The AFC South hasn’t exactly been known for its collective quarterback play since Peyton Manning left the Indianapolis Colts after the 2011 season.
The Colts, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans have had their flashes of brilliance since, but never really at the same time.
With Carson Wentz going to the Colts, the Jaguars drafting Trevor Lawrence, and the Titans with reliable Ryan Tannehill, the AFC South may be more solid at quarterback than people think.
According to Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports, the AFC South is the fifth-best division in the NFL when it comes to quarterback play.
Tannehill has erased memories of an uneven start to his career with each and every Titans start, serving as the ever-steady hand of a bruising and underrated offense. Wentz stumbled all over himself on a bad Eagles team in 2020, but couple his physical skill set with a comforting change of scenery, and he’s bound to be a top 15 QB again. Lawrence has the makeup of a future star, but stuck in a Jacksonville rebuild, he may start slow. The Texans are the chief reason for the South ranking this low: Watson is a top 10 talent but remains intent on being traded regardless of whether his legal matters result in a suspension, so Taylor — the serviceable but overly conservative insurance plan — figures to open 2021 under center.
The real wild-card are the Texans. Watson may never play a down for the Texans in 2021, let alone for the rest of his career. The Texans may be committed to Taylor for Week 1 against the Jaguars, but the coaching staff under first-year coach David Culley may want to see what third-round rookie Davis Mills has to offer.
One can only wonder how far up in the rankings the AFC South would be if Watson indeed was the Texans’ starting quarterback.
