The NFC West remains one of the toughest divisions in the NFL going into 2024. One reason it’s such a strong division is the QB play, which is well above average everywhere outside Santa Clara – where it doesn’t seem to matter. Earlier this week NFL.com ranked all eight divisions around the league on the strength of their starting quarterbacks.
The AFC North came in first, headlined by Lamar Jackson in Baltimore, Joe Burrow in Cincinnati, Deshaun Watson in Cleveland and the combo of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields in Pittsburgh. The NFC West’s quartet of starters came in second on the list, with Seahawks backup QB Sam Howell also getting a shout-out from Eric Edholm.
“All four starters are established. I also listed Howell, a 17-game starter for the Commanders last season, because I believe the Seahawks want someone to push Smith after the veteran slid back a bit last season. Geno’s 2022 campaign was a career-changer, but getting back to that level of play — in a new offensive system — won’t be automatic. I’ll be a bit surprised if Howell doesn’t start games for Seattle this season…”
Interesting stuff. As far as we know Geno Smith has a very strong lead for the QB1 position in Seattle, but there’s a fair amount of smoke and rumors around Sam Howell as a potential successor, perhaps as soon as this year. We’ll believe that when we see it, but as far as 2025 goes all bets are off.
As for the rest of the division, Matt Stafford is not getting any younger but he’s still good enough to deserve another big contract. Kyler Murray looked to be his old self again last season after he returned from a major knee injury, and he’s the only reason Arizona will win more than three games this year. Brock Purdy isn’t very good, but he has an obscene amount of talent around him to prop him up and minimize his mistakes. If Purdy grows into a legitimate starter Seattle is screwed. Until then, there’s still a window.
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