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Matthew Stafford is coming off a season in which he had just 10 touchdown passes and eight interceptions in nine games, but NFL coaches and executives still believe he’s one of the league’s best quarterbacks.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler polled coaches, executives and scouts from around the league, asking them to rank the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL. Stafford came in at No. 10 this year, ranking as high as No. 5 in the eyes of at least one voter.
It’s good to see Stafford still in the top 10 after a down year, even if he is four spots lower than he was on 2022’s rankings. He was slotted ahead of other quarterbacks such as Deshaun Watson, Kirk Cousins, Jared Goff and Derek Carr.
Stafford is a bit of a tough sell, because his presence leaves several good quarterbacks — including former top-five finisher Deshaun Watson — off the list. He missed eight games last year because of neck and concussion issues. He still has top-five support among some voters, though.
“Arm looks good as it ever has,” a lead personnel man with an NFL team said. “Mobility not quite what it once was, for sure. But when he was healthy, he still played at a really high level and his arm talent is as good as there is in the league.”
Stafford didn’t have much help last season, getting poor protection from his offensive line up front. And outside of Cooper Kupp, there wasn’t a wide receiver who consistently made plays for the Rams in 2022.
Now with the offensive line healthier and Kupp returning from an ankle injury, the offense as a whole should be closer to the 2021 version than the one we saw last season. In his first season with the Rams, Stafford threw for 4,886 yards and 41 touchdowns, though he did lead the league with 17 interceptions. More importantly, he led the Rams to a Super Bowl title after a terrific postseason performance.
Stafford may be 35 and coming off a terrible year, but he’s still one of the better quarterbacks in the league.
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