Johnny Manziel is back in America, but the one-time college superstar didn’t do much in his return to the field. The newest member of the Memphis Express split time with incumbent Brandon Silvers and ultimately was on the bench when the game was on the line. Manziel still has a long way to go before earning another NFL opportunity, but other AAF passers are playing their way into NFL jobs.

AAF Week Seven Quarterback Rankings

1. Garrett Gilbert (Last Week: 1)

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Orlando Apollos quarterback Garrett Gilbert didn’t have to do much in Orlando’s 36-6 smackdown over the Atlanta Legends, but he was ridiculously effective when he was throwing the ball. Gilbert completed 82.6% of his passes in the blowout for 217 yards, 9.4 yards-per-attempt, one touchdown, and no interceptions.

Gilbert continues to be the class of the league when it comes to quarterbacking. So far on the season, Gilbert is completing 61.6% of his passes for 1,842 yards, 11 touchdowns, and one interception. His pocket poise and ability to read a defense is unmatched, and he’s easily the league’s MVP. Orlando has the best record in the AAF, and they wouldn’t be able to do it if it weren’t for their star quarterback.

2. John Wolford (Last Week: 2)

Just like Garrett Gilbert, John Wolford didn’t need to do much to win in Week Seven. Powered by a potent rushing attack which averaged 4.85 yards-per-carry, the Hotshots dropped 32 points on a hapless San Diego Fleet defense. Still, Wolford did his part by completing 78.9% of his passes for 212 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.

After a string of bad games, Wolford has bounced back in recent weeks. So far on the season, Wolford is completing 62.1% of his passes for 1,400 yards, 13 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. While he’s clearly inferior to Gilbert, he’s the second-best passer the AAF has to offer.

3. Logan Woodside* (Last Week: 3)

Logan Woodside had his worst game since Week Four, but he still played well enough to win. Playing in front of the biggest crowd in AAF history, Woodrum completed 13 of his 19 pass attempts for 164 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. His night ended early after suffering an injury midway through the fourth quarter. As of this posting, nobody knows how long Woodside will be sidelined.

Marquise Williams came on in relief and made his few snaps count. The North Carolina product completed two of his three pass attempts for 49 yards and the game-winning touchdown pass. It’s too early to place him anywhere on this list, as he’s yet to attempt more than four passes in a game. However, he’s looked good in his small sample.

4. Luis Perez (Last Week: 6)

Remember when Luis Perez couldn’t throw a touchdown pass to save his life? After taking over for an injured Keith Price in Week Six, Perez has played well in his return to the field. In Week Seven against the Memphis Express, Perez completed 43% of his passes for 235 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. As usual, the Iron receivers dropped a few passes, so Perez played better than his box score would indicate.

Over the past two weeks, Perez has thrown for 594 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions. Perez flashed this potential earlier in the year but just couldn’t get the ball into the end zone. He’s starting to do that now, and he could soar to the third spot on this list with another strong week or two.

5. Brandon Silvers

Brandon Silvers has come a long way since throwing a pick-six on the second pass of his career. Earning the start against the Birmingham Iron, Silvers completed 68.6% of his passes for 266 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. Johnny Manziel earned some snaps midway through the game, but Silvers took over in crunch time and threw the game-winning touchdown in overtime.

So far in his abbreviated season, Silvers is completing 65.8% of his passes for 530 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. He would be higher on this list if the sample size weren’t so small. Plenty of quarterbacks have started hot out of the gate only to dramatically cool off once coaches figure out how to gameplan against the passer. No matter what happens, he’s already shown more promise than Christian Hackenberg.

6. Josh Woodrum (Last Week: 5)

Week Seven was a peak Josh Woodrum performance. The Salt Lake Stallions quarterback completed 22 of his 35 pass attempts for 229 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Just like two weeks ago, Woodrum also led an impressive fourth-quarter comeback. However, just like in Week Five, Woodrum’s efforts ultimately weren’t enough to take home a win. Needing a two-point conversion to tie the game, Woodrum instead threw a backbreaking interception which San Antonio returned for a defensive two-point conversion.

So far on the season, Woodrum is completing 63.9% of his passes for 1,295 yards, six touchdowns, and six interceptions. His inability to take care of the ball is ultimately his biggest downfall, as he’s also fumbled four times in his short AAF career. Still, he’s shown the ability to pull off some magic plays, even if he struggles to finish his frantic comeback attempts.

7. Aaron Murray (Last Week: 4)

The Aaron Murray hype train is officially dead. It’s crazy to think that less than a month ago, Murray came off the bench and led a rejuvenated Atlanta Legends team on a two-game winning streak. That seems like ancient history, as Murray has been one of the worst quarterbacks in the league over the past two weeks. Since Week Six, Murray has completed 46 of his 63 passes for just 350 yards, two touchdowns, and five interceptions. He’s actually played worse than his box score would suggest, as most of his yardage came in garbage time.

Matt Simms came in late during Atlanta’s Week Seven loss to the Apollos, and he very well could keep the starting job moving forward. Simms started the season under center for Atlanta and looked like one of the worst passers in the league. In a season filled with coaching changes and instability, it’s hard to imagine either quarterback thriving in this environment.

8. Mike Bercovici (Last Week: 7)

Mike Bercovici compiles a lot of passing yards, but that’s only because he throws the ball at an absurd volume. Trailing for the majority of the Week Seven’s action, Bercovici finished his night with 310 passing yards. However, the Arizona State product completed just 51.2% of his passes while throwing one touchdown and two interceptions. This was his third consecutive game with over 300 passing yards, but his film isn’t nearly as impressive as his yardage totals would imply.

So far on the season, Bercovici is completing 52.4% of his passes for 1,101 yards, five touchdowns, and seven interceptions. The former Arizona State passer has shown the ability to make big plays out of nothing, but his ball security and accuracy leave a lot to be desired.

9. Johnny Manziel (Last Week: Unranked)

The Memphis Express attempted to incorporate Johnny Manziel into the offense, but they soon learned they were better off letting Brandon Silvers run the show. Manziel completed three of his five pass attempts for 40 yards and put the team in field goal position on his first drive. However, kicker Austin MacGinnis missed the kick and Manziel left the game without putting up a point.

This is obviously a small sample, so Manziel can easily climb this list. However, Silvers looked like the better quarterback and should hold down the starters’ job moving forward. Manziel is the biggest name in the league, but he’s not the best quarterback on his own depth chart.

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