If you’re looking for the NFC West’s best offensive talent heading into 2026, the answers come fast. This division is loaded, and the four biggest names at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end are hard to argue with.
At quarterback, the choice is Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams. Three NFC West teams have had quarterbacks who drew MVP votes in recent years, but Stafford is the only one in the group who has actually won the award.
He did it last season after throwing for 4,707 yards, 46 touchdowns, and only 8 interceptions. His 109.2 QB rating was the best of his NFL career, and it came in the third season of his career with more than 40 touchdown passes.
The difference last year was obvious: for the first time, 40 touchdowns didn’t come with at least 16 interceptions. Stafford is one of the oldest quarterbacks in the league, but he still looks fully in command, and another MVP-level season is in play.
The running back spot goes to Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers, and that one doesn’t take long to explain. By the time his career is over, he’ll be in the conversation as one of the most versatile players the league has ever seen.
He’s not just useful in a few different ways; he’s elite as a runner, receiver, and returner when needed. Last season he earned 1st-team All-Pro honors while catching 102 passes and carrying the ball 311 times.
That kind of workload would break plenty of players, but McCaffrey keeps producing at a ridiculous level. He now has five NFL seasons with at least 1,800 yards from scrimmage, and three seasons over 2,000 yards from scrimmage, including last year.
He was a 1st-team All-Pro in all three of those 2,000-yard seasons.
At wide receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks gets the nod, even with Puka Nacua of the Rams right there in the mix. Smith-Njigba won NFL Offensive Player of the Year last season after a monster year: 119 catches, 1,793 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 15.1 yards per reception.
He was a nightmare to defend. What separates him is how cleanly he creates space and how dangerous he is down the field.
He moves with ease, wastes nothing, and still caught all those passes despite only five drops on 163 targets. His drop rate has gone down every season, and last year it hit a career-low 3.1 percent.
At 24, he looks like a player just getting started.
The tight end pick lands with Trey McBride of the Arizona Cardinals, which means every team in the division is represented. McBride may not be a secret anymore, but he can still get overshadowed in a division full of Super Bowl-level expectations.
Even so, he may be the best tight end in the NFL right now, and the Cardinals paid him like it with a four-year, $76 million deal worth $19 million per year. Over the last three seasons, he has averaged 108 receptions per 17 games played.
He has posted back-to-back 1,100-yard seasons and set a career high with 11 touchdown catches last year. He’s a difference-maker, and there’s no sign he’s backing off.
In Other News...
Rams QB Debate Just Took A Dramatic Turn Around Stafford
Matthew Staffords new extension has put the Rams in a familiar place: building around the quarterback who still gives Sean McVay the best chance to keep the offense steady. The deal keeps Stafford in Los Angeles through at least the upcoming season, and it also narrows whatever immediate questions might have lingered about how the team planned to handle the position after drafting Ty Simpson.
Simpsons arrival still adds a layer to the picture, even if he is expected to open as the third-string quarterback. His long-term role is not settled, which is what makes the depth chart worth watching now, because the Rams have invested in a developmental option while staying committed to Stafford for the present. The only real question is how long that present lasts, and how the team chooses to manage the runway behind its established starter. [Read more 🡒]
Rams May Finally Have What Chris Shula Has Been Missing
The Rams spent the offseason trying to stabilize a secondary that has had to absorb the blow of Jalen Ramseys departure, and the hope is that the new look back end gives defensive coordinator Chris Shula more to work with. Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson arrive as the kinds of corners who can help tighten pass coverage, while the broader idea is to build a defense that can make quarterbacks pay for mistakes instead of simply reacting to them.
Kam Kinchens figures to be part of that next step, too, with the staff wanting to free him up to play more downhill and use his ball skills around the line of scrimmage. Shulas defense has already shown a knack for creating turnovers, and with more talent in place this season, the Rams are betting there is still another level to reach if the pieces settle in the right way. [Read more 🡒]
Sean McVay Just Added Intrigue To The Rams Quarterback Debate
The Rams quarterback room already had a fresh layer of intrigue after they used a first-round pick on Ty Simpson, and Sean McVay added to the conversation by making clear the team has not really discussed bringing in another backup. For a club that has spent plenty of time navigating the position under McVay, that alone is enough to keep the depth chart conversation alive as the roster settles in around its newest passer.
McVay did not completely shut the door on another move, though, which is what makes the situation worth watching from here. The Rams have a young quarterback in Simpson and a head coach who is leaving some room for flexibility, while the broader NFC picture keeps shifting around them, from Mac Jones stated commitment in San Francisco to Sam Darnolds post-Super Bowl reflections in Seattle. [Read more 🡒]