Leave no doubt about it, the eyes of the football world will be on the quarterbacks returning to action when the XFL debuts its 2023 season. How do those top XFL quarterbacks stack up, and who should you be watching closest in Week 1?
Top XFL Quarterback Rankings in 2023
1) Jordan Ta’amu, D.C. Defenders
The top signal-caller in the XFL certainly took the long route to get here. Jordan Ta’amu had high hopes entering the 2019 NFL Draft after blazing a trail with Ole Miss from 2017-2018.
Despite going undrafted in 2019 and battling it out on the Houston Texans practice squad, Ta’amu found his footing in the XFL during the 2020 season with the St. Louis Battlehawks. He threw five touchdowns and over 1,000 yards before the season was cut short.
After stints on the Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Washington Football Team, and Carolina Panthers practice squads, Ta’amu once again found success in a spring league, leading the USFL in passing yards and touchdowns.
Ta’amu’s an athletic monster with a deep accuracy that is unrivaled in the league right now. He gives the Defenders a chance to win each game.
2) Ben DiNucci, Seattle Sea Dragons
A longtime preseason member — and one-time regular-season starter for the Dallas Cowboys — Ben DiNucci couldn’t quite make it work out in the NFL. The former James Madison Duke has great size and athleticism for the position, as it was always going to be a long shot that he took reps from Dak Prescott in Arlington.
MORE: 2023 XFL Rosters
Now with the Seattle Sea Dragons, DiNucci can bank on that athleticism and fiery attitude to help carry his team to victories. DiNucci has sound accuracy, and though we didn’t quite see it enough with the Cowboys, plenty of solid decision-making has followed him in his stops.
3) Luis Perez, Vegas Vipers
To say Luis Perez is vastly experienced is likely an understatement at this point. Perez started seven games for the Birmingham Iron of the AAF before then starting two games in the XFL for the New York Guardians back in 2020. He then threw the first touchdown pass in new USFL history in a relief effort of Ben Holmes for the New Jersey Generals.
Perez has battled it out in each of the major spring football leagues and has been tabbed as the Vegas Vipers starter. He has a long release and showcased solid accuracy during his multiple stops since finishing his Texas A&M-Commerce career in 2017 with a 5,000-yard season.
Perez is as battle tested as they come in terms of spring football action and should be considered one of the top leaders.
4) Drew Plitt OR Kyle Sloter, Arlington Renegades
Spending the preseason with the Cincinnati Bengals last season, Drew Plitt could have taken the long road of practice-squad play during his NFL career. Instead, he’s banking on success in the XFL with the Arlington Renegades.
The former Ball State QB dominated the MAC, throwing for over 9,000 career yards and nearly 70 touchdowns. When he was on his game, Plitt could torch defenses with his arm strength and placement downfield.
However, Plitt will have to battle it out for reps with Kyle Sloter, as both were listed as co-starters for the Renegades.
Sloter, who did opt for the long road of practice-squad play in the NFL, bounced around from the Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Chicago Bears before breaking out with the New Orleans Breakers in the USFL. Sloter was named the Week 2 Offensive Player of the Week and threw for 1,798 yards en route to a playoff berth in the USFL 2022 season.
Plitt and Sloter will give the Renegades hot quarterbacks with a ton of upside if one can take the reigns.
5) Paxton Lynch OR Deondre Francois, Orlando Guardians
One is a former first-rounder, while the other has first-round talents. The Orlando Guardians are among the biggest unknowns among the XFL’s eight teams, and that stems all the way to their QB position.
Paxton Lynch fizzled out after being the 26th overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft, throwing four touchdowns in just a handful of starts. He was plagued by inaccurate throws and poor decisions, as well as the lack of elevating of any players around him.
MORE: List of Current XFL Head Coaches
An Orlando area native, Deondre Francois flashed brilliance back at Florida State, throwing for 36 career touchdowns and well over 6,000 yards in two full seasons as the starter. Though his college career was marred with off-field tribulations, Francois found a footing at Hampton before ultimately going undrafted and unsigned by an NFL team.
Francois has tremendous athleticism and a strong arm, as he showcased by winning the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2016. There is no denying his talent on the field, and he’ll give Lynch a run for his money.
6) Brandon Silvers, Houston Roughnecks
After a successful career at Troy, Brandon Silvers has been the pinnacle of adaptability, playing for the Memphis Express in the AAF and for the Seattle Dragons in the XFL before landing with the Houston Roughnecks back in the XFL.
A 10,000-yard passer for his career at Troy, Silvers is a prototypical pocket passer with a great arm. He’s as accurate as they come but rarely tested the deep waters enough in college to present much of a challenge to the deep portions of the field.
If Silvers can harness that accuracy to each level, he’ll rise in the XFL QB rankings.
7) Jack Coan, San Antonio Brahmas
Earning the nod as the San Antonio Brahmas starter just days before the season opener, Jack Coan is set to begin his professional career as a starter. Coan went undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft and signed with the Indianapolis Colts, playing in three preseason games just last fall.
He wasn’t able to show enough to land a spot on the Colts’ roster, and the former Notre Dame and Wisconsin-transfer QB will hope to resurrect his promising career in Texas. Coan was plagued with short-field inaccuracy during his time at Wisconsin, flashing at times in that facet with Notre Dame, however.
Will the Brahmas get Notre Dame’s version of Coan (the better version), or will they be left with the Wisconsin version that saw him graciously exit for Graham Mertz?
8) A.J. McCarron, St. Louis Battlehawks
One of the most distinguished college quarterbacks of all time, A.J. McCarron has found his way back to the starting lineup with the St. Louis Battlehawks. A former fifth-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft and multi-game starter for the Cincinnati Bengals, the majority of McCarron’s meaningful snaps have come long ago.
McCarron has a great feel for the field and can certainly find his receivers open in the short and intermediate ranges of the field. There is no denying his previous successes, but has the game passed him by since he last started a game in 2019?