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Ranking every NFL team's quarterback situation following the 2018 draft

There’s been a lot of talk in recent years about a shortage of talent at the quarterback position, but following the 2018 NFL draft, pretty much every team in he league believes it has a franchise quarterback on the roster. Which teams are right, and which ones need a reality check?

Let’s rank every team’s quarterback situation heading into the 2018 season. Teams are ranked based on the current starter, the backup and the future outlook. Salary is also factored in.

32. Denver Broncos

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

After Denver neglected the quarterback position in a loaded NFL draft, it looks like it’s Case Keenum or bust for the next two seasons. The Paxton Lynch-Chad Kelly battle for the No. 2 spot will be entertaining to watch, but not for Broncos fans.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville is stuck with Blake Bortles for the next two years and decided it wasn’t a good idea to give him some legitimate competition this offseason. If Cody Kessler is considered legitimate competition for your starter, you need a new starter.

30. Buffalo Bills

When you’re banking on a quarterback who couldn’t complete 60% of his passes in the Mountain West, your quarterback situation isn’t very good. AJ McCarron is a career backup, and the Chargers picked off Nathan Peterman twice in the time it took you to read this sentence.

29. Cincinnati Bengals

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Andy Dalton is a fine starter, but he’s not going to take this team to the playoffs on his own. Matt Barkley being the backup drags Cincy down a few spots.

28. Washington Redskins

Alex Smith is an upgrade over Kirk Cousins, but he’s 33 and making a lot of money. Washington will need to find its quarterback of the future in next year’s draft.

27. Baltimore Ravens

Joe Flacco is overpaid, Lamar Jackson is a major project and RGIII is, well, RGIII. Baltimore could be three years away from getting good quarterback play — if Jackson pans out.

26. Houston Texans

This is probably the biggest surprise on the list. But Deshaun Watson’s tape is full of red flags and tearing an ACL for a second time should be a major concern for the Texans. An even bigger concern: The possibility of Brandon Weeden starting football games if Watson isn’t back for Week 1.

25. Kansas City Chiefs

We’re high on Patrick Mahomes after seeing him play in Week 17 last season, but he’s going to be a boom-or-bust guy for the next few years and the Chiefs do not have a solid backup if he gets hurt. No, Chad Henne does not count as a solid backup.

24. Chicago Bears

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We’re not sleeping on Mitchell Trubisky, who had a better rookie season than he’s getting credit for because his numbers weren’t great, but nobody knows what he’ll develop into. And Chase Daniel is only considered a good backup if he doesn’t have to play.

23. Oakland Raiders

Derek Carr is young, but he’s also one of the highest-paid players in the league and has yet to produce an above average yards-per-attempt in his career. We weren’t very high on him even before a bad 2017 season. EJ Manuel is a solid backup, but Carr’s salary makes it difficult to rank Oakland any higher.

22. Cleveland Browns

Tyrod Taylor is a good bridge quarterback, but Baker Mayfield is too big of a question mark for us to move Cleveland ahead of teams with an established starter.

21. Miami Dolphins

On one hand, Ryan Tannehill is an underrated franchise quarterback who is still young. On the other hand, he’s coming off two serious knee injuries and may never be the same. Brock Osweiler being the backup isn’t helping matters.

20. New York Jets

We loved the Sam Darnold pick, but he’ll need some time to fix his mechanics before he can be an effective starter. Josh McCown is good locker room presence but little more. And who knows what to expect from Teddy Bridgewater. Check back in a year and the Jets could be a lot higher on this list.

19. Los Angeles Rams

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Ignore the low ranking, Rams fans. Your teams has a solid quarterback situation. Jared Goff has some accuracy issues, but he should develop into a top-10 quarterback in a year or two. Los Angeles would rank higher if it had a better backup.

18. Tennessee Titans

Thankfully, Tennessee came to its senses and parted ways with Mike Mularkey before he could completely derail Marcus Mariota’s career. Getting Luke Falk late in the draft should finally give the Titans a good backup option.

17. New York Giants

Eli Manning is overpaid, but he remains a solid starter as his Giants career winds down. New York landed one of the steals of the draft by taking Kyle Lauletta in the fourth round. He’ll be a long-time starter in this league.

16. San Francisco 49ers

Let’s pump the brakes on the Jimmy Garoppolo hype a bit. His footwork and erratic deep ball accuracy are legitimate issues that could prevent him from playing up to the massive contract he signed this offseason. As we saw last season, if C.J. Beathard has to play, the offense is in trouble.

15. Dallas Cowboys

Based on all the talk this offseason, you’d think Dak Prescott was one of the worst quarterbacks in 2017. He was actually pretty good outside of a three-game stretch in November. In fact, these rankings might be underrating him. The backup situation isn’t very good, though — no matter how delusional Cowboys fans are about Cooper Rush.

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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It’s easy to forget Jameis Winston is still only 24. And while injuries wrecked his 2017 season, he played a lot better than people realize, setting career highs in completion percentage (63.8%), yards-per-attempt (7.9) and passer rating (92.2). Ryan Fitzpatrick is one of the better backup options in the league.

13. Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota gave $84 million guaranteed to a slightly above-average quarterback who they’ll have to re-sign to another monster deal in a few years. Not ideal. But Kirk Cousins is a serviceable starter and Trevor Siemian is a serviceable backup. A lot of teams would trade their QB situation for what the Vikings are working with.

12. New Orleans Saints

How many more years does Drew Brees have left in him? That uncertainty is the only reason why the Saints aren’t higher. Brees remains one of the league’s best. There just isn’t anything behind him.

11. Pittsburgh Steelers

Even after drafting Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh should be in the market for Ben Roethlisberger’s replacement. Rudolph doesn’t have a strong arm and isn’t the most accurate quarterback. He’s big, but that’s where the similarities to Roethlisberger end.

10. Arizona Cardinals

We might be underrating the Cardinals. Sam Bradford is a good quarterback when healthy. Josh Rosen gives them hope for the future. Mike Glennon isn’t a starter but might be the best QB3 in the league.

9. Detroit Lions

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Detroit is in major trouble if Matthew Stafford gets hurt. Matt Cassel and Jake Ruddock aren’t winning this team any games. But the Lions make the top 10 despite the lack of depth thanks to Stafford, who is still relatively young.

8. Atlanta Falcons

Matt Ryan remains one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but he’s about to break the team’s salary cap and the backup is Matt Schaub. Yes, Matt Schaub is still being paid by an NFL team. Crazy, I know.

7. Los Angeles Chargers

Philip Rivers is a top-tier quarterback but he’s nearing the end of his career, which leaves the Chargers’ future in doubt. Geno Smith is an underrated backup, so Los Angeles doesn’t drop too far down.

6. Carolina Panthers

Carolina has nothing behind Cam Newton, but he’s good enough to drag the team into the top 10. Is there a more under-appreciated quarterback in the league? The Panthers give him no receivers to work with, ask him to lead the running game, and he’s managed to lead them to the playoffs four of the last five years.

5. New England Patriots

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Until Tom Brady shows some sign of decline, we’ll consider him the best QB in the league. New England failed to land a quarterback of the future in the 2018 NFL draft, which knocks it down a few spots. Not too far, though. Brady is still saying he’ll play into his mid-40s, and we’re not going to doubt him.

4. Indianapolis Colts

Obviously, this ranking is based on the assumption that Andrew Luck will fully recover from the shoulder injury and look like the quarterback we saw in 2016. If Luck isn’t healthy, you can drop Indy down about 20 spots. Jacoby Brissett is a solid backup but nothing more.

3. Seattle Seahawks

Russell Wilson is the only reason Seattle lands near the top of this list. There isn’t much behind him on the depth chart. Signing Colin Kaepernick might push the Seahawks to the very top.

2. Philadelphia Eagles

Sure, Carson Wentz’s knee injury is worrisome, but he should be able to bounce back. He’s young and still on a modest deal. Having a Super Bowl MVP in Nick Foles lurking on the bench is a real luxury.

1. Green Bay Packers

(AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

Aaron Rodgers, the most talented quarterback in the league, still has a handful of elite seasons left in him, and DeShone Kizer got a raw deal in Cleveland and will get better coaching in Green Bay. He’s a major upgrade over Brett Hundley as the backup.

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