the situation and should have drafted knowing they would be entering a rebuild. 

Winners

Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans were always a frontrunner for acquiring Julio’s services because they lacked weapons after a quiet offseason. Besides A.J Brown, the Titans weapons depth chart consisted of Dez Fitzpatrick, Anthony Firkser, and Josh Reynolds. Despite their questionable group of playmakers, the rest of the Titans’ roster is in competitive shape. The offensive line features the addition of rookie Dillon Radunz and a healthy Taylor Lewan. The defense added rookie corners Caleb Farley and Elijah Molden and signed edge rusher Bud Dupree.  The Titans had a below-average defense in 2020, but their new additions will likely bring them close to league average.

A team with a mediocre defense can only make a super bowl run with an electric offense, hence why Tennessee felt they needed to add Julio. The Titans have Ryan Tannehill on a relatively cost-effective deal, so they have the money to take on Julio’s salary (an average of 13.8 million dollars over 3 seasons.) 

Julio is still a premier wide receiver in the league. Last season, Jones averaged 2.70 yards per route run, per player profiler, good for 3rd in the league. Julio also ranked third in average depth of target and 7th in QB rating when targeted. If Julio is even 85 percent of his Atlanta self with the Titans, this acquisition is a homerun.

Fringe NFC Contenders

Julio Jones is now out of the NFC, and every team that did not attempt to trade for Julio is ecstatic. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that he would have loved to acquire Julio, but the next best destination is the AFC. Teams in the NFC have one less top wide receiver to gameplan around.

The biggest NFC winner is likely the Saints, as they would have played the Falcons twice. With suspect cornerback depth behind Marshon Lattimore, but during their bouts with the Falcons, they will not have to focus on Julio anymore. The Saints should be expected to defeat the Falcons twice during the season, giving them a chance at a wildcard spot. The Giants, 49ers, Football Team, and Cowboys all also may be more likely to make the playoffs after the Julio move, as all those teams play the Falcons in 2021. 

Losers

Atlanta Falcons

If I am only evaluating the Titans and Falcons deal involving Julio Jones, there is no clear loser. An aging, veteran wide receiver does not often go for a first-round pick. However, the circumstances surrounding the deal make Atlanta feel like they mishandled Julio. 

Every report suggests that new General Manager Terry Fontenot and Head Coach Arthur Smith were made aware of Julio’s trade request before the draft. The Falcons’ brain trust should have reevaluated their draft strategy and looked to deal Julio earlier. The main gripe with the Falcons’ handling of Jones stems from how they dealt with their quarterback position.

The Falcons re-structured Matt Ryan’s contract, making him virtually immovable for at least two seasons. The restructure signals that the Falcons are committed to competing in 2021. However, if the Falcons knew that Julio wanted out, which they did, they should not have made such an effort to win now. The Falcons then selected Kyle Pitts, a generational tight end/wide receiver hybrid with the fourth pick. The Falcons effectively drafted Julio’s replacement instead of Matt Ryan’s replacement in the first round. Justin Fields, the elite Ohio State passer, was still on the board with the fourth pick in the draft. If Fields makes even one pro bowl during his career, he will likely have a far greater impact on his team than Kyle Pitts could ever make. If the Falcons were intent on dealing Julio Jones, they should have kept Ryan’s contract, drafted Justin Fields, and cut Ryan after the 2021 season. 

Indianapolis Colts

An under-the-radar loser of the Julio Jones deal is the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts have a thin wide receiver room, so not acquiring Julio is already a missed opportunity. Julio landing within the Colts’ division with the Titans is even worse for Indianapolis. The Colts now are tasked with facing the trio of A.J. Brown, Derrick Henry, and Julio Jones twice during the season. If the Colts want to win the division, they will have to see a much-improved Carson Wentz. 

The Carson Wentz trade that the Colts made before the draft further complicates their situation. The Colts owe their first-round selection to the Eagles if Wentz plays 75 percent of the offensive snaps, or 70 percent of the snaps, and the Colts clinch a playoff berth. There is a likely scenario where the Colts will be forced to play Wentz until the end of the season to make the playoffs, but the team ultimately falls short. If this is the case, the Colts will be without a playoff berth and first-round draft selection, setting their franchise back. 

The post Who won the Julio Jones trade? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.