Quarterback Deep Ball Leaders
Quarterback Deep Ball — 2017 NFL leaders, updated Aug 13, 2026. Alex Smith (KC) led the league in deep-ball expected points added per attempt at 1.32, ahead of 34 other qualifying players. Based on verified 2017 play-by-play data (nflverse); Half-PPR scoring. Through the 2017 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 | Alex Smith | 65 | 49.2% | 1.32 | 1,315 | 12.8% |
| 2 | Aaron Rodgers | 20 | 50.0% | 1.10 | 364 | 8.3% |
| 3 | Matthew Stafford | 65 | 47.7% | 1.02 | 1,159 | 11.4% |
| 4 | C.J. Beathard | 24 | 50.0% | 1.01 | 427 | 10.7% |
| 5 | Josh McCown | 43 | 44.2% | 0.96 | 631 | 10.8% |
| 6 | Drew Brees | 60 | 53.3% | 0.83 | 980 | 11.2% |
| 7 | Carson Wentz | 63 | 34.9% | 0.72 | 854 | 14.2% |
| 8 | Tom Brady | 80 | 40.0% | 0.62 | 1,079 | 13.7% |
| 9 | Dak Prescott | 41 | 36.6% | 0.58 | 516 | 8.3% |
| 10 | Philip Rivers | 69 | 37.7% | 0.53 | 921 | 12.0% |
| 11 | Jared Goff | 52 | 36.5% | 0.53 | 755 | 10.9% |
| 12 | Tom Savage | 26 | 38.5% | 0.51 | 328 | 11.7% |
| 13 | Kirk Cousins | 59 | 35.6% | 0.46 | 758 | 10.9% |
| 14 | Russell Wilson | 88 | 36.4% | 0.44 | 1,121 | 15.8% |
| 15 | Jacoby Brissett | 43 | 32.6% | 0.43 | 525 | 9.1% |
| 16 | Deshaun Watson | 41 | 36.6% | 0.36 | 492 | 19.8% |
| 17 | Mitchell Trubisky | 31 | 32.3% | 0.36 | 322 | 9.4% |
| 18 | Derek Carr | 69 | 29.0% | 0.32 | 770 | 13.3% |
| 19 | Jameis Winston | 63 | 28.6% | 0.20 | 584 | 14.2% |
| 20 | DeShone Kizer | 79 | 30.4% | 0.19 | 764 | 16.6% |
| 21 | Blake Bortles | 58 | 25.9% | 0.14 | 554 | 11.0% |
| 22 | Cam Newton | 55 | 32.7% | 0.13 | 559 | 11.1% |
| 23 | Brian Hoyer | 19 | 26.3% | 0.11 | 205 | 9.0% |
| 24 | Case Keenum | 55 | 34.5% | 0.11 | 580 | 11.4% |
| 25 | Ben Roethlisberger | 81 | 28.4% | 0.09 | 831 | 14.3% |
| 26 | Tyrod Taylor | 59 | 28.8% | 0.07 | 539 | 14.0% |
| 27 | Jay Cutler | 57 | 29.8% | 0.05 | 493 | 13.3% |
| 28 | Matt Ryan | 67 | 28.4% | -0.04 | 599 | 12.7% |
| 29 | Andy Dalton | 56 | 21.4% | -0.08 | 440 | 11.3% |
| 30 | Carson Palmer | 32 | 28.1% | -0.11 | 284 | 11.9% |
| 31 | Eli Manning | 60 | 21.7% | -0.17 | 397 | 10.4% |
| 32 | Marcus Mariota | 50 | 30.0% | -0.17 | 507 | 11.0% |
| 33 | Brett Hundley | 37 | 21.6% | -0.21 | 279 | 11.7% |
| 34 | Trevor Siemian | 43 | 27.9% | -0.24 | 335 | 12.3% |
| 35 | Joe Flacco | 48 | 27.1% | -0.48 | 439 | 8.7% |
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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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