26. Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans
Even in a loss against the Cincinnati Bengals, Cam Ward might have just proven to everyone in the Titans’ organization that he’s not going down without a fight.
There had been major question marks surrounding Ward after his first seven games this season. Even as the Titans have struggled, Ward’s individual performance this season was always going to be under the microscope with a new coaching staff, new weapons, and organization pressure to at least show signs of life for the future.
After the Jeffery Simmons trade, it seemed like a clear message was sent to everyone on the roster, maybe especially Ward: Nothing is guaranteed. Going up against Joe Burrow and the Bengals on the road gave Ward a great stage for his best game yet as a member of the Titans, and his first game with 300 passing yards as a pro.
Baby steps, but a step forward nonetheless.
25. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
There has been a very interesting mixed bag of results from Deshaun Watson this season. On the one hand, he’s come up with some clutch plays in big moments for the Browns, helping them to a 5-3 record so far this season.
On the other hand, Watson is still struggling with holding onto the ball too long, and that was a major issue in the Browns’ Week 8 blowout loss at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Watson was sacked 8 times in the loss to Pittsburgh, which wasn’t even really a competitive game at all.
The quarterback has to be better than that. The Browns have a completely revamped offensive line, but depending on who you ask, sacks are more of a quarterback stat than an offensive line stat. Watson has been sacked 33 times this season, 10 more than the next-most-sacked QB in the league.
24. Gardner Minshew, Arizona Cardinals
All it took was one 4th-quarter comeback for Minshew Mania to return to the NFL. Gardner Minshew replaced the struggling Jacoby Brissett against the Dallas Cowboys after completing just 10 of his first 23 passes, and Minshew took the game over.
And that’s not just hyperbole. He was playing like a man possessed from that point.
Minshew completed 17-of-23 pass attempts with three touchdowns and no picks, putting up a passer rating of 137.3. And for the Cardinals, it was more than just providing the offense with a much-needed spark; Minshew willed this Cardinals team to victory.
In the limited action he played against Dallas, Minshew already has the 16th-highest EPA for any QB in the NFL this season at 14.4.
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