Inside The Vikings

Kirk Cousins and the Wild World of QB Tier Rankings

Tier rankings are difficult, but Cousins comes in too low in Will Brinson's.
Will Ragatz|
Kirk Cousins and the Wild World of QB Tier Rankings
Kirk Cousins and the Wild World of QB Tier Rankings

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Let me start by saying that ranking quarterbacks — ranking anything, really — is a difficult exercise that will always leave someone unsatisfied. It's impossible to please everyone, especially when fandom is involved.

With that said, we have to talk about a new quarterback tier ranking from Will Brinson at CBS Sports. It's quite something.

Yes, that's Kirk Cousins in the fourth tier, below players like Justin Fields and Daniel Jones.

The article gives additional context that the graphic lacks, which is important. Tier 1 is "The Big Three," though I'd argue Patrick Mahomes belongs in a tier of his own. Tier 2 is "Could Join Them Next Year," and it's tough to argue with the four players who made the cut there.

Where things get interesting is in the semantic difference between Tiers 3 and 4. Tier 3 is titled "Intrigue With Question Marks," while Tier 4 is "Can Win With Them." When you view it as QBs being broken into different buckets based on a variety of factors, that kind of makes sense. The issue is that tier lists are inherently also rankings, and it just feels wrong to have Cousins (and Dak Prescott) in the 15-21 range while Fields, Jones, and even Russell Wilson, Matthew Stafford, and Deshaun Watson — three veterans coming off awful seasons — sit above them.

I get that Cousins doesn't have the theoretical dual threat upside of a Fields or Jones, but he's been too good as a passer for too many years to be ranked below them right now.

Also, Kyler Murray in Tier 6? Huh?

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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