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Breaking down the best and worst quarterbacks in the XFL through Week 4

XFL quarterbacks are separating into tiers as Week 5 approaches. We break down the stats.

Josh Johnson of the Los Angeles Wildcats adjusts his helmet in between plays during the second half of their XFL game against the New York Guardians at MetLife Stadium on February 29, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Guardians won 17-14. Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images

We’re four weeks into the XFL season, and we’ve seen a ton of signal callers used by the eight teams in the league. Some players have established themselves as standouts under center, while others have looked like they shouldn’t be playing at all. We broke down the best and worst quarterbacks we’ve seen so far this season here.

The Houston Roughnecks’ P.J. Walker has been the best passer in the XFL so far and leads the league in several statistical categories. He’s first in passing yards (987) and touchdown passes (12) and has benefitted from having the most dynamic dynamic wideout on any team in Cam Phillips. Walker also has also attempted more passes (146) than any other quarterback, but has only thrown two interceptions. Houston sits atop the XFL West and are the only undefeated team in the field at 4-0.

The St. Louis BattleHawks lead the XFL East have Jordan Ta’amu running the show. Ta’amu is the leagues’ leading dual-threat quarterback with 186 rushing yards, but is also second in passing yards (876). The 22-year-old has thrown five touchdown passes and run for one as well. He doesn’t have a star-studded receiving corps at his disposal, but is backed by a sturdy ground game. Ta’amu’s 75.2% completion rate is second to only the Dallas Renegades’ Philip Nelson.

The Los Angeles Wildcats might be 1-3, but Josh Johnson has played extremely well. He ranks third in passing yards (798) and has the second highest QBR (106.4) in the league. He’ll be more of a threat when he gets his top receiver, Nelson Spruce, back from injury to pair with Tre McBride out wide.

The Seattle Dragons’ Brandon Silvers has started in four games and has been erratic in almost all of his appearances. He’s completing an abysmal 52% of his passes and was benched for B.J. Daniels in his team’s Week 4 loss. Daniels nearly led Seattle to an impressive comeback win, and it’s entirely possible that Silvers won’t start another game this season. But he’s not the only player who might have lost a starting job, as the New York Guardians’ Matt McGloin, who didn’t play because of a rib injury in Week 4, could be replaced by Luis Perez moving forward. Then there’s the Tampa Bay Vipers’ Aaron Murray, who seems poised to play second or third fiddle to Taylor Cornelius and Quinton Flowers until further notice after suffering an injury in Week 1 and watching his backups outperform him.

Cardale Jones might not be the worst quarterback in the XFL, but he played like it in Weeks 3 and 4. The DC Defenders were considered to be neck and neck with the Roughnecks through two weeks, but Jones has thrown five interceptions with no scores in his last two outings. Only Landry Jones’ seven picks top Jones’ mark on six this season. The former Ohio State star has to turn it around soon to keep his team competitive.

XFL Quarterback Stats through Week 4

Name Team Att Com % Yds YPA TD INT Sk Drp Ru RuYds YPR RuTD QBR
Name Team Att Com % Yds YPA TD INT Sk Drp Ru RuYds YPR RuTD QBR
Phillip Walker Roughnecks 146 92 63 987 6.8 12 2 4 5 9 104 6.1 1 104.5
Jordan Ta'amu BattleHawks 109 82 75.2 876 8 5 2 8 3 25 186 5.2 1 105.9
Josh Johnson Wildcats 99 61 61.6 798 8.1 7 1 6 8 7 4 0.6 0 106.4
Landry Jones Renegades 119 83 69.7 784 6.6 5 7 4 7 3 15 3 0 77.2
Cardale Jones Defenders 113 62 54.9 674 6 4 6 5 8 8 60 3.8 0 62.3
Taylor Cornelius Vipers 89 56 62.9 558 6.3 2 4 4 5 5 66 6.6 2 69.4
Brandon Silvers Dragons 102 53 52 539 5.3 6 4 4 7 5 16 2.3 0 70.7
Matt McGloin Guardians 59 31 52.5 310 5.3 1 3 2 2 3 2 0.5 1 52.2
Aaron Murray Vipers 34 16 47.1 231 6.8 0 2 3 5 0 0 0 0 45.1
Philip Nelson Renegades 46 35 76.1 229 5 0 1 3 2 1 4 2 0 77.2
Charles Kanoff Wildcats 39 21 53.8 214 5.5 1 1 3 1 0 21 5.3 1 67.7
Luis Perez Guardians 32 23 71.9 199 6.2 2 0 4 2 1 2 1 0 108.7
Marquise Williams Guardians 23 10 43.5 135 5.9 0 0 4 1 3 28 7 0 62.8
Quinton Flowers Vipers 15 8 53.3 106 7.1 0 1 4 2 9 78 4.9 1 48.2
B.J. Daniels Dragons 11 5 45.5 100 9.1 1 1 0 1 6 64 9.1 0 70.3
Tyree Jackson Defenders 4 2 50 7 1.8 0 0 1 0 2 16 8 0 56.3
Jalan McClendon Wildcats 4 1 25 0 0 0 1 2 0 2 2 0.7 0 0