Best Game: 20-27 for 250 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions. @ Chicago Bears.
(Stats courtesy of ESPN and Wikipedia)
What a season it was for Denver signal callers. Osweiler went from being almost unknown, to starting for the eventual Super Bowl winning team, to getting benched, to becoming a 37 million dollar man.
For all the notoriety Peyton got for his poor performance, Brock was better but not by much. That is to be expected, of course, for anybody coming off the bench for the first time. Being a starter in the NFL will have a learning curve for anybody, however, he showed decent enough prowess to achieve a 5-2 record. Everybody in the world knows that the games he won weren't because of him, but winning a game in the NFL is still an accomplishment. In the off-season, Osweiler got the most lucrative contract for a quarterback yet (Ryan Fitzpatrick pending).
There seems to be two possible outcomes of the Osweiler signing. One, the contract will prove to be one of the worst mistakes in the short history of the Texans, and Brock will simply never be able to live up to expectations. Or two, Osweiler will eventually cure all of the quarterback woes that Houston has had the past several years.
Next up, #24
Hint: One of the most consistently disrespected quarterbacks in the league.
Best Game: 36-45 for 356 yards, 3 touchdowns, 2 interceptions. vs New York Giants.
(Stats courtesy of ESPN and Wikipedia)
Before Cowboy fans get mad over this, the reason for his low placement is due to him being injured for most of the season.
With that said, him being on the list at all is because of his strong performances in the games he was in. He was the only Cowboy's quarterback to win multiple games as starter.
In the games that he won, he completed 72% of his completions for 778 yards (259.3 per game), threw 5 TDs, with 4 picks.
The future seems well defined for Romo, likely to start every game for Dallas that he is healthy for. However age and injury could catch up to him very quickly, so these next few years could be focused just as much on helping to develop a young signal caller to replace him as it would be about playing and winning games.
Best Game: 32-45 for 384 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception. @ Oakland Raiders.
(Stats courtesy of ESPN and Wikipedia)
Before people start getting too carried away with his low ranking, Flacco is primarily in this spot due to a season cut short by injury. However, a 14-12 TD-INT ratio is pedestrian at best.
However, with a roster almost completely depleted by injuries, Flacco's poor performance might be less of a negative reflection on him and more of a sign of an offense that just didn't have the personnel to work properly. Keep in mind that Baltimore lost their starting receiver, Steve Smith, halfway through the season. They also lost 4 Tight Ends to injuries. There is a good case that could be made that Flacco just ran out of decent targets.
The future of Flacco seems pretty clear, there is little doubt that Flacco is the franchise passer for Baltimore. And with the Ravens adding to their roster with key moves this off-season, as well as returning most of their injured starters from last year, Baltimore looks to be a competitive club. Which just might mean that Flacco could be put into position to make another dominant post-season run to another Lombardi trophy sometime in the near future.
Next up, #26
Hint: An established veteran with injury problems.
Best Game: 30-38 for 320 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception. @ New York Giants.
(Stats courtesy of ESPN and Wikipedia)
Sam Bradford has been heralded as one of the best unproven quarterbacks in the NFL for some time now. He had put up good numbers in the past, but injuries have kept him from fulfilling himself to the fullest.
With the Rams, Sam Bradford was considered to be the future at quarterback, but in a surprise trade in the madness of the Chip Kelly lead off-season for the Eagles, Bradford was sent east to Philadelphia.
He put up a respectable 3700+ yards, but his TD-INT ratio and QBR left much to be desired. This just proved what has been the conclusion of Brdaford for a couple years now, Bradford is a good quarterback with potential to be great, but struggles with consistency and remaining healthy.
The future of Bradford could hold many possibilities. He could very well become a dynamic play maker that leads Philadelphia (or any other team he winds up with) back into relevancy. However, there is a possibility that he suffers a career ending injury that cuts a potentially great career very short. Or even worse, he might simply never live up to expectations and end up one of the biggest busts in NFL history.
My guess, however, Bradford won't last in Philadelphia. After his contract expires, he will sign with a quarterback-needy team for more money than he is really worth. He will make strides in consistency, but injuries will likely remain a problem for Bradford that will haunt him through his career.
Brock Osweiler, Denver Broncos
Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens
Sam Bradford, Philadelphia Eagles