Jared Goff lands spot you'd expect in Chris Simms' quarterback ranking

Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK

Chris Simms is out with his quarterback rankings for 2023, and Jared Goff comes in just where you'd expect he would.

Some may lament Chris Simms' role as an analyst as a product of his last name, and his dad being Phil Simms. He often adds a layer to the vitriol with how he ranks quarterbacks, both the incoming rookie class and eventually the entire group of signal callers in the NFL every year.

Simms surely drew ire from a segment of Lions fans after this year's draft. He had the audacity to say rookie Hendon Hooker is more talented than Jared Goff. He also happens to be right, in a raw sense. But don't tell that to the Goff defenders and truthers who are out there, who were further incited by their perception Simms is not qualified to say such things.

If Goff gets a contract extension from the Lions in line with a rising market, his paycheck will say otherwise. But he is a mid-tier quarterback, if we're ranking NFL starters 1-32. When he's good, he can flirt with top-10. When he's bad, he's awful. Split the difference, and you get the middle.

Jared Goff lands in spot you'd expect in Chris Simms' 2023 quarterback ranking

Simm's overall quarterback ranking for this year is being rolled out in countdown format, as usual. There are certainly ways to take issue with it, as our friends over at The Viking Age did with Kirk Cousins' placement below another particular signal caller.

But Goff is right where he should be. He was No. 30 in Simms' ranking last year.

Credit to SI.com, here's what Simms said about Goff.

"The thing I love about him is, he’s fearless. He wants to stand in the pocket and make throws. He doesn’t have the sexiest release, it’s a little elongated at times, he doesn’t throw great spirals. But when you want a 20-yard crossing route, a 40-yard corner route, he’s a good deep ball thrower," said Simms. "He’s not afraid to throw the explosive, power throws into tight windows, and he doesn’t flinch when he does it. That made their offense very dangerous and tough to deal with last year.""
Chris Simms

Simms essentially said exactly why Goff is not higher in his ranking, and why he's not lower. In a nut shell, he's composed and able to make certain throws, but he's limited. Wanting to stand tough in the pocket is not quite the same as being awful under pressure, I suppose, but those things are a product of not being very mobile.

Goff's quarterback "porridge" is not too hot, and it's not too cold. It's right in the middle, and Simms' ranking reflects it just like many others do.

Schedule