7. AFC South (Trevor Lawrence, CJ Stroud, Daniel Jones, Cam Ward)
While the AFC South did sport some good teams last year, the overall QB talent just is not there yet. Trevor Lawrence was and is the best QB in the division right now, as he caught fire down the stretch in 2025, but despite ending the year as an MVP candidate, Lawrence wasn't playing all that well before the final month and a half.
CJ Stroud, after a wonderful breakout season in 2023 has fallen back down to earth the past two seasons and has largely been an average player for the Houston Texans. Simply put, he needs to re-prove himself again and is really not someone Houston is going to consistently win games wiht going forward unless something changes.
Daniel Jones played quite well in the first half of the 2025 season, but he also began to show signs of the Jones of old before his Achilles injury. At this point, it feels like Jones and the Indianapolis Colts have to prove themselves again.
And Tennessee Titans QB Cam Ward did have a somewhat encouraging rookie season. The 2025 Titans were honestly a lose-lose situation for Ward, but we did see him make some big-time throws here and there. The infrastructure is in place for Ward to take a huge leap in the 2026 season, but like every young QB in year one or two, there just isn't any guarantee that he'll make that leap.
The AFC South does appear to be a two-horse race for the 2026 season, but if Stroud isn't able to elevate his game a bit more, the Texans are again going to fall behind the Jacksonville Jaguars. The AFC South is only No. 7 in our rankings, as the QB talent just isn't that special right now.
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