The 2026 NFL Draft is in the books, and the biggest wave of free agency is over. That makes it a perfect time to take stock of NFL rosters as we head toward the 2026 season. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be looking at the quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends for all 32 NFL Teams. I’ll be ranking each unit 1-16 in their conference. When it comes to taking stock of the whole unit, it’s not just about star power but depth. Today, it’s the first half of the draw among AFC QB rooms. Teams appear in ascending order.
#16 Pittsburgh Steelers
On the Roster: Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and Drew Allar
About: The elephant (not) in the room for the Steelers is Aaron Rodgers, who is still unsigned. He finished as QB18 in 2025 and is familiar with the offense from his time playing for Mike McCarthy in Green Bay. If he comes back and signs, this room gets a boost. But, for now, I’m leaving it at the bottom based on who is there. Rudolph has starting experience, while the other two are later-round draft picks who’ve never played a down. McCarthy continues to praise Howard, who would presumably be the starter if Rodgers doesn’t return. But that doesn’t leave me with an overwhelming sense of confidence. If Rodgers doesn’t return, this is likely the worst quarterback room in the league.
#15 Miami Dolphins
On the Roster: Malik Willis, Quinn Ewers, Cam Miller, and Mark Gronowski
About: The Dolphins really aren’t much better. If pressed, I prefer the potential upside of Willis over Rudolph. Ewers also had a few starts in 2025, which gives him an edge on Howard. Though I would prefer Allar to Miller, I think the Dolphins have just enough to have a slight edge. But both these units are worse than what we have with the Cardinals, my #16 team for the NFC. Willis was a disaster with the Titans—the team that drafted him. But in two years, and a couple of crucial starts, he looked like an ace backup for the Packers. That was enough for him to get a shot in Miami, where he doesn’t have the most inspiring supporting cast. But Willis has some upside, so it could work.
#14 New York Jets
On the Roster: Geno Smith, Cade Klubnik, Brady Cook, and Bailey Zappe
About: The Jets are the best room on this list so far, which isn’t a high bar. Yes, Smith was a disaster in Las Vegas in 2025, but he has been a solid starter in Seattle. He’s by far the most experienced player in these three rooms at this point. He’s thrown for more than 22,000 yards and 124 touchdowns. There’s also still a chance the Jets add Russell Wilson, which would give them a pair of experienced quarterbacks. If not, the depth here is a question. Klubnik was a late-round rookie pick, Cook is lightly experienced, and Zappe is a journeyman, though he does at least have some starting experience. Still, I think I’d take the Cardinals’ room over the Jets.
#13 Cleveland Browns
On the Roster: Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, and Taylen Green
About: What will the Browns do at quarterback? That’s the big question this off-season. As rookies, both Gabriel and Sanders started at times. The team also has Watson back, presumably healthy, after an Achilles injury ended his 2024 season. Rumors suggest he’s back in the driver’s seat to be QB1, which makes sense given his experience, the financial commitment, and his potential upside. But it’s been a long while since Watson was playing at that level. It was a mixed bag with Gabriel and Sanders, but both have experience. Green, meanwhile, feels like a development pick. While the Browns can boast of having two Pro-Bowl quarterbacks in this room, it’s hard to feel like they’re much better than the Jets at this point. Again, I would probably take the Cardinals over them, meaning the bottom of the AFC feels much weaker than the bottom of the NFC.
#12 Indianapolis Colts
On the Roster: Daniel Jones, Anthony Richardson, Riley Leonard, and Seth Henigan
About: Assuming Jones is healthy enough to play, this room is better than those below it. If Jones starts the year on PUP and the Colts roll with Richardson and Leonard, this ranking could be too high. Richardson still has upside and has shown flashes. But he’s wildly inconsistent, and it’s clear the coaching staff soured on him. Leonard, meanwhile, was solid in his one start, but the team had so little faith in him last year they brought in 44-year-old Philip Rivers to start. Those are ominous signs. Jones was great before his 2025 injury, but he has a long road to recovery ahead. Either way, a healthy Jones is better than anyone on the Cardinals, but the Cardinals have better depth. It would be a coin flip for me among those two, though I’d lean toward Arizona for the depth.
#11 Tennessee Titans
On the Roster: Cam Ward, Mitch Trubisky, Will Levis, and Hendon Hooker
About: This is a solid room. It’s not spectacular, but it’s solid. And it boasts a couple of backups with starting experience who were once high draft picks, plus a great development piece in Hooker. A lot of the upside of this unit comes down to Ward, who finished as QB22 in 2025. Now he has an improved supporting cast and Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll. That gives this group some strong upside heading into the 2026 season.
#10 Jacksonville Jaguars
On the Roster: Trevor Lawrence, Nick Mullens, Carter Bradley, and Joey Aguilar
About: Lawrence is the best starter on the list so far. He finished as QB4 on the season, helping guide the Jaguars to 13 wins. But this is about the strength of the whole. Lawrence was enough to help lift the Jaguars to the ten spot, but the lack of depth keeps them from rising higher. Yes, Mullens has some experience starting. But his performance has been spotty at best, especially in his last stop in Minnesota. That doesn’t leave me confident that it would be a smooth transition if Lawrence missed time. Bradley and Aguilar are just development players, so the Jaguars don’t have much of anything behind Lawrence. He’s great, but this unit lacks depth.
#9 Denver Broncos
On the Roster: Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham, and Sam Ehlinger
About: No team knows better what it means when you lack depth at quarterback than the Broncos. The team advanced to the AFC Championship Game but lost Nix in the process. In snowy conditions, the Broncos’ defense kept it close, but Stidham couldn’t get the team past the Patriots. And yet, even as there are questions about Nix’s recovery and his second ankle procedure, the Broncos are rolling into the season with the exact same group at quarterback. It’s not a bad group, but it feels like there are limitations in the depth. So, the Broncos are the top team in the bottom half, but not good enough for me to put them in the AFC Top 8.
Matthew Fox is a die-hard NFL fan and Broncos’ homer. He’s a member of the FSWA. You can find more from him on Twitter @knighthawk7734 or as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast, a part of the Campus2Canton Network.
