Sam Bradford set a new NFL record for completion percentage last year, completing on almost 72 percent of his passes. Impressive, considering the team’s offensive line problems. But Bradford didn’t connect on many passes downfield.
Usually, Bradford was playing hot-potato, trying to get the ball out of his hands before he got walloped, even if it was just for a short gain.
Bradford, in fact, averaged under 10 yards per completion. Of the other 30 quarterbacks who started at least half of the season, all averaged more yards per completion. That includes struggling starters such as Cody Kessler, Brock Osweiler and Blake Bortles.
Bradford’s completion percentage was impressive, but I’m still not sure that he’s one of the league’s 20 best quarterbacks.
| YARDS PER COMPLETION | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rk | Player | Avg |
| 1. | Matt Ryan, Atl. | 13.25 |
| 2. | Cam Newton, Car. | 13.00 |
| 3. | Philip Rivers, S.D. | 12.57 |
| 4. | Marcus Mariota, Tenn. | 12.41 |
| 5. | Andrew Luck, Ind. | 12.25 |
| 6. | Tom Brady, N.E. | 12.21 |
| 7. | Kirk Cousins, Wash. | 12.11 |
| 8. | Russell Wilson, Sea. | 11.95 |
| 9. | Ryan Fitzpatrick, NYJ | 11.89 |
| 10. | Jameis Winston, T.B. | 11.86 |
| 11. | Dak Prescott, Dall. | 11.79 |
| 12. | Trevor Siemian, Den. | 11.77 |
| 13. | Ben Roethlisberger, Pitt. | 11.64 |
| 14. | Carson Palmer, Ariz. | 11.63 |
| 15. | Andy Dalton, Cin. | 11.55 |
| 16. | Ryan Tannehill, Mia. | 11.48 |
| 17. | Colin Kaepernick, S.F. | 11.43 |
| 18. | Tyrod Taylor, Buff. | 11.24 |
| 19. | Case Keenum, L.A. | 11.23 |
| 20. | Matthew Stafford, Det. | 11.15 |
| 21. | Drew Brees, N.O. | 11.06 |
| 22. | Aaron Rodgers, G.B. | 11.04 |
| 23. | Derek Carr, Oak. | 11.03 |
| 24. | Cody Kessler, Clev. | 10.78 |
| 25. | Eli Manning, NYG | 10.68 |
| 26. | Alex Smith, K.C. | 10.68 |
| 27. | Blake Bortles, Jac. | 10.61 |
| 28. | Carson Wentz, Phil. | 9.98 |
| 29. | Joe Flacco, Balt. | 9.90 |
| 30. | Brock Osweiler, Hou. | 9.82 |
| 31. | Sam Bradford, Minn. | 9.82 |
—Ian Allan