Now that we know Tony Romo is out in Dallas and Trevor Siemian is the guy in Denver, we have a pretty good feel for who will start at quarterback for all 32 teams come Week 1. This could change with an injury in the final week of the preseason, but assuming everyone stays healthy, this is how we rank the 32 quarterbacks who will take the field between Sept. 8 and Sept. 12.
1. Aaron Rodgers, Packers: The highest-rated passer in NFL history has his top receiver back.
2. Cam Newton, Panthers: The reigning MVP transcends the position.
3. Russell Wilson, Seahawks: Dude posted a 132.8 passer rating during the final seven weeks of his fourth NFL season.
4. Drew Brees, Saints: He’s a Hall of Famer, but he hasn’t been quite the same the last couple years.
5. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers: He’s really become the top gunslinger in the game. Can he and his offensive teammates stay healthy?
6. Carson Palmer, Cardinals: The 36-year-old put up MVP-caliber numbers last season.
7. Andy Dalton, Bengals: He was quietly the NFL’s second highest-rated passer in 2015.
8. Andrew Luck, Colts: His 2015 season was horrible on paper, but injuries were a huge factor. He should be viewed as a top-10 quarterback entering 2016.
9. Eli Manning, Giants: The two-time Super Bowl MVP lacks consistency, but he’s coming off the best year of his career.
10. Kirk Cousins, Redskins: The man had a 126.1 passer rating during the second half of his breakout 2015 season.
11. Philip Rivers, Chargers: He continues to produce despite a lack of support.
12. Tyrod Taylor, Bills: Small sample size, but he made the Pro Bowl while throwing just six interceptions in 14 games in his first full season as a starter in 2015.
13. Alex Smith, Chiefs: We’re all aware of his ceiling, but there’s no doubt his ability to limit his mistakes makes him an above-average quarterback.
14. Teddy Bridgewater, Vikings: The accurate and reliable 23-year-old looks primed to have a huge third season.
15. Matthew Stafford, Lions: The 28-year-old is coming off what might have been the best season of his career, but did he peak? Remember, he couldn’t lead them deep when Calvin Johnson was around. Now, Johnson’s gone.
16. Jay Cutler, Bears: The 33-year-old is also coming off a career year, but he also has yet to lead his team anywhere. He’s average for now.
17. Blake Bortles, Jaguars: You know the big-armed youngster is about to climb this list.
18. Marcus Mariota, Titans: You know the versatile youngster is about to climb this list, but he needs the support.
19. Jameis Winston, Buccaneers: The top pick from 2015 had inferior numbers to Mariota as a rookie.
20. Brock Osweiler, Texans: Small sample size last year, and the numbers weren’t even that good. But I like what I’ve seen this summer, and he’s got a lot of support.
21. Sam Bradford, Eagles: Holding out hope for the 28-year-old former top pick after he put up solid numbers late in 2015.
22. Ryan Tannehill, Dolphins: At 28, it looks like he’s plateaued.
23. Matt Ryan, Falcons: The 31-year-old hasn’t been particularly good since 2012.
24. Derek Carr, Raiders: I do have hope for him, but I don’t like what happened to his numbers last season and I’m concerned with what I’ve seen this summer.
25. Robert Griffin III, Browns: Maybe a new environment and an underrated supporting cast can help the talented RG3 revive his career.
26. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jets: Why do people think he’s good? The guy was the league’s 24th-rated passer last season, and that might have been the best year of his career. Solid backup disguised as a starter.
27. Joe Flacco, Ravens: The most overrated quarterback of this era has consistently put up abysmal numbers the last few years. Now he’s battling age and injuries to boot.
28. Jimmy Garoppolo, Patriots: He might have the talent, but without a start under his belt I can’t rank him higher than this.
29. Blaine Gabbert, 49ers: He showed flashes during an eight-game stretch as the San Francisco starter last season, but he still has a lot to do in order to wash off the stink from Jacksonville.
30. Case Keenum, Rams: The definition of a stopgap, the 28-year-old has a 79.8 career rating, having lost 10 of his 15 career starts.
31. Trevor Siemian, Broncos: I like that he slayed Mark Sanchez and held off Paxton Lynch, but there’s a reason he was a seventh-round pick. Siemian has the look of a career backup.
32. Dak Prescott, Cowboys: I absolutely love what he’s done in the preseason, but he’s a rookie fourth-round pick who has yet to face a first-team defense.
