Don’t let people tell you that backup quarterbacks are irrelevant in football. Tell that to Steve Young, Jeff Hostetler, Nick Foles and, in a more recent example…Brock Purdy!
Every NFL team needs to have a safe insurance option, because you just never know when it’s time to enact plan B behind center. With that said, here are our 2023 rankings for all NFL QB2s from worst to first.
32. Tyson Bagent (Chicago Bears)
It was the GOAT Nathan Peterman, but they cut him. Now we got Tyson Bagent, not much to say about him at #31.
31. Clayton Tune (Arizona Cardinals)
The Houston product was a fifth-round draft choice at No. 139 overall by the Cardinals this year. When Kyler Murray eventually returns, don’t be surprised if the Cardinals waive Tune — now that the club knows they have a steady backup in Josh Dobbs.
30. Sean Clifford (Green Bay Packers)
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
The Penn State product was a fifth-round draft choice by the Packers at No. 149 overall, days after Aaron Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets.
Clifford is happily collecting six figures to hold a clipboard for Jordan Love. Good gig if you can get it!
29. Jake Browning (Cincinnati Bengals)
The Washington product was on the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad in the 2019 and 2020 seasons before joining Joe Burrow’s Bengals ahead of the 2021 campaign.
Browning was on their practice squad for two years before winning the backup job in 2023. With zero meaningful NFL action, however, it’s hard to know how Browning would fare as a starter.
28. Dorian Thompson-Robinson (Cleveland Browns)
The Browns drafted the former UCLA standout in the fifth round at No. 140 overall back in April.
Thompson-Robinson dazzled as a dual-threat QB, tossing 27 touchdowns and rushing for 12 in his final NCAA season. We’d like to think he could produce well at the NFL level in the right system if the occasion called for it?
The Browns oughta at least use Thompson-Robinson in a wild cat role a la Taysom Hill, don’t you think?
27. Easton Stick (Los Angeles Chargers)
As hard as it is to believe, this is Stick’s fifth season with the Chargers. And through the 2022 season…he had literally one pass attempt which came back in his sophomore 2020 campaign.
You’d probably trust him just a little more than the inexperienced guys in an emergency call-up situation.
26. Kyle Trask (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
When Tom Brady retired, many wondered if the ex-Florida Gators’ star would get first dibs on taking over the offense. The front office obviously isn’t sold, because they decided to make Baker Mayfield — on his fourth team in two seasons — the Week 1 starter.
Trask was a stud in college. It’d be nice to see what he could do at the NFL level, no
25. Tim Boyle (New York Jets)
Boyle was in Green Bay from 2019 to 2020 before making one-year stops in Detroit and then Chicago. The New York Packers — err, Jets — loaded up on adding some of Aaron Rodgers’ former teammates this offseason — and that included Boyle.
Boyle started three games for the Lions in 2021 and had three touchdowns against six picks. Not saying Boyle’s a good backup, but 17 games of experience through four seasons does matter.
24. Brian Hoyer (Las Vegas Raiders)
The Las Vegas Raiders are a big mess, and their backup QB is not one to talk much about. Aidan O’Connell… who?
23. Malik Willis (Tennessee Titans)
The former Liberty standout went 1-2 as the Titans’ starter in place of an injured Ryan Tannehill last year, throwing zero touchdowns and three interceptions.
That’s not a pretty stat line. But we saw Willis dazzle in college. It’d be nice if Mike Vrabel ended his neverending loyalty to Ryan Tannehill and gave Willis or even rookie Will Levis a shot.
22. Brett Rypien (Los Angeles Rams)
Rypien went 2-1 in games started for the Denver Broncos for the 2020 and 2022 seasons. He was fine as a game manager, though the stat line of four TDS and eight picks left a lot to be desired.
Now with the Rams, Rypien can only benefit from learning behind Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford.
21. Blaine Gabbert (Kansas City Chiefs)
Gabbert will always be remembered as an all-time draft bust in Jacksonville, but the No. 10 selection of the 2011 draft has been just fine as a backup.
Gabbert has 48 career starts under his belt and showed brief flashes as a starter for the 49ers in 2015 and for the Titans in 2018. He won a ring in Tampa Bay as Tom Brady’s backup in Tampa during the 2020 season and now gets to hold a clipboard for Patrick Mahomes in KC.
20. Kyle Allen (Buffalo Bills)
Allen was a flash in the pan for the Panthers back in 2019, winning five of his first six starts in place of an injured Cam Newton. Allen came back to earth down the stretch, however, and never got close to that starting-caliber form again.
He started four games for Washington in 2020 and two for Houston in 2022. With 19 career starts and 26 passing touchdowns, we suppose the Bills could do a lot worse with backup options.
19. Jarrett Stidham (Denver Broncos)
Stidham started the Raiders’ final two games in 2022 after the team and Derek Carr agreed to shut him down for the year as they prepared for the inevitable divorce.
Stidham had a phenomenal outing against the 49ers’ No. 1 ranked defense, throwing for 365 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-34 loss. That performance alone is enough for us to put Stidham in the top-20, because he’s clearly capable of something as long as he has the right pieces around him.
18. Nick Mullens (Minnesota Vikings)
Mullens was a brief fan favorite in San Fran during his 2018 rookie year, going 3-and-5 while tossing 13 touchdowns against 10 picks. He had to make eight starts during the 2020 campaign as Jimmy Garoppolo fought with injuries, throwing 12 touchdowns against as many picks.
Mullens is a high-end backup with a QB guru like Kyle Shanahan. Outside of San Fran? We don’t know, because there’s not enough of a sample size.
17. Drew Lock (Seattle Seahawks)
Geno Smith’s career year and sudden rise to stardom means that Drew, shall we say, is a LOCK to never become Seattle’s QB1.
Lock wasn’t put in a position to succeed in Mile High City, but he still won some games. So we do think he’d show slight improvement in Pete Carroll’s offense.
16. Davis Mills (Houston Texans)
After Mac Jones, Mills was surprisingly the NFL’s best rookie quarterback in 2021. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to build off that, as his struggles in 2022 prompted the Texans to go in another direction.
CJ Stroud won the starting job in the summer, and he certainly isn’t about to give it up. Mills was a fun mini story in 2021, but it’s clear that his future in football is as a backup.
15. Mike White (Miami Dolphins)
Nobody will forget the Halloween day 2021 heroics from Mike White, who tossed 405 yards in a Week 8 overtime win over Joe Burrow’s Bengals – his first career start by the way.
Not to mention that he had a couple more 300-yard outings for Gang Green in 2022. Aaron Rodgers’ arrival made White expendable in Gotham, and he signed with the Dolphins to back up Tua Tagovailoa in South Beach.
That’s a real steady insurance option. And playing under offensive guru Mike McDaniel makes things a lot better for White.
14. C.J. Beathard (Jacksonville Jaguars)
Beathard was a steady backup with the 49ers, tossing 18 touchdowns and 13 picks in 19 games
there. Nevermind his 2-10 record there; the 49ers were mostly terrible in the years he saw
starting action.
Beathard can sling it, and his ball security is simply better than most other non-starting QBs in
this league. He’s definitely serviceable .
13. Tyrod Taylor (New York Giants)
Taylor used to be an average Joe of a starter for the Buffalo Bills — doing just enough to help them to the postseason in 2017. He’s a dual-threat guy and mostly good at protecting the football, but his limitations mean he’s fine where he is: A journeyman backup signal-caller.
If Daniel Jones doesn’t shrug off the turnover issues soon, Brian Daboll should absolutely consider giving him a chance.
12. Marcus Mariota (Philadelphia Eagles)
The No. 2 pick of 2015 never grew into a dual-threat QB that many had expected. He’s always been a dangerous runner, but Mariota has never done much of anything as a passing QB — hitting 20 TDs in a season just once.
He had one last chance to prove himself as a capable starter for Atlanta, but his struggles as a passer prompted Arthur Smith to go with rookie Desmond Ridder instead.
Mariota has to accept that being a backup is the only way of earning a paycheck in the NFL.
11. Mitch Trubisky (Pittsburgh Steelers)
Like Mariota, Trubisky is a former second overall pick who was a highly-touted QB coming out of college. Unfortunately, Trubisky just never put it together in Chicago.
Trubisky’s inconsistent play prompted the Steelers to give rookie Kenny Pickett the starting nod early in the 2022 season. You may recall that Trubisky replaced an injured Pickett and led Pittsburgh to a stunning Week 6 home win over Tom Brady’s Buccaneers.
That game reminded everyone of this: Trubisky can’t be a long-term starter, but he’s certainly among the better backup options. It helps that he’s got a good set of legs to make up for his limitations as a passer.
10. Bailey Zappe (New England Patriots)
Zappe went 2-0 as the Patriots’ starter last year and had five touchdowns against three picks in the games he suited up for.
Some Pats fans wanted to see Zappe start over a struggling Mac Jones last year. Probably not gonna happen, but Zappe might play his way into a starting job elsewhere down the road…
9. Jameis Winston (New Orleans Saints)
It’s a shame that injuries derailed Winston’s 2021 and 2022 seasons. He was 5-and-2 for the Saints in the former year before suffering a season-ending ACL tear.
It was a minor surprise to see the Saints bring back Winston this year after benching him in favor of Andy Dalton last season. But this is a guy who led the league in passing yards back in 2019, and the man can really sling it when he’s on his game.
His turnover woes and inconsistency mean Winston won’t be a long-term starter again, but he can be the occasional starter when his team needs it.
8. Sam Darnold (San Francisco 49ers)
Darnold was awful with the Jets and not much better in Carolina. But the fact San Fran chose him as their QB2 over 2021 third overall pick Trey Lance says a lot: Darnold obviously has a nice home in San Fran, and we’re sure he’d go off in this Kyle Shanahan-led offense.
Spending at least one year should do wonders for Darnold. The No. 3 pick of 2018 just might get another chance to start down the line..
7. Tyler Huntley (Baltimore Ravens)
Huntley works in the Ravens’ offense because he’s a dual-threat QB who does a fine job protecting the football. He helped the Ravens to the postseason after losing Lamar Jackson for the year in 2022 — and NEARLY led Baltimore to a big-time upset against Cincy in the wild card round.
Can’t imagine Huntley ever becoming a full-time starter, but he’s the ideal backup to Jackson in B-More.
6. Cooper Rush (Dallas Cowboys)
His stats aren’t great, but Rush’s 5-1-0 record as a starter speaks for itself. He saved the Cowboys’ season in 2022 by going 4-1 in place of an injured Dak Prescott — throwing five TDs and three picks on the year.
As long as he wins, what’s there to complain about
5. Taylor Heinicke (Atlanta Falcons)
Honestly, we’d love to see Heinicke start again. He nearly stunned Tom Brady’s Bucs in the 2020 Wild Card Round, then kept a mediocre Washington team in playoff contention in 2021 and 2022.
If Desmond Ridder keeps struggling, might we see Arthur Smith give Heinicke a look? There’s nothing to lose!
4. Jacoby Brissett (Washington Commanders)
Brissett served well as a backup for the Patriots in 2016, as the Colts’ starter in 2017 and 2019 and of course for Miami in 2021 and for the Browns in 2022. Don’t forget Cleveland’s offense was actually better than Brissett than it was with Deshaun Watson after the latter returned from suspension late last year.
He’s a safe security blanket and band-aid for a team when their QB1 goes down. Who knows? Maybe he’ll get a starting gig elsewhere one day…
3. Teddy Bridgewater (Detroit Lions)
Teddy Two Gloves led Minnesota to an NFC North division crown in 2015 and of course went 5-and-0 with the Saints’ in place of an injured Drew Brees in 2019. He’s a decent-enough starting option or a terrific backup, depending on how you want to look at it.
His stats aren’t fancy, but Bridgewater is a solid game manager with a winning record as a starter.
2. Andy Dalton (Carolina Panthers)
Dalton’s not a long-term starter anymore, but he’s as safe a fill-in option as it gets. He nearly led the Saints to the NFC South crown last year, and he fared well for the Panthers in Week 3 against Seattle in place of an injured Bryce Young.
Dalton is the ideal backup for a team with a young, inexperienced signal-caller like Carolina. And as we saw against the Seahawks, this man can still rifle it.
1. Gardner Minshew II (Indianapolis Colts)
To us, there’s no doubt that Minshew should be a starter in this league.
He won six games on a lowly Jacksonville team in 2019, tossing 21 touchdowns against just six picks. In two starts for the Eagles last year, he threw for 629 yards and three touchdowns.
In place of an injured Anthony Richardson, Minshew led the Colts to a stunning road win over Lamar Jackson’s Ravens in Week 3. What can we say? The magnificent mustache is a winner.
If you ask us, he’s a better QB than several starting quarterbacks in this league. We’re still holding out hope that some team will make him a starter one day.
Who do you think is the NFL’s top backup quarterback?
