NFL QB Rankings: Where Does Rams' Matthew Stafford Fit?

As he enters his third season with the Los Angeles Rams, is this a fair ranking for quarterbacks Matthew Stafford?

Ahead of the 2023 NFL season, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has been one of the most difficult players to try to project. 

On one hand, the Rams were the defending Super Bowl Champions at this time a year ago. On the other hand, Stafford is entering his 15th NFL season, his 14th was limited by injuries and there's been quite a talent drain in Los Angeles over the past two offseasons. 

And so, while Stafford still earned a respectable ranking, he did drop to No. 13 on our SI/FanNation 2023 rankings of the 32 projected starting quarterbacks: 

"Stafford was arguably too good of a solider in Detroit, wasting parts of 12 seasons with a poorly-run franchise before finally asking for a trade. Naturally, he helped guide the Rams to a Super Bowl title in his first season with the team.

"The former No. 1 overall pick's second season in Los Angeles was fairly disastrous, though, as two stints in concussion protocol limited him to just nine games. Head coach Sean McVay and former All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp are still in Los Angeles, but the team around Stafford -- as it typically was in Detroit -- doesn't look great. And you wonder if the beating he took in over a decade with the Lions has finally caught up with him physically at the age of 35."

For those interested, the top five on the list consisted of Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals, Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers and Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Among NFC West quarterbacks, Stafford was actually still the highest-rated player, topping Geno Smith of the Seattle Seahawks (No 16), Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers (No. 19), and Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals (No. 21). 

You can read the full countdown here, which includes in-depth breakdowns of all 32 projected starting quarterbacks. 

You can follow Tim Kelly on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @TimKellySports.

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