Ranking Sam Bradford Against Other Starting Quarterbacks

1. Aaron Rodgers: Overcame loss of top wide receiver Jordy Nelson, a shaky offensive line, and a disappointing season from Eddie Lacy, and still threw for 31 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. He’s still in his prime, and should have a healthy supporting cast.

2. Tom Brady: Love him or hate him, Brady is still performing like a top-three quarterback, coming off of a year in which he threw for nearly 5,000 yards and 36 touchdowns.

3. Ben Roethlisberger: Ben is the engine that has kept the Steelers relevant over the last few years. His numbers would have been even stronger last season if not for him missing some time due to injury.

4. Cam Newton: Newton’s celebration antics make him an unlikable guy to some, but that doesn’t take away from the results he produced on the field last year. Kelvin Benjamin goes down in training camp, leaving him with Tedd Ginn as his primary receiver, and Newton still took Carolina to a Super Bowl.

5. Drew Brees: His age is a concern, and people continue to wonder when the inevitable decline will begin. But until that time arrives, he’s still a top-five quarterback in this league. Led the league in passing yardage last season, and cut his interception total down to 11, his lowest total since 2009.

6. Russell Wilson: Wilson has accomplished a great deal in a very short career. With Marshawn Lynch retired, he’ll become an even more important part of the Seattle offense, and could really begin to flourish as he enters his prime.

7. Andrew Luck: Injuries took a toll on Luck in a very disappointing 2015 campaign. He’ll look to bounce back. People can forgive one poor season. What kind of questions will we be looking at a year from now if he has another?

8. Joe Flacco: Coming off of a major injury, Flacco could start the season a bit behind the eight ball. But his tremendous record of success in the playoffs maintains his status as a top-ten quarterback.

9. Eli Manning: Eli has been sentenced to some pretty mediocre New York teams in the last few years, but he’s still managed to be among the league leaders in passing. With offensive-minded Ben McAdoo taking over as head coach, the potential is there for the offense to really open up.

10. Blake Bortles: The rising star that not nearly enough people are talking about. Bortles was seventh in the league in passing yards (4,428), tied for second in touchdown passes (35), and has given the Jaguars a great deal of reason for hope coming into this season.

11. Derek Carr: Similar to Bortles, Carr also took great strides in his second season, and has gotten people cautiously optimistic about the future of the Oakland Raiders.

12. Tony Romo: If he’s healthy, the Dallas Cowboys could easily seize control of the weak NFC East and become a threat in the conference again. But as Romo enters his late 30’s, and finds it more and more difficult to sustain a pounding in the NFL, that “if” becomes more and more of a significant question.

13. Matt Ryan: Ryan’s been a bit of a disappointment. He seems to have hit a wall as a “good” but not quite “great” quarterback. There’s still hope for him to break through that ceiling, but the simple fact of the matter is that he’s been in the league for nearly eight years and hasn’t really accomplished a lot.

14. Carson Palmer: Turned in an unprecedented season last year. Struggled mightily in the playoffs. At this stage in his career, he’s rapidly running out of time to get over the hump.

15. Andy Dalton: Much like Palmer, Dalton faces even more serious questions about his ability to win in the playoffs, having been one-and-done every year of his career.

16. Kirk Cousins: Is Cousins really the long-term answer for Washington, or is he simply doomed to become the next Nick Foles?

17. Brock Osweiler: Got a big contract to be Houston’s answer based on a handful of decent showings for Denver.

18. Jameis Winston: Winston seems destined to be the next quarterback that takes a big leap. Showed great promise in his rookie year, has elite receivers, a year from now he should easily be in the top-15, possibly even cracking the top 10.

19. Marcus Mariota: The same major question that has ever been tagged to a mobile quarterback also applies to Mariota: can he stay healthy? If his rookie season was any indication, the answer is no.

20. Phillip Rivers: I think Rivers is pretty close to being done. Over the last five seasons, his only strong one came in 2013. I don’t think San Diego has the weapons they need to bring out the best in him.

21. Alex Smith: The unimpressive game-manager who is good enough to get a team to the playoffs, but never strong enough to beat a stronger team.

22. Teddy Bridgewater: There’s still a chance for Bridgewater to improve, but he hasn’t been terribly impressive in his first two seasons. The Vikings won in spite of him last season, riding Adrian Peterson and a strong defense to the playoffs.

23. Jared Goff: Top overall pick in the draft is considered by many to be NFL-ready.

24. Ryan Tannehill: Another guy who has consistently put up some decent numbers, but ultimately is disappointing and has been unable to make his team a serious competitor in the AFC.

25. Sam Bradford: In six seasons, Bradford has never been to the playoffs. Never had a winning season. Only stayed healthy for a full 16-games once. Never surpassed the 4,000 yard mark. And has only thrown more than 20 touchdown passes once. There’s a number of reasons why the Eagles made it a priority to address the quarterback position this year.

26. Jay Cutler: As mediocre as they come. Good enough to hold on to a starting job, but nowhere near talented enough to make the Bears relevant. Chicago is in purgatory with him at quarterback.

27. Tyrod Taylor: I think Taylor greatly overachieved last season, and could very well come down to earth this year. The Bills have been extremely reluctant to give him an extension, and explored other veteran options this year. Not a good sign.

28. Matt Stafford: Was always able to put up decent fantasy numbers with Megatron. Now that his best weapon is gone, look for Stafford to get completely exposed in the coming year.

29. Blaine Gabbert: Quietly turned in a couple of decent performances for the 49ers last season, and appears to be the favorite to start over Colin Kaepernick at the moment. Still remains highly unlikely to turn his career around.

30. Mark Sanchez: Sanchez finds himself in a spot very similar to what he was in earlier in his career with the New York Jets. With an elite defense, and a couple of very good playmakers, Sanchez could keep the Broncos in the playoffs if he wins the job. But ultimately, he’s still a heartbreaking turnover machine.

31. Robert Griffin: Griffin gets a second chance after spending an inactive year as Washington’s third quarterback. With a chance of scenery, and time to heal his body, the hope is that the former second overall pick can rebound, but the league may have already figured him out.

32. Geno Smith: Not much upside at all to Smith. Even if Ryan Fitzpatrick doesn’t return to the Jets, pressure will be on for the team to play either Bryce Petty or Christian Hackenburg at the first sign of trouble. Smith may not even make the team if Fitzpatrick rejoins the team before training camp.