Ranking the NFL’s top five new QB-WR combos

When thinking about the most impactful quarterback-wide receiver duos in the NFL, the same few names often come to mind. 

However, after a busy and unpredictable offseason, there are a handful of new pairings ready to shake things up this season.

For example, the Kansas City Chiefs shocked the sports world when they traded Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins, and the Tennessee Titans followed suit by shipping off star wideout A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Which duos are the cream of the crop now? Marcellus Wiley and Emmanuel Acho shared their top QB-WR duos on the Monday’s “Speak For Yourself.”

ACHO’S LIST

5. Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown, Eagles

Key stats: Hurts completed 61.3% of his passes for 3,144 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions last season, while leading all quarterbacks in rushing yards (784) and rushing touchdowns (10).

4. Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill, Dolphins

Key stats: Last season, despite missing four games, Tagovailoa threw for 2,653 yards and completed 67.8% of his passes, throwing 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Acho’s thoughts: “This is going to be a huge combination in the National Football League and I think this combination is what ascends the Philadelphia Eagles to the top of the division.”

3. Kyler Murray and Marquise Brown, Cardinals

Key stats: During their one full season of college ball together at Oklahoma (2018), Brown registered 1,318 receiving yards on 75 catches, along with 10 TDs, and surpassed the 100-yard mark in half (six) of his games.

Acho’s thoughts: “Hollywood Brown cannot outrun Kyler Murray’s arm. So you wanna talk about two dudes who are going to be lethal together? But here’s the secret ingredient: Kliff Kingsbury was a Big 12 guy. … Those three amigos, they are about to go crazy together this year.”

2. Derek Carr and Davante Adams, Raiders

Key stats: Carr completed 68.4% of his passes for 4,804 yards, 23 touchdowns and 14 interceptions last year.

Acho’s thoughts: “Derek Carr, beast. Davante Adams, beast. But, I’m very intrigued by Davante Adams without Aaron Rodgers.”

1. Deshaun Watson and Amari Cooper, Browns

Key stats: Watson completed 70.2% of his passes for 4,823 yards and 33 touchdowns to just seven interceptions for the Houston Texans during the 2020-21 season, which is the last time he took the field. Cooper reeled in 68 catches for 865 yards and eight touchdowns for the Dallas Cowboys last season.

Acho’s thoughts: “Amari Cooper had a 1,000-yard season with Andy Dalton. Imagine what he can do with Deshaun Watson.”

WILEY’S LIST

5. Kyler Murray and Marquise Brown, Cardinals

Key stats: In 46 career starts, Murray is 22-23-1 with a passer rating of 93.9. He has completed 66.9% of his passes, and has tallied 11,480 passing yards (249.6 per game), 70 touchdowns and 34 interceptions. 

Wiley’s thoughts: “Not just the speed of Marquise Brown but the attack of Kyler Murray in the pocket, out of the pocket, create on the fly, ‘coach didn’t design this play, but this play will still occur.'”

Acho’s thoughts: “Tyreek Hill just has too much speed. He’s very quarterback friendly and whether Tua can throw the ball deep or not is irrelevant. As long as you get the ball in Tyreek Hill’s hands quickly, he’s going to help you out.” 

4. Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown, Eagles

Key stats: Brown joins the Eagles coming off a season as the Titans’ top receiver, having amassed 869 receiving yards.

Wiley’s thoughts: “I don’t give the Eagles a ton of credit, but I love this combination here. You’ve got to respect a quarterback who had 3,000 yards passing and wasn’t their quarterback coming into the season.”

3. Russell Wilson and Jerry Jeudy, Broncos

Key stats: Wilson finished the 2021-22 season having completed 64.8% of his passes for 3,113 yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions. Jeudy reeled in 38 catches for 467 yards in 10 games last season.

Wiley’s thoughts: “We are talking a special receiver who needs to get in the end zone and a quarterback who has had 25 or more touchdowns (the last five seasons) passing the football.”

2. Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill, Dolphins

Key stats: Hill finished with a career-high 111 receptions for 1,239 receiving yards and nine touchdowns last season.

Wiley’s thoughts: “Tyreek Hill is going now to team up with the most efficient passer in college football history. … Tua is special and Tyreek Hill is going to bring it all out of him.”

1. Derek Carr and Davante Adams, Raiders

Key stats: Adams joins the Raiders having tallied 1,553 receiving yards, the third-most in the NFL, and 11 receiving touchdowns for the Green Bay Packers last season.

Wiley’s thoughts: “Derek Carr is in a division where he doesn’t get his proper due because the division is so damn gangster.”