Jalen Hurts inside top 5 of Touchdown Wire’s 2023 NFL Starting QB Rankings
NFL training camps are opening this week across the league and former Oklahoma Sooners will be looking to build on their 2022 performances.
The Sooners have several high-profile players at the league’s most important position in Jalen Hurts, Baker Mayfield, and Kyler Murray. Hurts is coming off a breakout 2022 season where he helped lead the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl.
The former Crimson Tide and Sooners quarterback had an MVP-like season and put on an epic performance, going touchdown for touchdown with the guy who won the award, Patrick Mahomes.
After an incredible season for the Eagles, Hurts is now considered among the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
Touchdown Wire’s Natalie Miller put him at No. 4 in her preseason ranking of every starting quarterback in the NFL ahead of the 2023 season.
Just barely missing out on an MVP trophy because of an injury that cost him two games and a freakishly good season by Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts looks primed to perhaps steal the spotlight. Already one of the most dangerous superstars in the league, Hurts has all the tools and an offense around him that puts him in a fantastic position to reach new heights as a passer and playmaker. – Miller, Touchdown Wire
Hurts has done nothing but improve every year he’s played the position in high school. The sky’s the limit for the dual-threat quarterback, and the ceiling won’t slow down his progression.
Baker Mayfield, on the other hand, is trying to build off what was a unique 2022. He was traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Carolina Panthers and, after struggling in Carolina, signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Rams. With the Rams, Mayfield looked more comfortable and was far more productive. He even orchestrated an incredible 98-yard drive in the final two minutes to help Los Angeles beat the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football in his first start with the Rams. His success under head coach Sean McVay helped Mayfield earn an opportunity to start with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023.
Mayfield comes in at No. 27 on Touchdown Wire’s rankings.
It was certainly a tale of two seasons for Mayfield who utterly fumbled an opportunity with the Carolina Panthers but then miraculously revived his career with a steady stint starting for the Los Angeles Rams. Which Baker will show up in Tampa Bay? That is the question that remains going into the season. – Miller, Touchdown Wire
The former Heisman winner has a fantastic situation to resurrect his career in Tampa Bay. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are two of the better wide receivers in the league and form a tremendous duo. The Bucs also have an offensive line that should provide Mayfield enough time to be comfortable in the pocket to deliver downfield strikes.
Like Hurts, never count Mayfield down until he’s out.
As for Kyler Murray, he wasn’t included in the rankings because he’s not expected to be available to start the season after suffering an ACL tear at the end of last season. It’ll be former Texas Longhorns star quarterback Colt McCoy taking first-team reps in training camp for the Cardinals.
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