20. Jacoby Brissett, Indianapolis Colts
Honestly, the fact that Jacoby Brissett is this high up on the list is noteworthy. We’re talking about a guy who was acquired by the Indianapolis Colts only days before the start of the 2017-2018 NFL season, and was tasked with replacing starter Andrew Luck at quarterback, while playing behind one of the most depleted offensive lines in the NFL. Brissett has absolutely had his share of struggles this season, but as the year has gone on, and as he’s gotten more experience (2016 was just his rookie year), he’s had moments where he looks like he belongs in this league.
19. Tyrod Taylor, Buffalo Bills
Despite the fact that the Buffalo Bills have gone 5-4 in the games that Tyrod Taylor has started at quarterback for them (after an offseason where they basically jettisoned Taylor’s entire pass-catching staff), the Bills decided to bench Taylor in favor of rookie Nathan Peterman for Taylor. That moved turned out to be such a disaster — in the form of a 54-24 thrashing by the Los Angeles Chargers — that the Bills went right back to Taylor for the next game. Still, it looks like Taylor and the Bills are likely to part ways after the 2017-2018 season is over this January.
18. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals
Through the early parts of the season, it looked like Andy Dalton’s time in Cincinnati was coming to a close, and that it was just a matter of time before the Bengals parted ways with him during the offseason. Cincinnati had started the season with an 0-2 record, and couldn’t score a touchdown. But since Bill Lazor took over as offensive coordinator of the Bengals, in place of the fired Ken Zampese, Andy Dalton’s 16 passing touchdowns rank fifth in the NFL. The problem is, he’s still too in love with his checkdown passes; his 216 yards passing per game is good for 24th among all quarterbacks.