In the part of the offseason where lists, rankings and projections rule, we welcome more rankings. This time, it is quarterback rankings, but with a twist.
Rather than just ranking the quarterbacks in the league, NFL.com’s Nick Shook ranked the eight divisions in the league by their quarterbacks.
The NFC West, where the Arizona Cardinals play, was ranked No. 2, having the second-best group of quarterbacks, behind the AFC West.
The AFC West has Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Geno Smith and Bo Nix. In the Cardinals’ division, of course, there is Kyler Murray, Matthew Stafford, Brock Purdy and now Sam Darnold.
This division carries the most potential for volatility entering 2025. Murray appears to be entering a pivotal season with the Cardinals, having yet to put up the kind of wire-to-wire performance that would put a permanent end to speculation about the seventh-year pro’s future with the franchise. I know, it seems outrageous, considering Murray’s capabilities, but game-by-game consistency was lacking in 2024. Purdy, meanwhile, just signed a lucrative deal that delivered a long-overdue payday to the former Mr. Irrelevant; now, the pressure will be on him to deliver during what might be a transitional year for San Francisco. Darnold is likely feeling a similarly heavy weight after signing with Seattle following a career year in Minnesota; the move placed him in another new situation with even greater responsibility. And finally, Stafford resolved his contractual standoff with the Rams and is back for his 17th NFL season. Do you see how this could all go horribly wrong? Murray could struggle. Purdy could end up as a victim of surrounding circumstances. Darnold could revert back to a passing pumpkin. The 37-year-old Stafford could feel the effects of Father Time. Or, it will all go right, the NFC West will produce three playoff teams and this group will live up to its end-of-2024 ranking. For now, the quartet is far from guaranteed to follow a strong 2024 with more collective excellence in 2025.
As good as these guys can be, it might be the division with the biggest question marks for all four starters.
In the individual rankings Shook used, Stafford is the highest at No. 8, followed by Darnold at No. 13, Purdy and No. 14 and Murray at No. 17. These were based on performance at the end of last season.
This group, at its ceiling, might be the best group in the league, but when Mahomes and Herbert, along with the rookie year that Nix had, it is understandable why they would be above the NFC West’s group.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: NFC West has league’s second-best group of starting QBs, per NFL.com