NFL teams
Mike Sando, ESPN Senior Writer 9y

QBs who have over-, underachieved

NFL

It's hard to fault Johnny Manziel for appearing frustrated as the weeks pass without the Cleveland Browns' rookie quarterback getting a shot at the starting job. Brian Hoyer -- cast before the season as a veteran placeholder with moderate upside -- has surpassed expectations through Week 8.

Hoyer is not alone. Quarterback production across the league has surged to the point that "good" stats appear only average. The number of QBs slogging through poor seasons has plummeted.

That is the context for this initial look at how quarterbacks are performing in relation to where they stood in our 2014 preseason QB Tiers project. That project used ratings from 26 coaches and evaluators to place the projected starting QBs into five tiers, with Tier 1 reserved for the best of the best. Hoyer is among the QBs outperforming their preseason ranking. Matt Ryan and others appear to be lagging some, but appearances are deceiving in some cases.

I've reconnected with a few "QB Tiers" voters for an updated look at these quarterbacks heading into Week 9.

^ Back to Top ^