Getty C.J. Stroud left Lamar Jackson off his list of the top 5 NFL quarterbacks
The buildup to the Divisional Round matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans has been very low on drama.
The teams have had plenty of positive things to say about each other, but a C.J. Stroud list of the NFL’s top 5 quarterbacks from April of 2023 could at least give the Ravens a little bit of bulletin board material.
The list, which Stroud shared with the “Caps Off” podcast, included Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, and Justin Fields.
https://x.com/TheGameDayNFL/status/1651304149458223120?s=20
The inclusion of Fields was definitely a surprise, especially since it meant leaving off some notable names. One of those was Lamar Jackson.
At the time, Stroud couldn’t have had any way to know that he’d be playing Jackson in a playoff game less than a year later.
He hadn’t even been drafted yet and any team that selected him would have been among the worst in the league the previous season.
Still, it’s a list that looks particularly bad after the way Jackson played in 2023 and now it has resurfaced on social media because of the upcoming playoff matchup.
Jackson Made the List Look Bad in 2023
At the time the list was made, putting Jackson in the fifth spot just ahead of players like Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert would have been completely reasonable.
Now there’s little doubt that he belongs in the top 3.
Jackson had a stellar 2023 regular season. His completion percentage took a big leap all the way up to 67.2%. He set a career high in passing yards while remaining a huge threat on the ground with 821 rushing yards.
He was responsible for 29 total touchdowns and led the offense with the league’s fourth most points in 2023.
Jackson has already earned a spot in the Pro Bowl and a First Team All-Pro nod and a massive favorite to win the MVP.
He did all of this despite not having Mark Andrews for six of the games that he played in this season.
When the 2024 QB class is inevitably asked the same question, there won’t be any leaving Jackson off of their list.
Is Stroud a Future Member of the List?
As Jackson has spent the 2023 season putting his abilities on display, Stroud has done some impressing of his own.
As he prepared for the draft, there was some uncertainty about Stroud in spite of a strong college career.
A lot of that uncertainty stemmed from the recent history of Ohio State QBs in the NFL and led to some belief that he might not even be the second QB off the board.
He has quickly proven there was no reason for any uncertainty about him.
Stroud put together one of the best rookie seasons in NFL history.
In just 15 games, Stroud threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns while only throwing 5 interceptions.
He did that with a team that had one of the NFL’s worst offenses in 2022, averagin just 17 points per game.
The team was also expected to be one of the worst in football in 2023.
Instead, Stroud led the team to an AFC South title and became the youngest QB to lead his team to a playoff win.
It’s obviously too early to be grouping Stroud with players like Jackson, Mahomes, and Allen, but with the way his career has started, it might not be long before his name is being included on these lists.