14. CJ Stroud, Houston Texans
CJ Stroud's first three seasons in the NFL have been both successful and a bit frustrating. The Houston Texans have made the playoffs three years in a row, and they've advanced into the Divisional Round in each season. However, they've also lost in the second round in all three seasons.
This is now turning into a trend and making us think if this current era of Texans football will be good enough to get over the hump. With one of the best rosters in the league and perhaps the best defense, the one thing that could help this team get over the hump is Stroud himself.
He's been rather average the past two seasons after a historically good rookie season, and if he hopes to earn a long-term deal from the front office, the 2026 season has to look a lot like 2023. Stroud just has not been an efficient passer since the start of 2024.
The Ohio State product is still a good quarterback, but he has much more 'average' football play than above-average.
13. Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
Sam Darnold has been a winner of 28 regular season games over the past two seasons. While his production from 2024 into 2025 did take a hit, he was still plenty good enough to lead the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl title.
Clearly not an elite quarterback, and not a quarterback that anyone would mistake as elite, Darnold's stance in our power rankings is an interesting one. He's not close to being in that elite tier with the best passers in the league, but he's clearly better than the 'average' players at the position.
Being ranked 13th feels rather fair, as it's a solid ranking based on the notable quarterbacks who are better than him, but it also separates him from the more average players at the position.
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