This article is a part of our series, NFL QB Archetypes.
There is a certain fringe category of QBs that are in between average, and elite. We call them “good”.
Good QBs
“Good” QBs are quarterbacks that are better than average QBs at certain key things (think scrambling, arm strength, pre-snap), but either
- not elite enough at those things to be considered elite, or
- Lacking in other key traits that prevents them from being fully elite.
Brock Purdy is a good example of this.
Kirk Cousins is another good example of this.
For example, Brock Purdy has very good anticipation on his throws, and his scrambling ability is better than the average QB.
What prevents Purdy from being an Elite QB (specifically, in the Elite Play Executor category) is that his sheer arm strength is lacking. He doens’t have a weak arm, but it is not strong.
This means that his explosive play ability is actually not as great as it could be (even though Purdy can still throw downfield).
This throw against the Chiefs in 2024 demonstrates this perfectly : https://www.49ers.com/video/brock-purdy-san-francisco-49ers-george-kittle-kansas-city-chiefs He underthrew Kittle (and afterwards threw an interception in the endzone!)
And because of his arm strength limitations, he has to anticipate his throws (as in, guess where the defender will go and throw the ball), and/or he also tends to throw with a high arc instead of throwing a bullet. He has to do this frequently. This is what causes him to throw interceptions.
If Purdy had the arm strength to throw a bullet, he would maximize certain downfield throws, and be less vulnerable to certain defensive looks (whether it’d be tight man coverage, or zone defenders that can take advantage of his decision making).
Kirk Cousins proved he was good – better than average – with how he was able to lead the Commander to the playoffs in 2016, and how in 2022 the Vikings won many games despite their terrible defense. He has good traits – he can execute the offense, has good command of the playbook, can change plays – but what prevents him from being elite often is on certain situational football plays (Cousins improved his primetime performances over the years, to his credit, but he used to notoriously struggle in primetime), and his occasional inconsistency.
The Jared Goff Dilemma
Jared Goff is interesting. Many will call him average, others will say he’s good but not great. There’s arguments for both.
He is a great play executor: he has the arm strength to make all the throws, his footwork is generally good.
But other areas – like his mobility, sack avoidance, throw on the run, and being consistently good against the blitz – have been lacking. So in this area he would seem average.
The argument for him being good is that when the playcalls are good and going well, he is really good – as in, better than how most average QBs play in a good situation. For instance, in 2017 and 2018 with the Rams, there was a time he was in the MVP race. He also led the Rams to the Super Bowl in 2018 – and you can genuinely say he led them there since star receiver Cooper Kupp got injured and star running back Todd Gurley was playing with arthritis.
So it’s an interesting debate.
Conclusion
There are plenty of other QBs who fit this bill – this article will be uploaded with more examples in the future.
