The NFL’s worst quarterbacks against every type of coverage

Who failed last season against everything from Cover-0 to Red-2? Doug Farrar reveals the NFL’s worst quarterbacks against every type of coverage.

Complexity of coverage has expanded exponentially throughout the NFL’s history, and specifically in the NFL’s recent history. The days of the Tom Landry “umbrella” base defense are long-gone, though those concepts led the way in pro football for decades. The implementation of the zone defense in the 1960s and 1970s, the acceptance of the slot defender as starter in the early days of the new millennium, spin-offs and iterations of single-high ahd two-deep concepts in recent years, and the addition of match coverage as s staple from the 1990s to now have all expanded the picture regarding what defenses can throw at quarterbacks and their targets.

Just as offenses have never been more diverse and efficiently explosive than they are now, there have never been more different ways to deal with a passing game from a coverage perspective than their are now.

In line with that, we have studied the NFL’s best quarterbacks against every type of coverage…

The NFL’s best quarterbacks against every type of coverage

…and you know how this goes. If there’s a best, there’s got to be a worst. So, here are Touchdown Wire’s worst quarterbacks against every type of pass coverage.

(All metrics courtesy of Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated).

The worst NFL quarterbacks for every type of throw

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar determines the worst NFL quarterback for every type of throw with tape and advanced metrics.

If there is a best, there has to be a worst. So, after reviewing the best NFL quarterbacks for every type of throw — with most of the expected names — it was then time to dig into the quarterbacks who struggled most with all kinds of different concepts. From drop length to type of throw to with and without the assistance of play-action and pre-snap motion, and with and without pressure and the blitz.

The best NFL quarterbacks for every type of throw

Last year, the clubhouse leader on the worst list was then-Broncos quarterback Drew Lock (have fun with that, Seahawks). This season, there are two rookies who stand alone and apart — first overall pick Trevor Lawrence, and second overall pick Zach Wilson.

With Lawrence, there was so much that went wrong in Jacksonville that was beyond his control, you’re inclined to give the poor guy a mulligan for the whole thing. In Wilson’s case, the YOLO tendencies he showed ay BYU were readily apparent in the NFL, as one would expect. Regarding veterans on this year’s list, let’s just say that the Panthers have a quarterback problem Sam Darnold isn’t going to solve. There’s also one Tua Tagovailoa appearance on this list, which will get both sides of the TuAnon debate going yet again. 

Without further ado, here’s the worst quarterback for every type of throw from the 2021 NFL season.

The worst NFL quarterbacks for every type of throw

There are quarterbacks who struggle to deal with different throws and concepts. Here’s the unfortunate list for the 2020 season.

It simply stands to reason: If there’s a best of everything, there’s also a worst. And when it comes to NFL quarterbacks and their abilities to deal with different passing game concepts, there are one-year blunders and repeat offenders. When I wrote about the worst NFL quarterbacks for every type of throw last season, there were guys who didn’t repeat their efforts from then to now, and a couple who did. Daniel Jones of the Giants, for example.

It should come as no surprise that Carson Wentz was the most prolific member of the Worst Club for the 2020 season. He didn’t show up on last year’s list, and why should he have? Wentz led the league in interceptions (15) and sacks (50) in 2020 behind a series of patchwork offensive lines, and a receiver group who didn’t do him any favors. He’s now in the hands of the Colts, and old buddy Frank Reich, who will try and turn Wentz’s career around.

Based on the numbers below, Reich has a lot of work to do. As for the other worst quarterbacks for every type of throw… well, here they all are. Warning: It ain’t pretty. You may want to investigate the list of the best quarterbacks for every type of throw once you’re done here, just to get a more positive picture of the quarterback position.

The best NFL quarterbacks for every type of throw

(All metrics courtesy of Sports Info Solutions, unless otherwise noted).