Quarterback rankings are one of the great national pastimes of NFL discourse. Everyone has a list. Everyone thinks their list is right. And nothing inflames a fan base quite like seeing their guy positioned a slot or two below where they think he belongs.
The trick, of course, is that the position is so deep in 2026 that placing names in order is itself an act of difficult judgment. On a Wednesday edition of “Dover and Cecil” on 104.3 The Fan, host Josh Dover walked through his current top-12 list.
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The order, in full: Matthew Stafford, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, Sam Darnold, Drake Maye, Jordan Love, Trevor Lawrence and Bo Nix.
That landing spot for Nix is the one that will draw the most attention in Denver. But Dover’s reasoning across the top of the list helps frame the broader context.
He started with the top.
“Matt Stafford’s my No. 1. He’s really good, they have a really good team, they have the best offense in the NFL,” Dover said.
That ranking is grounded as much in surrounding circumstances as it is in pure talent. Stafford operates within an elite ecosystem, and his command of that offense places him at the top of Dover’s board.
Mahomes came in just behind him.
“I have Patrick Mahomes second. I have a hard time getting him out of my head and off of this list, because I know what he can bring to the table,” Dover said.
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Even after a down year, Mahomes’ track record demands respect. The ceiling has been established too definitively to slide him any further.
Then came Josh Allen, and the most quotable line of the segment.
“I have Josh Allen third. He’s really, really good until the lights get bright and he pees down his leg,” Dover said.
It’s a colorful way of capturing the Allen paradox. The regular-season production is undeniable. The playoff résumé still has gaps that opponents have learned to exploit.
As for Nix, Dover acknowledged that the No. 12 placement isn’t a hard line. It is a starting point for debate.
“If you wanted to argue Bo over Jordan or Bo over Trevor, I’d be down to have the argument, and I’d listen to you with really really open ears about what that looks like. But just kind of them doing it a little longer than Bo has done,” Dover said.
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That’s the operative phrase, “a little longer than Bo has done.” Dover isn’t arguing that Nix lacks the talent to rise. He is arguing that experience and sustained production still matter when sorting players this close together. Jordan Love and Trevor Lawrence have more starts, more film and more proven moments to lean on. Nix has the trajectory, but that alone doesn’t move someone up a tier.
The good news for Denver? If Nix delivers in 2026 the way the organization expects, this same list looks very different by next offseason. Bo doesn’t need to convince Dover today. He just needs to keep playing.