Battle Red Blog
This is the time of year where hot takes, crazy speculation and comments taken out of context turn into overblown national headlines. People want to talk football and in the absence of large quantities of news, stories are often manufactured for the sake of having a story.
Alongside those sorts of things, we get W-L predictions and Ranking lists. In the case of the latter, I present to you the PFF Quarterback Rankings: All 32 starters ahead of the 2026 NFL season.
At first glance, it shouldn’t surprise too many people that Buffalo Bill’s quarterback Josh Allen sits at the top of the list. Allen, who might be the modern equivalent of Dan Marino, or more accurately, Jim Kelly, is an amazing QB, no doubt. However, like Marino, Kelly and several other league leading field generals, he’s yet to put a ring on it.
Upon first glance, my expectation for Stroud on this list was somewhere between 8-10. But, as I scrolled down, I saw names like Justin Herbert, Drake Maye and Dan Prescott fill that range. Prescott? Really? Not sure on that one…
Scrolling a bit further than expected, the #17 slot finally filled my screen.
Stroud regressed significantly in 2025 as he continued to deal with poor pass protection and injuries. His 62.0 PFF passing grade ranked 34th among 43 qualifying quarterbacks, including the postseason. He also committed a career-high 23 turnover-worthy plays, 10 of which came in Houston’s two postseason games against Pittsburgh and New England.
The Texans’ offensive line should improve after the additions they made this offseason, but Stroud will still need to handle pressure better in 2026. His 35.5 PFF passing grade under pressure ranked fourth-worst among qualifying quarterbacks. He also tied for the league lead in interceptions thrown under pressure (8). If Stroud can regain his confidence behind a revamped offensive line, Houston could be a Super Bowl contender.
In light of their proprietary system giving Stroud some pretty low marks for last season, it’s understandable he fell down into middle-of-the-pack territory. And, let’s face it, based solely on last season’s stats, 17 might be generous.
However, PFF’s grades don’t always (in fact, rarely?) paint an accurate picture of a player. Particularly if they’re using just the prior season. On that basis, there were some years where Tom Brady, Steve Young and other Hall of Famers weren’t even top 15 worthy.
Where it gets wonky is PFF’s tunnel-vision as applied to Stroud. Looking at Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes for example. Mahomes also had a down year last season. However, he lands in 4th place here, based almost entirely on what he’d accomplished prior to 2025.
Now, make no mistake, Stroud has yet to show he’s the equal of Mahomes. And, he may never do that. But, grading 1 QB based on total career and another on their worst season makes things seem a little janky.
What do you think? Where does...
