Mike Sando – Syndication Server

Kirk Cousins elevates to tier two in Mike Sando’s QB rankings

In a ranking of 50 different NFL personnel, Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins finished 12th and in tier two for the second time.

Each year, The Athletic’s Mike Sando compiles quarterback tiers and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has been elevated to tier two going into 2023.

Sando has been doing these tiers for the last ten years, comprising of 50 different NFL personnel.

The 2023 Quarterback Tiers results are here, complete with commentary from the 50 NFL coaches and executives who were granted anonymity to share unvarnished evaluations. This year, the 50 league insiders who placed 30 veteran quarterbacks into tiers included eight general managers, 10 head coaches, 15 coordinators, 10 executives, four quarterbacks coaches and three involved in coaching/analytics.

For the second time, Cousins was in tier two of the rankings out of his eight appearances. Sando describes tier two as the following:

A Tier 2 quarterback can carry his team sometimes but not as consistently. He can handle pure passing situations in doses and/or possesses other dimensions that are special enough to elevate him above Tier 3. He has a hole or two in his game.

That does a good job of describing Cousins, who was the last quarterback in tier two behind Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, Trevor Lawrence, Dak Prescott, Matthew Stafford and Deshaun Watson.

One executive hit the nail on the head with Cousins, where he is excellent one game and questionable the next.

“People have him down in Tier 3 and I’m like, ‘No, no, no, no, no,’” an exec said. “But the guy is a riddle. He plays almost flawlessly in the second half in the biggest comeback in the history of the league (against Indianapolis), which almost no one can do, and then one month later, in the playoffs, he’s got fourth-and-8 on the last play of the game and he’s hitting the checkdown five yards short of the sticks with the defender all over the receiver.”

You can make solid arguments about having Cousins above or below other quarterbacks on this list, but he’s placed in about the right spot. Anywhere between 8-15 depending on the week is right.

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Rival executives had praise for the Vikings draft

The Minnesota Vikings drafted six players in the 2023 NFL Draft and rival executives thought they did a great job with their picks.

When the Minnesota Vikings came out of the 2023 NFL draft with six talented players, the grades for the class were split. Some were a high while most thought the class was average or lower.

The Athletic’s Mike Sando, who is arguably the most plugged-in reporter in regards to the NFL, spoke to multiple executives about each team’s draft class and rival executives had some nice things to say about the Vikings class.

“Give them credit for getting good players while being limited in their resources,” another exec said. “They made a couple savvy trade-backs, got a fifth next year (from Kansas City). They were able to create value. We liked Addison, we liked Blackmon, we liked Jaren Hall.”

“You lose Thielen and then you add a really good route runner in Addison, a good get for them,” another exec said. “You probably wish they could have gotten more for the defensive side of the ball, but they had to get the receiver where they got him, while greater depth at corner let them get one who will fit Flores’ system.”

The Vikings having a good draft according to other executives is a great thing, especially when they talk about multiple players being good picks. It’s especially great when you consider only Jordan Addison was taken in the top 100.

Drew Lock, Geno Smith get brutal rankings from NFL coaches, executives

Both of Seattle’s potential starting quarterbacks are at the very bottom of the list, which was compiled by polling 50 NFL coaches and executives.

Mike Sando at the Athletic has published his must-read annual QB tiers rankings and fans of the Seahawks aren’t going to like the results. Both of Seattle’s potential starting quarterbacks are at the very bottom of the list, which was compiled by polling 50 NFL coaches and executives.

Drew Lock was ranked No. 34 in the league at his position. That’s lower than Sam Darnold and Mitch Trubisky and at the bottom of Tier 4, which is reserved for unproven players. Here’s what the voters had to say about Lock.

“Voters appreciated Lock’s physical talent, not his ability to make it translate. There is hope and talent with Drew Lock,” an evaluator said, “but there is inconsistency. And there has always been inconsistency. You can’t debate his talent. He’s got size, athletic ability, excellent arm strength, all those things. But the inconsistency is the thing. Pete (Carroll) will have a chance to make him play his best, playing it the right way, because he’s got all the tools.”

Meanwhile, Geno Smith came in at No. 35 as part of the “best suited as a backup” tier 5.

“Unfortunately, I got to say, he’s a 5,” a quarterbacks coach said. “He does a good job when he comes off the bench of maintaining things and managing the game well. He’s not going to elevate the team at this point. I think he’s good to come out of the bullpen and pitch four or five good innings, then give it back to the ace to close things out.”

Nobody but the most hardcore homer is actually excited about either one of these two starting and we wouldn’t claim to know more than those actually working in the league. However, these rankings seem just a little bit harsh.

At a bare minimum Lock and Smith should be ranked ahead of the likes of Trubisky, Darnold and Marcus Mariota. One could argue the same about Daniel Jones and Zach Wilson.

That said, there’s a reason why this team’s projected win total is somewhere in the 5-6 range according to most sportsbooks and it’s not their lack of depth at outside linebacker. Seattle willingly took a bigger step backwards at quarterback than any team has in years and until they find their next Russell Wilson, fans should get used to low expectations.

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Where the Saints land in an NFC ranking of teams 1-16

The Saints land at No. 6 in The Athletic’s preseason ranking of NFC teams 1-16:

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Like it or not, but Jameis Winston is the new face of the New Orleans Saints at quarterback. The former No. 1 overall draft pick and Heisman Trophy winner flamed out with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but a year riding shotgun while Drew Brees ran the Saints offense and a training camp victory over Taysom Hill for the starting job have put him front and center in New Orleans. The team’s fortunes are irrevocably tied to his own on-field success.

And other teams aren’t quite sure what to make of it. The Athletic’s Mike Sando polled five executives around the league to rank all sixteen teams in the NFC, separately from the AFC, and then averaged each team’s placement against their peers. That put the Saints at sixth in the conference and right in the middle of competing for a wild-card seed. Here’s what Sando wrote of New Orleans:

6. New Orleans Saints

Votes: 7-11-8-3-6 | Avg: 7.0 | Median: 7

The Saints could be relocating for the season’s first month following Hurricane Ida, which would seem to put them at a disadvantage. They are also going into a season without Drew Brees for the first time since 2005, when Jim Haslett was head coach and Mike Sheppard was calling the offensive plays.

Voters disagreed over how well Jameis Winston would fare in Sean Payton’s offense.

“Having a year off the field with Sean and around Drew, I think that helps,” one voter said. “Obviously, he humbled himself going there, and I think it was a great move bringing him in. Just a couple of throws he made the other night, not too many people are making those throws. New Orleans will be able to attack more of the field this year than they could with Drew’s limitations in arm strength.”

Winston famously tossed 30 interceptions in his final season with Tampa Bay. He never tossed more than 18 in an NFL season previously.

“I think the quarterback is going to be bad, but they got a good line and they have a good defense,” another voter said. “They got good coaching. Maybe they’ll be able to run the ball and play good defense and trick some teams, but if Jameis is going to throw the ball as many times as he did in Tampa, they are going to have problems. He was intercepted 30 times and sacked 47. That’s awful, and that’s not luck. These are problems throughout his career.”

Winston averaged 39 pass attempts per game in his final year at Tampa Bay (after averaging 34 attempts per game in his previous four seasons), while the Saints averaged 33 passes per game as a team in 2020, and near that over the past few years. While New Orleans has a history of fielding high-volume passing offenses, it’s unlikely they’ll ask Winston to go out and throw it 40 times a game. As the sources Sando spoke with said, the team’s strengths should allow for a more conservative game plan.

Can Winston avoid his signature giveaways even on a lighter pitch count? He’s spent his offseason working to improve his mechanics and decision-making, and maybe it pays off. But some skepticism that he can change his style of play so late into his career is warranted. It’s a shaky bedrock to build the team’s future on.

And that’s why the Saints ended up ranked among other fringe playoff teams like the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings. If (and it’s a big “if,” so just indulge me here) this ranking ends up being prophetic and totally accurate, the Saints would enter the NFC playoff picture as the seventh seed, bound for a Wild-Card Round matchup with the Los Angeles Rams. Maybe Winston can exceed expectations and keep the Saints in New Orleans to open the playoffs instead.

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What NFL executives said about Chargers draft

There’s been a consistent trend with the Los Angeles Chargers and when they’re picking in the first round.

A week later from the 2021 NFL draft, and the Chargers are still receiving high praise from national writers and analysts for their haul.

But how do those among the league feel about the team’s draft class?

The Athletic’s Mike Sando spoke to a few NFL executives to get their opinions on Los Angeles’ draft.

Like the rest of the population, they were impressed with what general manager Tom Telesco did, especially with the selection of offensive tackle Rashawn Slater.

“I hate to say it, the Chargers, they just sit and pick and they pick good players,” an evaluator said. “It has been like that the last three or four years. Derwin James, Justin Herbert, Rashawn Slater. They don’t ever trade, they just always seem to be in this sweet spot to get good players.

Many, including myself, did not expect Slater to see a slide to where the Bolts were selecting at No. 13, but after he did, it was a no-brainer for the team who needed a franchise left tackle.

“The draft fell to them in a meaningful way, but you do get confirmation bias, where everyone gave them Slater, so the fact that it worked out that way leads everyone to say it was a great pick,” an exec said.

Even though he will start his professional career as quarterback Justin Herbert’s blindside blocker, people around the league feel like he will have the most success inside at guard.

“I think he will be a really good offensive lineman, and I think guard is going to be his best spot,” an exec said.

Only time will tell how Slater pans out at left tackle, but given how he fared against Chase Young along with other elite edge defenders, I think he will be just fine.

NFL executives, coaches rank Chargers QB Tyrod Taylor heading into 2020 season

Chargers quarterback Tyrod Taylor is near the bottom in the league.

The Athletic’s Mike Sando released his annual NFL veteran quarterback tier rankings based on voting from 50 coaches and executives in the league.

Per Sando, coaches and evaluators placed each quarterback in one of five tiers, from best (Tier 1) to worst (Tier 5).

Once ballots were collected, results were averaged to create a ranking. The unanimous Tier 1 choices averaged 1.00, while the lowest-rated player averaged 4.30. Quarterbacks fell into the tiers in which they received the most votes.

Chargers QB Tyrod Taylor was placed in Tier 4, alongside Raiders’ Marcus Mariota, Dolphins’ Ryan Fitzpatrick, Broncos’ Drew Lock, Jaguars’ Gardner Minshew, Bears’ Mitch Trubisky, Redskins’ Dwayne Haskins, Patriots’ Jarrett Stidham and Panthers’ Kyle Allen.

A Tier 4 quarterback is described as an unproven player with some upside or a veteran who is ultimately best suited as a backup.

Taylor, the 30-year old signal-caller, is slated to take over as Los Angeles’ starter after Philip Rivers had the duties of doing so for the past 14 seasons.

While Taylor may not be as superior as Rivers in a handful of categories, there are a couple of things he does better, which are limiting turnovers and having the ability to win with his legs.

“Tyrod is not going to turn the ball over, but he is not going to throw it and he does not throw it (downfield) inside the numbers, the hash, because he can’t see,” a defensive coordinator said. “His intelligence and the way he can run the ball will keep him in games, but he is not going to beat you with his arm.”

Taylor gets scrutinized because a lot because he has been unable to find a stable starting job the past few seasons. But when he was a starter with the Bills – which was also under coach Anthony Lynn for a couple of seasons – he played well.

In both 2015 and 2016 when Taylor and Lynn were on Buffalo’s squad, the 30-year old threw for over 3,000 yards and 37 combined touchdowns as opposed to just 12 interceptions. On top of that, Taylor rushed for 1,148 yards and 10 touchdowns on 199 carries in both those seasons combined.

“He smoked us in Buffalo a few years ago,” a defensive coach said. “We couldn’t tackle him. I think he’s a legit starter. They are not going to be super shitty with him in there.

It’s Taylor’s job to lose. He will likely stay under center as long as he’s leading the team to wins. If the Chargers start to fall off the wagon, then rookie Justin Herbert will take the reins. The longer Taylor starts, the more Herbert will be able to develop.

NFL execs offer praise, caution with the Browns draft class

NFL execs offer praise, caution with the Browns draft class and Andrew Berry’s first turn as the team’s GM

In his annual report chronicling the viewpoints of several unnamed NFL executives and their unfiltered thoughts on the 32 draft classes across the league, Mike Sando of The Athletic dredged up some guarded optimism about the Browns.

Sando’s anonymous executives praised certain aspects of rookie GM Andrew Berry’s performance, but also offered up some skepticism as well.

Most of the critique is directed at top pick Jedrick Wills. And based on the fan reaction to the Alabama right tackle taken at No. 10 overall, it might be a fair critique.

“How will his transition be going from the right side to the left?” an evaluator said. “I feel expectations for him are too high coming in, especially when you consider the last time Cleveland took a tackle this high, it was Joe Thomas.”

The tone changes regarding second-round pick, LSU safety Grant Delpit. His underwhelming 2019 season caused Delpit to fall from being a preseason top-10 projection. His personal loss was viewed as Cleveland’s gain.

“If you would have told me last fall that Delpit would be the third safety taken, I never would have believed it,” an evaluator said. “A lot of scouts had him as the top safety going into the season. He fought some injuries and that is part of why he had a down year.”

Another source told Sando that Berry deserved praise for acquiring a third-round pick next year from the Saints in a draft-day trade, noting,”the fact they wound up with a third-round pick next year was great. The guys they ended up picking I thought were good too.”

Unnamed sources are always to be taken with a proper grain of salt, but it’s still a good look at what the league at large thinks of the Browns.