There are a lot of bad starting quarterbacks in the NFL right now. So at any given time, some combo of that fact mixed with the inevitability of injuries, means we’ll see some backup signal-callers. But which of those second-stringers should you most want your team to have in an emergency situation?
Well let’s rank all 32 of them and find out!
“We should tank for a draft pick” Division
32. Geno Smith/Ryan Fitzpatrick (Jets)
The Jets are a 1-5 mess and when you’re a 1-5 mess quarterbacks tend to get benched. That’s what happened this week when the team announced Geno Smith will start over Ryan Fitzpatrick. So now, Ryan Fitzpatrick is technically the Jets backup, which leaves us with a conundrum.
Based on his history, Fitz is actually a pretty good guy to have as your No. 2. He’s capable of making spot starts, and there have been multiple times where coaches decided he was actually better than QB1. And yet, the 2016 version of Fitz has easily been the worst quarterback in the league, and not the kind of player you would want to depend on if you’re starter was going to miss a month.
For now, we’re leaving the Jets mess at the bottom of the list because neither of the quarterbacks inspire much, or really any, confidence at the moment.
31. EJ Manuel (Bills)
Give EJ credit for one thing; he’s actually emerged as a decent run threat when Rex Ryan throws him in to confuse opposing defenses. But have you watched him actually throw the ball? Bills fans likely still have nightmares remembering his horrible performance against the Jaguars in London last year, where he seemingly lost the game all by himself. EJ can be moderately useful in the right situation, but let’s face it; if Tyrod Taylor goes down, he takes the Bills playoff hopes with him.
30. Blaine Gabbert (49ers)
Poor Blaine is back to the bench, as the Niners are hoping Colin Kaepernick can recover some of the magic that made him look like a stud in 2012-2013. In his first start against the Bills, Kaep showed his trademark agility, and threw an impressive touchdown to Toerrey Smith. He was also extremely inconsistent, which culminated in a blow out win for Buffalo, but he was a reasonable upgrade over Gabbert nonetheless. To be fair to Gabbert, he’s been stuck on terrible teams his entire career, but in six years, he’s done very little to show that he can be a quarterback in the NFL. And if he’s your backup, you just end up praying the starter stays healthy.
Unknown Quantities Division
29. Jared Goff (Rams)
Goff may prove to be a great QB once his skills are honed. But he was so bad in the pre-season that Jeff Fisher refused to start him over Case Freaking Keenum. So, until further notice, Goff ranks towards the back on the backup scale.
28. Paxton Lynch (Broncos)
When Lynch started in place of an injured Trevor Siemian last week, it was hard not wonder if he was about to take over the job. After all, he was Denver’s first round pick, and they presumably have big plans for him. Unfortunately, he struggled against the Falcons, and the team promptly turned back to a healthy Siemian in Thursday’s loss to the Chargers.
27. Trevone Boykin (Seahawks)
After going undrafted, Boykin impressed in the preseason, demonstrating the skills that made him a star at TCU. An injury to Russell Wilson would give Seahawks fans reason for concern, but Boykin has some serious potential.
26. Tom Savage (Texans)
Savage was named the Texans backup over Brandon Weeden because, well, no one wants to be one snap away from trotting out Brandon Weeden. Savage is in his third year and has seen little playing time. If Brock Osweiler gets injured, it would be on him to take advantage of the myriad of weapons in Houston’s offense.
25. Brett Hundley (Packers)
Hundley hasn’t had much of a chance to prove himself behind Aaron Rodgers, but the potential is there, as anyone who has seen his agility can attest to. If Rodgers went down, Hundley’s rawness would be a concern, but he could have a career similar to Tyrod Taylor’s, where after sitting on the bench for a few years, he gets a shot elsewhere and shows what he can do.
24. AJ McCarron (Bengals)
McCarron will go down as an all-time great college QB, but it remains to be seen if his skills will translate to the pro game. After taking over for an inured Andy Dalton, he struggled in a playoff loss to the Steelers. Still, he can only be judged so harshly for struggling as a rookie on a major stage against a team known for it’s stout defense. Perhaps McCarron can live up to his pedigree and climb up this list in the future.
“He’s not a complete disaster, but…” Division
23. Dan Orlovsky (Lions)
He’s not quite as terrible as your memory thinks he is, but he doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. He’ll always be known as The Guy Who Ran Out Of His Own Endzone, and really, it’s a minor miracle that he’s hung around this long.
22. Kellen Clemens (Chargers)
Philip Rivers has not missed a start since he took over in 2006. That’s why the Chargers are likely not too worried about backing him up with someone you probably didn’t know was still in the league.
21. Luke McCown (Saints)
A great cellphone salesman, but not the best option as a backup QB. McCown represents a huge drop-off from Drew Brees, but the Saints defense is so atrocious that it might not have a particularly dramatic effect on wins and losses.
20. Matt McGloin (Raiders)
McGloin started six games for the Raiders as a rookie in 2013, and while he went just 1-5, he wasn’t exactly awful, as he averaged 13.1 yards per completion, and often played decently in losing efforts. In the time since, Derek Carr has proven the be the solution to the Raiders perpetual QB woes. McGloin remains a serviceable backup who could probably keep the team treading water if Carr were to miss any time.
19. Chad Henne (Jaguars)
On one hand, Henne has experience, which matters. On the other hand, in every season where he started the majority of his team’s games, he threw more interceptions than touchdowns. Henne is a serviceable game manager, but not much more.
Backups 4 Life Division
18. Chase Daniel (Eagles)
Chase Daniel has played little-to-no meaningful football in his eight years in the NFL, but he’s respected enough that the Eagles inked him to a 3-year, $21 million deal. Daniel was originally expected to backup Sam Bradford, but when the Eagles traded him to the Vikings, he was leap-frogged by Carson Wentz, which so far has proven to be the right call.
17. Ryan Nassib (Giants)
The last time someone other that Eli Manning started a game for the Giants, a site called The Facebook had just launched from a Harvard dorm room. The Giants don’t depend on Nassib for much, but he’s in his fourth year, and they seem to be satisfied with the job he’s doing.
16. Scott Tolzien (Colts)
After the retirement of Matt Hasselbeck, the Colts turned to Tolzien, who had previously backed up Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. Tolzien is basically the platonic ideal of a backup QB; he doesn’t excite you, but it’s particularly terrifying to find out that your team has to lean on him for a few games.
15. Ryan Mallett (Ravens)
A few years ago, we wondered if Mallett, who backed up Tom Brady, would eventually become a star in his own right. That enthusiasm has cooled considerably after he was cut by the Texans last season. Still, he was quietly serviceable filling in for Joe Flacco last season, as he lead the Ravens to a surprising 20-17 over the rival Steelers.
14. Landry Jones (Steelers)
As with Nassib, Jones came out of the 2013 class and was drafted by a team that already had a franchise QB, leaving him with little opportunity to advance. Still, Jones has made the best of the situation, as he’s been with the Steelers for four years. When filling in for Ben Roethlisberger last year, Jones struggled and threw four interceptions in just 55 attempts, but he also averaged an impressive 9.3 yards per attempt.
13. Matt Moore (Dolphins)
Finding a spot for Moore wasn’t easy; since Ryan Tannehill took over as the Dolphins starter, he’s barely played at all. Still, his experience coupled with his strong play on the 2009 Panthers and 2011 Dolphins earned him a spot in the upper half of these rankings. With Tannehill struggling lately, Dolphins fans have been openly chanting Moore’s name during games. They might get their wish sooner than later.
Don’t Judge Them Because The Played For The Browns Division
12. Josh McCown (Browns)
The Browns are so injury ravaged at QB that I’m not even sure if McCown still is their backup, but that’s how he began the season, so let’s start there. McCown has been around forever, and he’s had some ups and downs. The tricky thing about ranking him is that he consistently finds himself playing on bad teams. Last year, McCown threw 12 touchdowns with only four interceptions and posted a 93.3 QB rating. His record? 1-7. Because the Browns.
11. Colt McCoy (Redskins)
Where to put McCoy was a tough question. He struggled as Cleveland’s starter, throwing 21 touchdowns to 20 picks and posting just a 74 rating, but since emerging as the No. 2 in Washington, he’s put up a surprisingly high 99.4 rating in the chances he’s had. He’s certainly not a massive downgrade from Kirk Cousins, and it’s quite possible that if given a chance to start for an extended period of time, he could prove himself capable of being a starting NFL QB once again.
10. Derek Anderson (Panthers)
People remember him for his up-and-down run with the Browns in the late 2000s, but he’s been a Panther for six years, and they seem to be pleased with his services. A pair of interceptions proved quite costly when the Panthers lost a Monday night game to the Buccaneers, but when looking at the whole picture, we should also remember that when filling in for Newton in 2014, Anderson threw five touchdowns without a single pick. If nothing else, Anderson knows his place in this league, and performs his duties quite competently.
Extremely Solid And Incredibly Unspectacular Division
9. Drew Stanton (Cardinals)
In 2014, when a season-ending injury to Carson Palmer threatened to ruin the Cardinals year, Stanton went 5-3 as the starter, and proved quite capable of lobbing deep balls to the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, and John Brown. Earlier this year, when the 1-3 Cardinals were missing Palmer, Stanton eeked out a win against the Niners at a time when a loss would have put them in the gutter. Stanton is often rough around the edges, and his accuracy is a problem (his career completion percentage is a mere 53.1 percent), but since arriving in Arizona, he’s shown that he has no trouble finding ways to win games when the Cards need him to make a spot start.
8. Shaun Hill (Vikings)
The fact that the Vikings didn’t trust Hill to keep them alive as a serious contender when they lost Teddy Bridgewater hurt his ranking somewhat, but at the same time he’s survived as a backup in this league for ages, and the reason why is simple: he won’t sink your season. His career passer rating is a decent 85.0 with 49 touchdowns to 30 INTs.
7. Mike Glennon (Buccaneers)
Perhaps a surprising pick for the top 10, Glennon has been better than most people might guess when he’s been given a chance. In 2013 and 2014, he threw 29 touchdowns alongside just 15 interceptions, and has proven himself to be a solid game manager. The Bucs had a chance to take a potential superstar with Jameis Winston, so they did. Still, in different circumstances, Glennon might have made it as a starter. It wouldn’t be surprising if a desperate team traded for him and he went on to be a success.
Failed Starters Who Didn’t Fail *That* Hard Division
6. Matt Cassel (Titans)
If you’re a Cowboys fan, you’re shouting at your computer screen right now. I understand, just hear me out. When Tom Brady went down in 2008, Cassel got the Pats to an 11-5 record. Two years later, he made the Pro Bowl while leading the Chiefs to a division title. He’s one of the most experienced backup QBs around. He can’t save a sinking ship, but he’s proven himself to be quite competent when given a decent compliment of offensive weapons.
5. Nick Foles (Chiefs)
It’s hard to believe we’re only three years removed from Foles throwing seven touchdowns in a game, and finishing his season with a stunning 27 touchdowns and only two interceptions. Foles reputation has suffered a lot since then, as his flashy 2013 numbers proved to be an outlier. That said, he might have reached the point in his career where he’s actually become underrated. Foles is coming off a bad year with the Rams, but he’s shown he can play well in the right situation, and if Alex Smith were to miss any time, Foles would likely be able to perform a reasonable replication of Smith’s game manager role.
4. Matt Schaub (Falcons)
If you take away his atrocious pick-6 laden 2013 and squint real hard, you’ll see that Schaub can still be a productive quarterback. He had a successful run as the Texans QB, where he made a pair of Pro Bowls, and led them to their first two playoff appearances. He’s thrown for nearly 25,000 yards. He’s easily the most experienced backup in the NFL right now, and we can only hope that after three years, he’s recovered from the trauma of 2013.
3. Brian Hoyer (Bears)
I placed Hoyer in this spot before he broke his arm on Thursday night. He was a quietly good story, playing very well for a Bears team that still couldn’t find ways to win games. It would have been interesting to see if he would have started over a healthy Jay Cutler, but now the Bears season, which was already over, is currently in the hands of Matt Barkley, and whoever they bring in to back him up. You can comfortably move the Bears way back to the bottom of the list, but because Hoyer really is one of the better backup QBs in the game, and also because I feel kinda bad for him, I’ll do the poor guy a solid and leave him where I originally had him.
Backups Who Would Be Starters If They Played On Any Other Team Division
2. Jimmy Garoppolo (Patriots)
Sure, it was a small sample size, but in his time against the Cardinals and Dolphins, Jimmy G. looked phenomenal. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened had his injury not given way to Jacoby Brissett, but his talent is undeniable, and a lot of teams are going to be interested in his services when the offseason comes around.
1. Dak Prescott (Cowboys)
To be clear, we’re treating Dak as a backup because that’s what Jerry Jones says he is. After five games with zero turnovers and 4-1 record, Prescott has proven that his strong performance in the preseason was no fluke, and that he should be a great QB for a long time. But Jones claims that once Tony Romo is healthy, the job is his, so we’re taking him at his word. However, if things change, and Prescott starts above a healthy Romo, you could easily put Romo at the top of this list instead. Quite simply, the Cowboys are spoiled rotten at the QB position right now.
