Who is the best QB in the AFC North?
One of the MVP favourites, a former MVP, a young sophomore, and a player surrounded by controversy, the AFC North has it all.
This is a division with plenty of history and the four quarterbacks in this division are not short of creating headlines, but who is the best?
Here is a ranking of the four quarterbacks from one to four.
1. Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals)
There are a lot of first overall picks who have failed to live up to expectations, often labelled busts. Burrow is not one of them.
With a mentality reminiscent of Tom Brady, Burrow is fast becoming one of the best quarterbacks in the league as the city of Cincinnati has hope for the first time in years.
He has the potential to become the best in franchise history and could end the franchise’s long wait for a Super Bowl trophy.
With better performances comes more expectation and head coach Zac Taylor will want to make the most of Burrow being on his rookie deal.
Burrow is your prototype pocket passer and whilst he does not maybe have the arm of a Patrick Mahomes, what he has is accuracy and an ability to perform when it matters.
The only thing that holds him back is being behind a mediocre offensive line, however the unit improved from a year ago and the addition of Orlando Brown Jr could be the final piece in the jigsaw.
2. Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens)
One of the most talked about players this offseason, Lamar will hope he can repay the faith shown by the Ravens front office in giving him a new deal.
The career of Lamar since his 2019 MVP season has not been smooth sailing by any means, with injuries and playoff disappointment.
He finally has a wide receiver after much talk, but it is questionable whether Odell Beckham is enough to warrant a Super Bowl charge.
Whilst his passing is underrated by many, it remains to be seen if he will ever get back to previous form. Whatever side of the coin you look at Lamar, someone who divides opinion, he is clear above the other two quarterbacks in the division.
3. Kenny Pickett (Pittsburgh Steelers)
This selection over Watson may be a surprise, but Pickett showed signs towards the end of his 2022 rookie year of improvement.
With George Pickens to throw to, there is a young duo that can be in Pittsburgh for many years to come.
Pickett was criticised for his small hands pre-draft but he will want the chance to show in his sophomore year that he can make that jump.
4. Deshaun Watson (Cleveland Browns)
This may sound like a crazy decision to put Watson fourth, and the pre 2021 version would certainly be above Pickett and Lamar.
However, a lot has changed since then.
Watson made headlines off the field for all the wrong reasons, and was given a mammoth deal despite the controversy, which was not met with the best reception by NFL fans. This even caused many Browns fans to no longer support the team.
The Browns gave up a lot of draft capital to get Watson and along with the big deal, a lot was expected from Watson by the fanbase and front office.
What you got, was nothing short of extremely underwhelming. He threw for 1,102 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions in six games.
Whilst on the one hand, it is a small sample size and you can point to his rustiness, but if you pay the money that Cleveland did, you want results straight away and Watson did not offer that.
Out of all the current NFL starting quarterbacks that played at least five games in 2022, Watson had the highest salary per touchdown rate, and it was not even close.
Watson could easily improve in 2023 but for now, you have to put him down as bottom. In similar fashion to Lamar, you do not know if we will ever get the form of old back for Watson.