Washington Football Team: Should Ryan Fitzpatrick feel disrespected by The Athletic’s QB rankings?
By Jerry Trotta
The Washington Football Team has really done everything in their power to divide fans over the last three decades. That includes poor roster construction, questionable decisions from ownership, and the scandal detailing the toxic work culture associated with the franchise.
While on a much smaller and less significant scale (that can’t be understated), this narrative continued when they signed veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick in free agency to be their starting quarterback for the 2021 season.
Fitzpatrick is widely respected around the NFL but was he the quarterback fans were hoping for when free agency started? After all, with a vaunted defense and improved offensive personnel, Washington was pegged as one of the top landing spots for free agent QBs.
Having said that, this was a low-risk, high-reward signing for the Football team in that it gives them the flexibility to splurge on a superstar next offseason.
Despite the obvious upside that comes with Fitzpatrick’s arrival, his ranking among NFL quarterbacks doesn’t reflect that. The Athletic recently polled 50 league coaches and talent evaluators to determine their QB tiers for the 2021 campaign.
Fitzpatrick was listed in the third tier at No. 23 overall. Should he feel slighted?
https://twitter.com/TheAthleticNFL/status/1422543775532929026
Should Ryan Fitzpatrick feel slighted by The Athletic’s QB rankings?
It’s tough to say. Here are the quarterbacks listed in tier three, which starts at No. 15 overall: Derek Carr, Ben Roethlisberger, Baker Mayfield, Kirk Cousins, Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, Jimmy Garoppolo and Daniel Jones, with Fitzpatrick rounding out the group at No. 23.
Let’s get one thing out of the way. We fully understand Fitzpatrick’s limitations as a starting quarterback. His accuracy sometimes leaves a lot to be desired, as does his decision-making, and he’s never been to the playoffs over his 16 years in the league.
Having said that, we’re still talking about a QB who’s aged like fine wine and even exceeded expectations with the Dolphins last season. If this ranking is purely based off last year’s performance, Fitzpatrick should at least be ranked a few spots higher.
For the year, Fitz completed 68.5% of his passes for 2,091 yards, and 13 touchdowns to eight interceptions. He also posted a 95.3 passer rating and averaged 7.8 yards per attempt…while being thrown in and out of the starting lineup amid Tua Tagovailoa’s struggles.
If the Dolphins didn’t have massive stock in Tagovailoa, Fitzpatrick would’ve started the entire season and posted numbers that would’ve helped his case.
Where did Ryan Fitzpatrick land in The Athletic’s tiered QB rankings? https://t.co/3Ut4H28S68
— Commanders Wire (@Washington_Wire) August 4, 2021
We’re not going to try to argue that Fitzpatrick should be ranked higher than Carr, Cousins and Mayfield. All three gunslingers performed better than the 38-year-old, and Mayfield led the Browns to their first playoff berth since 2002 in a loaded AFC.
What we will argue, however, is that Fitzpatrick could be higher than either one of Goff, Roethlisberger, Wentz, Garoppolo and Jones. For starters, the Rams were in a hurry to move off Goff this offseason, while Roethlisberger was clearly holding the Steelers back.
Garoppolo played just six games. Jones’ inclusion is absolutely mystifying, and Wentz was arguably the worst quarterback in the league.
In sum, Fitz should absolutely feel disrespected by these rankings. While his spot in the third tier was accurate, he was markedly better than some of the QBs he was listed behind. Not only that, but he’s positioned for success in Washington. Put some respect on his name.
