BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – JANUARY 11: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens throws against the Tennessee Titans during the AFC Divisional Playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
Plenty of NFL quarterbacks get too much credit when their teams win, but these five signal callers don’t get the adulation they deserve.
No single position gets more praise or criticism in the NFL than quarterback. Players who line up under center are placed under a microscope all season long. Somehow, there are still several quarterbacks around the league who manage to fly under the radar.
Every NFL starting signal caller is a household name. This list isn’t going to identify a player who fans aren’t familiar with. Instead, it’s designed to cast a light on five players who aren’t getting quite enough credit heading into the 2020 campaign.
Think of it as a list of players who are undervalued on the figurative stock marketing of starting quarterbacks. Buy relatively low on the following five players if you want to get on board these hype trains before they really get rolling.
5. Lamar Jackson
There’s still a large group of fans out there that believes Jackson is just a runner who completes an occasional deep ball. He may not be the most accurate thrower in the league, but it’s worth mentioning that he connected on 66.1% of his passes a season ago.
In other words, defense cannot afford to simply play Jackson as a runner. He’s a legitimate dual threat at the quarterback position. No one should be surprised to see his passing totals take another step forward this year as he grows even more comfortable with the Ravens’ offensive system.
It may seem strange to call a starting quarterback underrated who piloted his team to 13 wins in 15 starts last season. Jackson still isn’t mentioned in the same breath as guys like Brees and Brady by a lot of fans. That needs to change. He shouldn’t be penalized just because he plays the game differently than his peers. What he’s doing at the age of 23 is incredible by any measure of evaluation.