Quarterback Deep Ball Leaders
Quarterback Deep Ball — 2026 NFL leaders, updated Sep 30, 2026. Joe Burrow (CIN) led the league in deep-ball expected points added per attempt at 2.51, ahead of 33 other qualifying players. Based on verified 2026 play-by-play data (nflverse); Half-PPR scoring. Through Week 3 of the 2026 season.
A deep ball is defined by where it was aimed, not by where it ended up: 20 or more air yards past the line of scrimmage, caught, dropped or overthrown. That is why the split is worth its own page. A completion rate near 50 percent down here is excellent where the same number on a full passing line would be alarming, and the expected-points column is the one that settles arguments, because a deep incompletion costs an offense almost nothing while a deep completion is often the whole drive. Read the rate column last: how often a quarterback goes deep is mostly his coordinator's decision, and it belongs next to how well it went rather than inside it.
| # | Player | Δ WK | G | Deep Att | Deep Cmp% | EPA/Att | Deep Yds | Deep Rate | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Burrow | Up 5 places, from 6 | 3 | 7 | 71.4% | 2.51 | 132 | 6.8% | |
| 2 | Geno Smith | Up 9 places, from 11 | 3 | 11 | 63.6% | 1.99 | 205 | 10.6% | |
| 3 | Drew Lock | Down 2 places, from 1 | 3 | 5 | 60.0% | 1.97 | 127 | 10.4% | |
| 4 | Carson Wentz | Down 1 place, from 3 | 3 | 3 | 66.7% | 1.71 | 69 | 7.5% | |
| 5 | Jared Goff | Down 1 place, from 4 | 3 | 6 | 66.7% | 1.66 | 90 | 5.5% | |
| 6 | Josh Allen | Up 1 place, from 7 | 3 | 15 | 40.0% | 1.17 | 235 | 17.2% | |
| 7 | Trevor Lawrence | Up 5 places, from 12 | 3 | 9 | 44.4% | 1.15 | 122 | 11.1% | |
| 8 | Jalen Hurts | Up 2 places, from 10 | 3 | 11 | 54.5% | 1.12 | 194 | 12.6% | |
| 9 | Deshaun Watson | Down 1 place, from 8 | 3 | 5 | 40.0% | 1.10 | 71 | 6.0% | |
| 10 | Sam Darnold | First appearance on this board | 3 | 3 | 66.7% | 1.07 | 46 | 6.4% | |
| 11 | Bryce Young | Down 6 places, from 5 | 3 | 19 | 52.6% | 0.96 | 337 | 15.7% | |
| 12 | Brock Purdy | Down 10 places, from 2 | 3 | 5 | 40.0% | 0.95 | 62 | 6.0% | |
| 13 | Kirk Cousins | No change | 3 | 9 | 44.4% | 0.89 | 123 | 9.6% | |
| 14 | Tyler Shough | Down 5 places, from 9 | 3 | 14 | 50.0% | 0.71 | 217 | 10.5% | |
| 15 | Caleb Williams | No change | 3 | 7 | 42.9% | 0.68 | 97 | 12.7% | |
| 16 | Lamar Jackson | No change | 3 | 15 | 40.0% | 0.57 | 229 | 19.7% | |
| 17 | Bo Nix | Down 3 places, from 14 | 3 | 8 | 50.0% | 0.55 | 132 | 8.4% | |
| 18 | Dak Prescott | No change | 3 | 12 | 33.3% | 0.51 | 131 | 11.3% | |
| 19 | C.J. Stroud | Down 2 places, from 17 | 3 | 17 | 35.3% | 0.32 | 150 | 14.2% | |
| 20 | Jayden Daniels | Up 2 places, from 22 | 3 | 9 | 22.2% | 0.22 | 57 | 17.3% | |
| 21 | Drake Maye | Up 4 places, from 25 | 3 | 12 | 41.7% | 0.17 | 194 | 15.0% | |
| 22 | Jordan Love | Down 2 places, from 20 | 3 | 16 | 25.0% | 0.15 | 149 | 12.9% | |
| 23 | Malik Willis | Down 4 places, from 19 | 3 | 21 | 23.8% | 0.01 | 191 | 24.4% | |
| 24 | Baker Mayfield | Up 2 places, from 26 | 3 | 14 | 21.4% | 0.01 | 110 | 14.6% | |
| 25 | Patrick Mahomes | Down 2 places, from 23 | 3 | 10 | 40.0% | -0.04 | 147 | 10.2% | |
| 26 | Matthew Stafford | Up 1 place, from 27 | 3 | 14 | 28.6% | -0.05 | 162 | 12.6% | |
| 27 | Marcus Mariota | First appearance on this board | 3 | 8 | 25.0% | -0.11 | 50 | 17.0% | |
| 28 | Jacoby Brissett | Down 4 places, from 24 | 3 | 7 | 28.6% | -0.40 | 60 | 6.0% | |
| 29 | Daniel Jones | Down 8 places, from 21 | 3 | 7 | 14.3% | -0.41 | 48 | 7.1% | |
| 30 | Cooper Rush | Down 1 place, from 29 | 3 | 2 | 0.0% | -0.47 | 0 | 5.1% | |
| 31 | Aaron Rodgers | No change | 3 | 20 | 10.0% | -0.58 | 61 | 17.7% | |
| 32 | Justin Herbert | Down 4 places, from 28 | 3 | 13 | 23.1% | -0.74 | 105 | 14.8% | |
| 33 | Jameis Winston | No change | 3 | 5 | 20.0% | -0.80 | 30 | 10.2% | |
| 34 | Cam Ward | Down 2 places, from 32 | 3 | 6 | 0.0% | -0.94 | 0 | 6.8% |
Other seasons
Choosing between two of these players?
Both men's 2025 production side by side, and which of them rests on inputs that historically repeat.
More leaderboards
- Rushing Yards Over Expected
- Target Share
- Running Back Receiving Efficiency
- Completion Percentage Over Expected
- Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt
- Quarterback Pressure Rate
- Defensive Blitz Rate
- Quarterbacks vs Man and Zone Coverage
- Pass Rate Over Expected
- Clean-Core Rating
- Usage vs Production
- Team Expected Points Added
- Quarterback EPA per Dropback
- QB Composite Rating
- Air Yards Share
- Stacked Box Rate
- Regression Flags
- Weighted Opportunity Rating
- Snap Share
- Pass-Snap Share
- Receiving Yards per Pass Snap
- Availability
- Tight End Receiving Efficiency
- Tight End Average Depth of Target
- Stat Stickiness
- Play-Action Rate
- Pre-Snap Motion Rate
- Drop Rate
- Contested Catch Rate
- Interception-Worthy Throw Rate
- Quarterback-Fault Sack Rate
- Quarterback Intended Air Yards
- Team Air Yards and Passing Volume
- Receiver Separation and Cushion
- Wide Receiver Receiving Efficiency
- Team Success Rate and Explosive Play Rate
- Goal-Line Usage
- Team Pace
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