The quarterback position in the AFC East is undergoing somewhat of a transition period. The Buffalo Bills let go of Ryan Fitzpatrick and brought in Kevin Kolb and then drafted E.J. Manuel. The New York Jets drafted Geno Smith to compete with the struggling Mark Sanchez. The Jets also tried to bring in veteran David Garrard but a nagging knee injury forced him to retire. The Jets let go of Tim Tebow as expected. Things are changing in the AFC East and the infusion of new talented quarterbacks will lead to intriguing quarterback competitions in training camp and throughout the season. Now I present my rankings for the AFC East quarterbacks.
1. Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Analysis: Anyone that would argue against Brady taking the top spot either does not watch football or is a Bills, Jets or Dolphins fan. Brady is still by far the best quarterback in the division and arguably the league. When he decides to hang them up, there is little doubt he will be wearing a gold jacket in Canton. The Patriots have completely owned the AFC East division rivals for over 12 years and the last time the Patriots did not win the division was the year Brady was injured. I won’t waste anymore of your time explaining why Brady is still the best in the East but let me just say Brady has had a remarkable career and he will continue to dominate for at least a few more years.
2. Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins
Analysis: After just one year it has become clear that Tannehill is the second best quarterback in the AFC East. The young gun-slinger did not put up amazing numbers in his rookie campaign but he showed enough poise and athletic ability to lead the Dolphins to a 7-9 record despite not having a lot of talent around him. Tannehill is in prime position to make the leap to become a top 10 quarterback in the next few years. He was largely over shadowed by the success of fellow rookies Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson but Tannehill has the ability and now the weapons to become one of the better young quarterbacks in the NFL. Tannehill must clean up his game before we crown him as the next Dan Marino but the kid has the potential to bring Miami back to the top of the East.
3. Mark Sanchez, New York Jets
Analysis: Sanchez takes third place by default. After last season I had a hard time not putting Sanchez last but because none of the rookies have shown what they can do yet and Kolb has never taken a team to an AFC Championship game, Sanchez wins by default. I can’t explain why Sanchez lost his mojo. Three short years ago he was leading the Jets to the AFC Championship game and clearly the second best quarterback in the division but now he’s lucky he still has a job. The Jets have a made a strong statement by drafting Smith out of West Virginia. Sanchez should be motivated to keep his starting job but if he fails to regain his swagger we might be seeing Smith’s name here instead.
4. Kevin Kolb, Buffalo Bills
Analysis: Manuel may be the better quarterback here but I could not justify putting a player that has not played a single NFL game ahead of Kolb. Kolb has had an inconsistent career to say the least, however he has shown enough to the Bills organization to earn a new contract. Kolb will likely get first shot at the starting quarterback job in Buffalo but don’t be surprised if Manuel is the opening day starter for the Bills. Buffalo passed on Smith and elected to go with Manuel with their first round pick, a move that shocked many experts. The Bills have showed their faith in Manuel and he will get every opportunity to take that starting job away from Kolb.