David Carr’s totally unbiased QB rankings list places Derek Carr above Russell Wilson

Former Houston Texans quarterback and Super Bowl champion David Carr (you thought I was joking?) works for the NFL Network, and he recently put out a listicle ranking the NFL’s top-ten quarterbacks heading into 2018. I am happy to report that Carr has given Russell Wilson plenty of respect, ranking him at #5.

Here’s his blurb:

Wilson and Cam Newton are about the only two signal callers who can carry their teams without a lot of talent around them. Wilson is an accurate passer and a dangerous runner who picks up a lot of hidden yards. He scampers a few times and the next thing you know, he has 80 yards on the ground. That’s eight first downs. He’s the reason Seattle is still competitive with the roster it has.

Well that’s really nice. Sporting News actually ranked Wilson 3rd, so it’s really cool to see that the belief that Wilson is an elite quarterback is really catching on, and more analysts are beginning to see the light.

You’d figure that three of the four QBs ahead of Wilson in Carr’s rankings would be the future Hall-of-Fame triumvirate of Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Drew Brees, and you’d be correct! Who is #4, though? Well um... David Carr obviously thinks highly of his little brother.

Derek Carr, #4:

After all the hype of the offseason, the 2017 Raiders had a down year. Now with a new coaching staff, I believe the Raiders and Derek will get back to 2016 form. I’ve seen Derek and Jon Gruden interact, and Derek’s game is going to benefit tremendously from that move. And after watching several practices during OTAs, the offensive skill players really fit Derek’s style. Martavis Bryant is perfect for Derek, and Jordy Nelson will be a matchup nightmare as a slot receiver against CB2s and CB3s.

Derek had some back issues last year and I think he returned too quickly. Now healthy and able to go through an entire offseason, his mobility is back. Given that, along with Derek’s arm talent and ability to buy time behind a solid O-line, and I’m not sure how defenses will cover this dynamic offense.

David could’ve ranked Wilson #1 for all I care, but not a sensible person could possibly have Derek as a top-5 quarterback unless they were a superfan or literally related to him. He’s right to point out Derek did have an injury, buuuuuut what if I told you that he was eerily statistically similar to the oft-derided Blake Bortles in 2017?

His EPA (Expected Points Added) has been below NFL average in three of his four seasons, of which he’s only missed two regular season starts.

If Derek turns into a top-5 QB under Jon Gruden, fair play to him, but there’s no evidence that he belongs anywhere near the conversation.

At least David admitted his bias straight-up on Twitter.

And yes, he did leave Carson Wentz out because of the knee injury that will probably lead to Nick Foles starting for the Philadelphia Eagles to start the 2018 season. Carr also has Jimmy Garoppolo at #10 while Ben Roethlisberger isn’t there on the basis of “he has the most talented skill players in the league on his unit, and that pair -- Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell -- makes him look great 14 seasons in.”

Let’s put it this way, at least David Carr got us talking about him, and he’s given multiple websites outrage clicks thanks to his wacky top-10.