Broncos' Russell Wilson Listed as NFL's No. 8 Ranked QB per ESPN
We're smack-dab in the deepest, darkest stretch on the NFL calendar. That six-week gap between the end of the Denver Broncos' offseason training program and the beginning of training camp.
Players use this final month-and-a-half to enjoy a little rest and recovery before the war of attrition begins in training camp. For fans and media, we have to get a little more creative in finding topics to write and talk about.
One easy offseason go-to is the ubiquitous NFL list. You know, the top-10 players at this position, or that position, or the top-5 teams in each conference, or — you get my point. When it comes to analysis, just like beauty, perception is in the eye of the beholder, which is why I typically take any media list with the smallest grain of salt.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, though, is a very good football thinker whose analysis is typically worth more than the run-of-the-mill list-lovers the NFL world over and after polling 50 or so NFL execs, coaches, and players, a top-10 list of players at each position was constructed. Russell Wilson checked in at... No. 8.
8. Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos
Highest ranking: 4 | Lowest ranking: Out of top 10
Age: 33 | Last year's ranking: 4
He hasn't had a great 18 months on the field, to be sure. The Let Russ Cook movement of 2020 provided fireworks in the first half of the season but just 203.2 passing yards per game over the final seven games as defenses adjusted to his deep ball. Then in 2021, Wilson posted a 54.7 QBR, the lowest of his career, though a finger injury that required in-season surgery clearly affected his production. He was missing layups, the easy throws he'd always hit.
But then there's this: His absolute worst is still better than most, with 65 touchdowns to 19 interceptions over his past two seasons. His 7.8 yards per attempt last year ranked fifth overall.
To fully appreciate the placement of Russell on this list, it's important to know who's ahead of him. Because it's an ESPN+ article, I won't regurgitate it verbatim but surprise, surprise, it features names like Rodgers and Brady.
Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes and Los Angeles' Justin Herbert are both ranked higher than Wilson on Fowler's list. It's a meh from me.
You can make an argument for either player deserving to be ranked higher than Wilson and I'll hear you out. Mahomes is close to unassailable but when it comes to Herbert, outside of the statistical production, he's yet to move the needle for his team in the standings, which sets him apart from every other quarterback on ESPN's top-10.
Herbert is the only QB listed who is yet to lead his team to the playoffs, though he only has two seasons under his belt. Meanwhile, in Wilson's 10 NFL seasons, his teams have missed the playoffs a grand total of twice.
You see where I'm going. Thomas Hall's analytical breakdown of NFL quarterbacks since 1964, when adjusted for era, reveals the football reality that Wilson is a top-5 quarterback. He's elite.
Not to pick gnat excrement out of pepper, but seeing the names listed above Wilson on this list, unfortunately, diminishes the veracity of it as a whole. Still, Fowler's reporting mined a couple of salient quotes from in-league sources that are worth hearing.
"I think you'll see a rejuvenated Russ [with the Broncos]," an AFC personnel evaluator said. "They are tailoring things around him. He'll have more ownership of the offense and a good supporting cast. He will get his spot back."
Remember, Wilson was listed No. 4 on ESPN's 2021 list, so that explains getting "his spot back." Indeed, Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett is building around Wilson. It all trickles down and flows from the Wilson-centric offense.
Fowler also talked to an NFC evaluator who said Wilson is holding onto the ball too long.
A veteran NFC personnel evaluator believes Wilson must improve in one key area that has resulted in 179 sacks over his past 62 games: "He's got to get rid of the ball quicker. He puts the offensive line in a tough position too often when there's an easy first read. He looks for the home run, and it hurts him."
Wilson loves the deep ball. His vertical accuracy is unimpeachable in the NFL but the offense Hackett is building around Wilson, unlike the systems of yore in Seattle, will not be so reliant on deep passing.
It's going to be fun to see how it all plays out. This offseason and all of its ju-ju and energy smacks of the 2012 Broncos when Peyton Manning arrived to usher in an unprecedented four-year reign of dominance.
Time will tell whether I'm right and Wilson goes on to see a similar career renaissance in the Mile High City.
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