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 from 1 to 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 top half of the draw in the NFC QB room. Teams appear in ascending order.
#8: Seattle Seahawks
On the Roster: Sam Darnold, Drew Lock, and Jalen Milroe
About: Darnold had a great 2025 season. He finished as QB13 on the season and saved some of his best work for the playoffs, where he guided the Seahawks to the Super Bowl. Behind him is a veteran backup in Lock and a developmental guy in Milroe, who is entering his second season. This is also one of the few teams that returns everyone in the room from 2025. It’s not the most spectacular room, but it’s solid and has good depth. That’s good enough to make the top half of the draw in the NFC.
#7: Chicago Bears
On the Roster: Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, Case Keenum, and Miller Moss
About: Williams took some steps forward in the second year. That’s promising. And behind him, the Bears have an underrated backup in Bagent and a strong veteran presence in Keenum. That makes for a team that goes three deep with quality options at the position. I have them a touch higher than Seattle, thanks to the ceiling for Williams. That could also be the reason this unit slips. But Williams has more upside, especially with Ben Johnson, than Darnold. He was QB6 in 2025 and could build on that. But if he becomes more erratic, this could be too high.
#6: Detroit Lions
On the Roster: Jared Goff, Teddy Bridgewater, and Luke Altmyer
About: This is about Goff, his performance, his consistency, and how he fits with a good Lions’ offense. It’s also about the fact that, with Bridgewater, this team has a solid backup in case something happens. Altmyer is a development prospect that might not make the roster, so the Lions don’t have the depth of some teams. But I liked the pairing of Goff and Bridgewater enough to land them at sixth.
#5: Washington Commanders
On the Roster: Jayden Daniels, Marcus Mariota, Athan Kaliakmanis, and Sam Hartman
About: Daniels didn’t have a great sophomore season. The Commanders struggled on offense, and Daniels struggled to stay on the field. As a result, the team slumped in the standings. But Daniels has incredible upside—which is part of what led the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game following the 2024 season. And Mariota is a solid, capable backup who steered the ship for much of the 2025 season. The rest of the room is development guys who may or may not make the final roster. But the pairing of Daniels and Mariota has enough upside to crack the Top 5 here.
#4: San Francisco 49ers
On the Roster: Brock Purdy, Mac Jones, Kurtis Rourke, and Adrian Martinez
About: The 49ers are another team set to return its room in 2025. And it’s a good room. The 49ers are arguably the only team with two NFL starters. Purdy might not have the ceiling of some, but he’s an underrated starter. Due to missed time, he was just QB24 last year, but he averaged 20.8 points per game. And Jones has proven to be one of the best backups in the league, and a guy who drew some interest to be a team’s QB1 this offseason. That’s a great pairing. Rourke and Martinez are backups and development players, but the 49ers have a great duo to lead the room.
#3: Dallas Cowboys
On the Roster: Dak Prescott, Sam Howell, and Joe Milton III
About: The Cowboys still have starter Prescott and Milton, whom they traded for last offseason. Now they’ve added Howell, who, despite a rough couple of years, at one point in time had a lot of experience as a starter for the Commanders. Can he find his form in Dallas? I think it’s possible. And in Prescott, this team has a solid, Top 10 starting option, finishing as QB5 in 2025. I like the room for the Cowboys and all the options they have at the position. With the upside of Dak, I felt strong enough to place them in the Top 3.
#2: Los Angeles Rams
On the Roster: Matthew Stafford, Ty Simpson, Stetson Bennett IV, and Matthew Caldwell
About: It was hard to do better than Stafford in 2025. He was the NFL MVP and finished as QB3. Behind him, the team spent a First-Round pick on Simpson, a prospect that was regarded as a project but with plenty of upside. It was clear that Rams’ Head Coach Sean McVay also has a high regard for Bennett, a development player snagged a few years ago. So, I have some good feelings about the room’s depth. That, combined with the returning MVP, is enough to put the Rams right up at the top, but not quite THE top.
#1: Philadelphia Eagles
On the Roster: Jalen Hurts, Tanner McKee, Andy Dalton, and Cole Payton
About: This isn’t just about Hurts. If it were just measuring the starting quarterback, the Eagles wouldn’t be first. In fact, there are probably more questions about Hurts being the long-term answer this offseason than in previous years. This is about the group’s strength. And while Hurts has some questions to answer, he’s still been productive. He won a Super Bowl and was QB8 in 2025. Behind him, the Eagles have McKee, who looked good when asked to step in during the 2024 season. They also traded for Dalton, one of the league’s best veteran backup quarterbacks. To have two starter-level replacements available is a luxury. The team added a development player in Payton in this year’s draft. While he’s intriguing, it’s the strength of the top three options combined that land the Eagles on top in the NFC for me.
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.
