With the bulk of preseason finally here, teams across the NFL will take one giant step closer to the start of the 2026 NFL Season, and for many of these teams, they have a legitimate case to win the Super Bowl this year.
For others, it's simply about rebuilding and looking toward the future. Those teams could be frisky at times, but there is a clear divide in both conferences between the best and the worst teams. Preseason will also begin to show us that, as depth is primarily playing and being tested.
Since we're getting closer to the start of the season, let's re-rank the AFC starting quarterbacks. We'll use 2025 production as the primary basis for our rankings and also sprinkle in 2026 projections as well.
Updated AFC starting QB rankings with the bulk of preseason beginning
16. Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland Browns
It's hard to see how either of the Cleveland Browns likely starting QBs makes any sort of noise in the 2026 NFL Season. Both Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders are backup-caliber passers at best, but if nothing else, both should end up contributing to the Browns being among the worst teams in the league, which could net the team a high pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
15. Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders
Kirk Cousins is simply a stopgap at this point, and while he is going to start for the 2026 season, I am not sure there is much of a guarantee that Cousins starts for the entire season. He's clearly been regressing and is, again, a temporary fix. Fernando Mendoza also does have a lot of positive qualities that could entice the coaching staff enough to get him on the field sooner than we think.
The Las Vegas Raiders obviously won't win many games with Cousins under center.
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