The Quarterbacks Are the Biggest Wild Card in the AFC South for 2018

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It’s list season. By now, you guys know that – we’ve had our fair share of top 10 lists this offseason. Now, people are starting to compile their positional rankings for 2018 and such. So, I thought I’d weigh in with my two cents. I sat down to work on my quarterback rankings for the AFC South in 2018. That’s when I realized the position is a total wild card in this division. Perhaps more so than any other division in the NFL.

If all four of these guys are good, it could make the AFC South the best division in football this season. Each team certainly has the potential supporting case to do so. If not, it could make it a jumbled mess yet again.

So, I decided to shy away from positional rankings and just run through some of the scenarios where each guy could be the best and the worst in the division.

Blake Bortles

Can we all agree that Bortles is the worst quarterback in this division? I don’t think that’s a reach at all, but there’s a strong contingency of people that would probably disagree with that. I mean, you could make the argument that Bortles quarterbacked the Jags to the AFC Championship, I guess. He did play the game of his life in that contest against the Patriots, though the team dissolved and eventually the Pats did Pats things.

Coming out of the draft, Bortles was heralded the second coming of Ben Roethlisberger. It’s safe to say he is not that dude. If not for Garbage Time Bortles, I don’t think he’d even have the stats he has. Now, the Jags must have some sort of confidence in him because they extended him for three more years. And, really – we make a lot of jokes about Bortles, but the dude still has a ton of potential. Plus, he’s one of the two starting quarterbacks in the division to have quarterbacked in the AFC Championship.

Andrew Luck

If Luck is healthy, he’s not just an elite quarterback in the AFC South. He’s one of the best in the entire game. But, the shoulder injury that prevented him from playing in 2017 is one of the weirdest stories in recent memory. There were virtually no updates…the Colts wouldn’t publicly commit to a timeline…it really came across as though no one knew what was going on. But, Luck has been throwing the football and it appears he is a full go for training camp. If he’s healthy, he’s easily the best quarterback in the division.

But, if he’s not as healthy as we think, or if he struggles to get back into his groove, we could see a rather slow year out of Luck. Plus, the offense around him is rather unproven, and they are under a new head coach in Frank Reich. I think that move was made for the better, but rather or not we see that immediately in 2018 is a mystery.

If Luck’s healthy, he’s #1. If not, he could be as low as 4th in this division.

Marcus Mariota

A lot of smart football guys recognize Mariota’s strengths and potential. They also recognize that he was probably hamstrung by a dated offensive philosophy and an offensive coordinator who lacked imagination as a play-caller. Part of his downgrading from last preseason is his injury history, too. Fair concerns, I’d say.

But, I like his pairing with new offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur who has done tremendous work with quarterbacks throughout his coaching career. This offense should look a lot different in 2018, and Mariota benefits from that. It’s not unreasonable to think he could transcend to the top of this division’s quarterbacks if he can stay healthy.

Deshaun Watson

If Watson can pick up where he left off as a rookie, then watch out for the Houston Texans. This guy was running away with the rookie of the year race when he went down last season. On the surface, he looks like one of the most electric young quarterbacks in the NFL. But, if you dig in a bit, you’ll see he was, at times, pretty reckless with the football.

You hear about the dreaded sophomore slump all the time, and if you subscribe to that idea, then it’s reasonable to think that he could be due for a setback. Sophomore slump or not, Watson still has to prove he can physically come back at 100%. Like the rest of this field, there are lingering questions about Watson.

Conclusion

It’s wild. Plain and simple. There’s a scenario for each of these guys to be the best quarterback in the division, and there’s a scenario where each guy could be the worst. If Luck returns to his proper form, he’s the guy. There’s no denying that. But, if he’s hurt, I think that door opens for someone else. The incumbent could reasonably be Watson, but if he’s not 100% or if he endures the dreaded sophomore slump, then Mariota could be the guy. But, what if Mariota doesn’t mesh with his new system as well as anticipated?

When all the dust settles, it’s entirely possible that Bortles is the last man standing. The quarterback position is a total wild card in the AFC South this year. Regardless, this division is going to be fun to watch.

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley

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