After crossing the midway point of the XFL season, the XFL saw the professional debuts of QB’s Jawon Pass and Kurt Benkert, with possibly the final performance of the XFL season from Kyle Sloter, who after starting his 4th game of the season was released from the Renegades. As the XFL season continues to push towards its final four games of the season the Quarterback market continues to be volatile as the season inches towards the end.
Honorable Mention:
D’Eriq King remains at the Honorable Mention position for another week. King had a limited workload this week, playing a limited role in the Defenders victory on Monday night. King threw one pass attempt completing it for four yards and did not record any rushing attempts.
12. Kurt Benkert San Antonio Brahmas Previous Ranking Unranked
Despite getting the “victory” Benkert played pretty poorly. After getting signed only a couple days previously, Benkert played a substantial amount of snaps in week 6. Benkert seemed extremely uncomfortable in his XFL debut, however, did throw one pass that led to a Defensive Pass Interference that set up a go-ahead field goal by John Parker Romo.
Sloter’s possible last outing in the XFL wasn’t pretty. After being ranked my #2 preseason Quarterback Sloter, started four games for the Renegades (going 2-2) before getting released this week. Sloter looked extremely flustered with the play calling and was extremely vocal about the lack of passing plays called by Co-OC Jon Hayes. Sloter finishes his Renegades career with a 60.4 completion % 499 Passing Yards 1 TD 4 INTs, adding 27 Rushing Yards on 8 Rushing Attempts.
Perez is on the move again after laying an egg against St. Louis. After two consecutive weeks of promising play Perez looked overmatched and struggled finding open receivers while getting pressured by Battlehawks Pass Rushers like Carson Wells. With Vegas seemingly out of the playoff hunt, Perez was shipped to Arlington his 10th Professional Football team since coming out of college in 2018.
Plitt returned to the field in week 6, yielding impressive throws coupled by less than stellar decision making. After rotating in and out with Kyle Sloter, Plitt managed to put together a serviceable stat line and moved the football decently. Despite some success the Renegades still only yielded 9 points, and is in line to start for week 7. With the Renegades bringing in Luis Perez and Kevin Anderson waiting for an opportunity, Plitt may be looking at his final shot to start for the Renegades in the 2023 season, with the playoffs on the line.
8. Jowan Pass San Antonio Brahmas Previous Ranking Unranked
Pass looked a bit erratic during his week 6 debut however managed to play a “clean” game for the Brahmas. While not a dynamic performance, Pass managed the Brahmas offense safely enough to steer San Antonio to their 2nd win of the year. With the Brahmas Quarterback room still in flux due to a Jack Coan injury it appears Pass and Benkert may be leading San Antonio for at least another week during their playoff push.
Hundley came off the bench in week 6 and managed to lead the Vipers to their only points against the Battlehawks. While the Battlehawks seemed to be playing a more relaxed defense when Hundley came in and was able to put together some promising drives hopefully gaining some momentum going into week 7. With Luis Perez now on the Renegades it appears that Hundley will be the “guy” in Vegas for the next several weeks.
With everything against him, Dormady still managed to put together a respectable and competitive performance for Orlando. Dormady despite getting hindered by his receivers dropping passes still managed to keep the Guardians in the game, even giving Orlando the lead at certain points during their week 6 matchup. Dormady appears to the be the Guardians Quarterback for the remainder of the season however, has a large mountain to climb given inadequate Offensive Line Play, injuries at WR, and dysfunctional coaching.
5. Ben DiNucci Seattle Sea Dragons Previous Ranking #4
DiNucci’s turnover bug continues be his biggest bugaboo despite leading the Sea Dragons to four victories in a row. Leading the league with 14 Turnovers, DiNucci for a little over 3 quarters, appeared to be playing subpar football making erratic throws coupled by poor pass selection. Despite it all DiNucci managed to piece together some decent drives giving Seattle the victory. With no other comparable option behind him it appears Jim Haslett and June Jones will ride the DiNucci roller coaster for the rest of the 2023 XFL season whether it kills them or not.
It appears there may be a Quarterback controversy in Houston after two straight losses. McDonald has been a solider this whole season, finally getting an opportunity to maximize his workload in week 6. McDonald played with a controlled reckless abandon finding Deontay Burnett, and Ben Putnam for large gains, in addition to continue to utilize his rushing ability. While Houston does remain in control of the South, it appears they are in danger of dropping three games in a row to Northern Division opponents with the Battlehawks coming to Houston in week 7.
🎯🎯🎯 @xfl_houston Houston XFL Roughnecks 85 YARDS TO THE HOUSE!
Silvers gets the benefit of the doubt in this week’s Quarterback Rankings. After an average performance in week 5, followed by a subpar performance in week 6, Silvers was benched for the hot hand of Cole McDonald. It appeared Silvers couldn’t get comfortable against Gregg Williams’ defense, and ultimately couldn’t find any rhythm throwing an interception and getting sacked twice. Even though it appears that the Roughnecks are still in control of the Southern Division, Silvers may have a short leash in week 7, with the Battlehawks on the horizon.
Slowly but surely Ta’amu has made his way up our Quarterback rankings. After relaying on the ground game for most of the year, Ta’amu finally was able to use his mobility behind center, by throwing on the run, and utilizing Lucky Jackson to move the football through the air. With Ta’amu finally getting comfortable in Fred Kaiss’ offense, it appears that DC has established their offense by air and by ground, enroute to becoming the league’s best team through six weeks.
1.AJ McCarron St. Louis Battlehawks Previous Ranking #1
McCarron continues to prove he’s the top quarterback in the XFL with another dominate performance in week 6. After starting off 0 for 3 with two drops and a third down conversion called back due to a penalty, McCarron unloaded for 19 straight completions enroute to a 29-6 victory for the Battlehawks. With St. Louis playoff hopes not certain, McCarron continues be a steady guiding force for the Battlehawks, not letting headset communications, or opposing pass rushers bother him throughout while playing in Vegas.
Pat Rifino is a former Security Contractor turned writer. He began his writing career talking about geo-politics, and the defense industry. Now Pat writes about alt-league football, while hanging with his dogs in his off time.
