Just two years after having one of the strongest groups of quarterbacks in a division ever, Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes are the only established veterans entering 2024.
Just two years ago, the AFC West was the number one division in the NFL when it came to the sheer talent it possessed at the quarterback position. That year in 2022, the Broncos were heading into year one with Russell Wilson and Derek Carr still donned the silver and black, on top of the Chargers and Chiefs having Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes. It seemed like this might have been the best crop of QBs in any single division in NFL history.
One would have never guessed that just two years later, half those names would be gone and we’d look back on the 2022 campaign with less-than-stellar memories.
Still, the AFC West is enters 2024 with another strong group. But this time, we’ve got some promising youngsters in Aidan O’Connell (Raiders) and Bo Nix (Broncos).
Eric Edholm of NFL.com went about ranking the NFL’s eight divisions by quarterback talent once again and the AFC West remains in the top half of the league, coming in at third behind the AFC North (first) and NFC North (second).
Here’s what he had to say about both the established veterans on the Chargers and Chiefs:
This division is tricky to rate because it features two established stars and two battles between young and bridge QBs. And just how much upside do those young quarterbacks have anyway? I ultimately slotted this group third, but thought long and hard about putting it both second and fourth.
Any division with Mahomes surely deserves a bump, especially after he just won his third Super Bowl title. It’s hard to imagine Herbert isn’t in better hands now with Jim Harbaugh as coach. In fact, it might be the kind of thing that turns a superior young talent into a consistent winner.
And here’s what he had to say about the stable of passers for the Broncos and Raiders:
“Stidham had a few eye-opening moments with the Raiders two seasons ago and earned his first QB win with the Broncos this past January, but he’s been a mixed bag overall and has fewer than 200 pass attempts since being drafted five years ago. There’s hope for Nix, and he might be in the best spot possible with Sean Payton, but it could take some time before Nix is a difference maker.
“Likewise, the Raiders’ QB situation only holds so much appeal right now. Minshew dragged the Colts to the precipice of the playoffs last year, and in 37 career starts, he’s been pretty solid statistically (62.6% completions, 59 TDs, 24 INTs). But there’s also a reason he’s on his fourth team in five years. O’Connell struggled badly in his first start, but settled in fairly well, putting up decent numbers in starting the final nine games: 61.5% completions, 1,905 passing yards, 11 passing TDs, five INTs and one fumble).
Oddly enough, the AFC East was ranked fourth behind the AFC West despite having at least three notable quarterbacks in Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, and Tua Tagovailoa. After those three, they have the combination of rookie Drake Maye and veteran Jacoby Brissett which seems like a better duo than either of what the Raiders and Broncos currently have, but I guess that’s just what having Mahomes and Herbert does for you.