Who Is Best Quarterback in AFC East in 2020?
For a very long time, Tom Brady was always the best quarterback in the AFC East. It wasn't even a question. When ranking quarterbacks in the AFC East, the list started at number two.
Now, times are different and the race is a lot tighter. The presumed starters for each team are largely (if not entirely) unproven. With two quarterbacks entering their third season as a starter and two new faces, this list should certainly be interesting and spark much conversation. There are a lot of ways to rank a bunch of unproven quarterbacks and a lot will be based on projections and surrounding cast.
Without further ado, let's dive into the first AFC East quarterback ranking without Brady at the top.
Disclaimer: By not knowing for certain who both the New England Patriots' and Miami Dolphins' starting quarterbacks will be, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Hoyer (presumed backups) will be included on the list.
6. Brian Hoyer
At this point in his career, Hoyer is here due to his history with the Patriots. Hoyer knows the playbook well and can run the offense for a limited time being if an injury were to occur. Unless Jarrett Stidham is really not ready to handle the big stage, Hoyer will likely be wearing a hat on the sidelines instead of a helmet on the field come September. In all likelihood, that gap has widened a lot more since that time.
5. Ryan Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick is a timeless wonder. Last year, he ranked higher in DVOA than both Sam Darnold and Josh Allen. He also beat New England in spectacular fashion in Week 17, as I am sure most Patriot fans remember. However, he was also the starter on a five-win team and was replaced by Josh Rosen five times last season.
With the Dolphins selecting Tua Tagovailoa fifth overall in the 2020 Draft, they made it apparent that Fitzpatrick was by no means the answer. After a rough season where DeVante Parker scored almost half of Fitzpatrick’s touchdowns, it's hard to see him being a big contributor on a team that clearly doesn't view him as the answer.
4. Jarrett Stidham
It's so hard to project where Stidham will fall on this list. His future is so uncertain as there is very little tape to really understand his potential. He was a hard evaluation coming out of college as he had very little consistency from season to season. This was a big contributor to him falling into the fourth round in last year's draft. After a fine preseason, reports started to surface that Stidham was earning his stripes on the practice field in New England. Only the Patriots coaches truly know where Stidham is in his development.
That being said, even if it were safe to assume that Stidham's future is bright, it is impossible to expect him to blow up the NFL landscape. Stidham will be dealing with more or less the same supporting cast that Tom Brady struggled with last year. With aging veterans coming off injuries like Julian Edelman and Mohamed Sanu, along with unproven players like N'Keal Harry, Devin Asiasi, Dalton Keene, Damien Harris, Jakobi Meyers and more, so many things need to go right with his supporting cast to expect big things out of him.
3. Tua Tagovailoa
Tagovailoa is here for now. Barring injury, by the end of this season, he will likely be at the top of this list. Tagovailoa is so talented and will be a problem for New England and everyone else for many years to come. This is just based off his college projection and the traits he has. What brings him down to number three is the fact that he actually hasn't even been in the Miami facility yet. He is yet to throw to any of his receivers. While his future looks very bright and we seem to have much more optimism about him than Stidham, who knows what could actually happen upon his jump to the next level.
2. Josh Allen
Allen is number two, therefore you now know that J'Mar Smith is number one. That's a joke of course. Allen is more accomplished than the number one guy on this list in many ways, however, many of his accomplishments have a lot to do with a much better surrounding cast than the first guy. Allen is in a far better situation and puts the ball in danger a lot. Allen is a backyard-style quarterback with great legs, a strong arm, however, really struggles with accuracy. In fact, he is the exact opposite of what Bill Belichick looks for in a quarterback. While right now he is a more favorable option than Tagovailoa or Stidham, if he were in another division he would likely be ranked towards the bottom of the list, if not the very bottom.
1. Sam Darnold
Yes, Darnold puts the ball in danger just as much as Allen. But Darnold's supporting cast has been outrageously bad throughout his first two years. His coaching staff has failed to design plays and route combos to allow him to succeed, his offensive line ranked 31st last year, and he also had all three of his main receivers ranked outside the top 50 in the entire league, per Football Outsiders.
This is not a Sam Darnold to the Pro Bowl campaign. However, he is a better quarterback than his numbers would suggest. Also, when comparing him to Allen, it's close, because the jury is still out on both players. But since we are talking about who the best quarterback is, give Darnold a better supporting cast and his production will incre. Darnold's dangerous tendencies also flatten out more with a better supporting cast.
