The new ranking of the top 32 starting NFL QBs has Mac Jones far too low originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Mac Jones should already have enough motivation to enjoy a comeback for the New England Patriots in 2023, but if he wants/needs more bulletin board material he should print off a copy of CBS Sports’ latest ranking of 32 NFL starting quarterbacks and tape it to the inside of his locker at Gillette Stadium.
CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin ranked Jones 29th out of 32 starting quarterbacks. The only quarterbacks ranked lower than Jones were from #30 through #32 Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Desmond Ridder of the Atlanta Falcons, and Sam Howell of the Washington Commanders.
Here are a few notable quarterbacks who rank ahead of Jones:
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Stroud, Richardson and Young are all rookies. They’ve never played a single snap and neither player has a good supporting cast around them. Richardson completed just 53.8 percent of his passes for Florida last season.
Love has thrown 83 passes in 10 appearances over three seasons since his pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He’ll get the opportunity to start in 2023 when the post-Aaron Rodgers era begins in Green Bay, but he’s still quite an unknown.
Pickett showed some potential as a rookie for the Steelers last season, but he threw just seven touchdown passes with nine interceptions in 13 games — not very impressive.
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We could also discuss Ryan Tannehill vs Mac Jones. We know pretty well what Tannehill is at this point in his career. He’s a good but not great quarterback and not someone who will be the starter for a Super Bowl-winning team.
Did Jones have a bad season in 2022? Absolutely. He was hampered by an ankle injury that forced him to miss three games, but he also failed to live up to expectations when he was on the field. In fairness, the offensive coaching staff was a mess. This issue will likely be addressed with the hiring of Bill O’Brien as the new off-season offensive coordinator.
But Jones has shown as a rookie in 2021 that he’s a good quarterback with a lot of potential. In fact, it could be argued that Jones — who threw for 3,801 yards with 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions — was in the top 15 QB this season.
With a new OC and better weapons around him, Jones is a good choice to bounce back and have a strong 2023 campaign.
