NFL Mid-Season Quarterback Rankings

We are at the mid-way point of the 2023 NFL regular season! This isn’t a “who would I start a team with”, or “who is the best QB for the future”, or anything like that. This is ranking the top 32 current starting quarterbacks in the NFL right now, this season, as we go into the second half of the year. It will not include quarterbacks who are likely to miss the rest of this season due to injury. With all that being said, let’s dive into my NFL Mid-Season Quarterback Rankings!

Dan Kornhauser’s Mid-Season Power Rankings

1. Patrick Mahomes, KC
2. Joe Burrow, CIN
3. Lamar Jackson, BAL
4. Jalen Hurts, PHI
5. Josh Allen, BUF
6. Trevor Lawrence, JAX
7. Tua Tagovailoa, MIA
8. Jared Goff, DET
9. Justin Herbert, LAC
10. CJ Stroud*, HOU
11. Dak Prescott, DAL
12. Derek Carr, NO
13. Deshaun Watson, CLE
14. Russell Wilson, DEN
15. Brock Purdy, SF
16. Sam Howell, WSH
17. Kyler Murray, ARZ
18. Geno Smith, SEA
19. Matthew Stafford, LAR
20. Baker Mayfield, TB
21. Jordan Love, GB
22. Joshua Dobbs, MIN
23. Gardner Minshew, IND
24. Kenny Pickett, PIT
25. Justin Fields, CHI
26. Bryce Young*, CAR
27. Mac Jones, NE
28. Will Levis*, TEN
29. Aidan O’Connell*, LV
30. Taylor Heineke, ATL
31. Zach Wilson, NYJ
32. Tommy DeVito*, NYG

Notes

• Mahomes maintains his top spot after a solid showing in London against a likely playoff team. He completed passes to nine different receivers, and threw two touchdown passes in the win over Miami. Most importantly, he didn’t turn the ball over like he did in the ugly loss to Denver in week eight. Mahomes is completing almost 69% of his passes, is 3rd in passing yards, 3rd in passing touchdowns, and Kansas City is tied for the best record in the AFC.
• Here comes Burrow and the Bengals! After a slow start to the season hampered by a calf injury, Burrow appears fully healthy and as good as ever. It will be interesting to see if Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase miss this week or are less than 100%, how Burrow performs. The Bengals have won four games in a row, and Burrow is seemingly back.
• C.J. Stroud is special. I HAD to put the rookie in the top 10, and was tempted to put him even higher. Stroud is top seven in both passing yards and passing touchdowns, is averaging 8.1 yards per attempt, and has 14 passing touchdowns to only one interception. Houston is doing better than anyone expected to this point with a 4-4 record, sitting 2nd in the AFC South. Stroud looks like a veteran out there, making big time throws, and displaying elite placement at all levels of the field.
• The group of quarterbacks in the teens was tough to rank. Every quarterback from Watson to Mayfield is capable of making big throws, winning some games, and putting up gaudy stats. They each also have their obvious issues – from Wilson’s empty stats, to Purdy suddenly playing like a Jimmy G clone, to Howell taking too many sacks because he holds on to the ball too long, to Murray coming off a serious injury.
• That last third of quarterbacks is gross. A combination of rookies, struggling young quarterbacks, and veteran backups forced into starting roles. No one in this group inspires much confidence, and at least half of those teams will be looking for an upgrade at the position this off-season.