Quarterback Deep Ball Leaders
Quarterback Deep Ball — 2016 NFL leaders, updated Aug 13, 2026. Matt Ryan (ATL) led the league in deep-ball expected points added per attempt at 1.08, ahead of 32 other qualifying players. Based on verified 2016 play-by-play data (nflverse); Half-PPR scoring. Through the 2016 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 | Deep Att | Deep Cmp% | EPA/Att | Deep Yds | Deep Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Ryan | 67 | 52.2% | 1.08 | 1,225 | 12.5% |
| 2 | Derek Carr | 54 | 48.1% | 1.05 | 872 | 9.5% |
| 3 | Tom Brady | 50 | 42.0% | 0.97 | 793 | 11.5% |
| 4 | Kirk Cousins | 79 | 48.1% | 0.95 | 1,355 | 13.0% |
| 5 | Andy Dalton | 65 | 46.2% | 0.92 | 1,035 | 11.5% |
| 6 | Sam Bradford | 48 | 47.9% | 0.85 | 762 | 8.7% |
| 7 | Matthew Stafford | 60 | 38.3% | 0.84 | 951 | 10.1% |
| 8 | Drew Brees | 70 | 50.0% | 0.79 | 1,270 | 10.4% |
| 9 | Andrew Luck | 69 | 49.3% | 0.77 | 1,058 | 12.6% |
| 10 | Dak Prescott | 40 | 37.5% | 0.77 | 491 | 8.7% |
| 11 | Ben Roethlisberger | 85 | 41.2% | 0.77 | 1,098 | 16.4% |
| 12 | Russell Wilson | 74 | 47.3% | 0.75 | 1,190 | 13.5% |
| 13 | Marcus Mariota | 59 | 42.4% | 0.70 | 779 | 13.0% |
| 14 | Jared Goff | 17 | 29.4% | 0.54 | 166 | 8.3% |
| 15 | Case Keenum | 34 | 38.2% | 0.51 | 497 | 10.6% |
| 16 | Aaron Rodgers | 75 | 33.3% | 0.50 | 857 | 12.3% |
| 17 | Ryan Tannehill | 44 | 36.4% | 0.48 | 665 | 11.3% |
| 18 | Brian Hoyer | 18 | 33.3% | 0.46 | 207 | 9.0% |
| 19 | Philip Rivers | 63 | 33.3% | 0.39 | 825 | 10.9% |
| 20 | Tyrod Taylor | 62 | 30.6% | 0.37 | 710 | 14.2% |
| 21 | Cam Newton | 67 | 26.9% | 0.37 | 709 | 13.0% |
| 22 | Trevor Siemian | 51 | 29.4% | 0.35 | 582 | 10.5% |
| 23 | Ryan Fitzpatrick | 51 | 37.3% | 0.27 | 579 | 12.7% |
| 24 | Carson Wentz | 60 | 35.0% | 0.26 | 666 | 9.8% |
| 25 | Alex Smith | 44 | 36.4% | 0.26 | 542 | 9.0% |
| 26 | Colin Kaepernick | 34 | 32.4% | 0.17 | 361 | 10.3% |
| 27 | Carson Palmer | 70 | 27.1% | 0.16 | 606 | 11.6% |
| 28 | Eli Manning | 72 | 30.6% | 0.14 | 740 | 12.0% |
| 29 | Jameis Winston | 66 | 25.8% | 0.09 | 544 | 11.5% |
| 30 | Brock Osweiler | 65 | 18.5% | -0.13 | 395 | 12.7% |
| 31 | Joe Flacco | 63 | 20.6% | -0.22 | 498 | 9.3% |
| 32 | Blake Bortles | 70 | 21.4% | -0.34 | 425 | 11.2% |
| 33 | Matt Barkley | 33 | 30.3% | -0.54 | 276 | 15.3% |
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- 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
- 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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