28. Russell Wilson, New York Giants
I’m not so sure it’s going to be all that long of a tenure for Russell WIlson with the New York Giants. The Giants got a great look in the preseason at Jaxson Dart, and while it’s only preseason and obviously still very early, they might want to turn to Dart sooner rather than later given some of the things he showed situationally and just in terms of operating that offense. Russ is past his prime, and he’s not the same guy when it comes to making plays outside the pocket. He’s 28th on this list but the arrow is trending down.
27. Justin Fields, New York Jets
The upside for Justin Fields in New York is high, but the floor is also lower than most. We’ve seen what Fields can do as a full-time starter in Chicago, and we saw him maybe take a few strides last year with a better overall situation in Pittsburgh. If the young Jets offensive line struggles this year, it’s going to affect Fields tremendously. If they can protect him well, he might be in line for a career year in 2025. I have no idea what to expect out of Fields this year but he’s obviously a talented player with the ability to beat you with his legs.
26. Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns
Don’t hate on Joe Flacco for being this “high” on the final preseason quarterback power rankings. Flacco is not a bad starting quarterback. He might be a bit of a mixed bag on a week-to-week basis, but he’s still capable of filling up the stat sheet. At this stage of his career, it seems like the more success Flacco has, the more it comes with the caveat that he’s going to throw more picks. He’s become a little bit of a gunslinger in his older age.
25. Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons
I liked what we saw out of Michael Penix Jr. late last season for the Falcons, but I’m also giving him a pretty significant boost for potential here in these rankings. Penix has a good cast of characters around him. He can run. He’s got a big arm. Last year, we only really scratched the surface of his potential at the NFL level and we’ll see how much he’s grown here in his second season. And also, what are the Falcons going to do with Kirk Cousins? If he gets traded, he’d probably wind up somewhere between the 22-25 spots on a list like this.