Bills star Josh Allen is recognized as one of the best QBs in the NFL

While there is some objectivity in NFL position rankings, some players are simply better than others, no matter how one may feel, we sometimes reach a point where it is difficult to definitively rank one player above another because the gap between them is so marginal. Rankings that do so often spark unintentional debates: instead of congratulating a player for being ranked third best in the league at his respective position, fans will argue about why he was ranked third In fact should have been placed at number 2.

This is why tiers are perhaps a more useful tool for ranking professional athletes. They eliminate semantic arguments about who ranks where and instead group players based on their overall talent and ability, which is useful both for painting a picture of how the author views individual players and for avoiding the headaches that come with discourse. CBS Sports analyst Will Brinson recently wrote his NFL quarterback tiers heading into the 2024 NFL season, naming just three signal-callers for his top tier: Kansas City Chiefs passer Patrick Mahomes, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, and Buffalo Bills franchise centerpiece Josh Allen.

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Allen’s inclusion, while objectively deserved, might be met with some reluctance from national fans who point to his team’s lack of playoff triumph. Brinson dismantles those criticisms in his analysis, concluding that Allen can cement himself in that tier by lifting a comparatively smaller supporting cast this fall.

“Like last year, Mahomes might deserve his own category, a ‘One of One’ type designation for the two-time defending Super Bowl champion,” Brinson wrote. “I think Allen and Lamar are close enough to be worth including . . . Allen is now headed into the critics’ cycle after another year without reaching the Super Bowl. It’s tough to get there, and it’s even tougher when Mahomes/Andy Reid are busy ripping off a dynasty in your conference. With Stefon Diggs traded, it might be Allen’s turn to show what he can do without his No. 1 receiver.”

Allen’s inclusion in this tier shows just how GOOD He doesn’t have the individual accolades that Mahomes or Jackson have earned (both are multiple NFL MVPs), but his ranking in this group can’t realistically be questioned. He’s finished in the top two in total touchdowns in each of the last four seasons, leading the league with 44 total touchdowns in 2023. He’s the only player in NFL history to throw for 40-plus touchdowns in four consecutive seasons. If any non-MVP deserves to be grouped with no multiple award winners, it’s Allen.

As Brinson points out, he’ll have a chance to cement his place among the league’s elite if he can succeed with a group of weapons that lost Gabriel Davis and Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs in the offseason. If Allen can lead a receiving corps led by rookie Keon Coleman, third-year contributor Khalil Shakir and versatile free agent Curtis Samuel to elite production, his status in that tier can no longer be reasonably questioned.

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