In today’s NFL, you have to have at least an above-average quarterback to compete for Super Bowls. And as the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles showed with Nick Foles, having a suitable backup option can still save your season if the QB1 goes down.
With every club’s NFL quarterback depth chart mostly set in place, it’s a good time to dive into our rankings of all 32 QB situations — going from worst to first.
Where does your favorite NFL team rank in terms of their quarterback situation?
32. Denver Broncos
Argue all you want if Oregon QB Bo Nix was a reach at No. 12, but the Broncos couldn’t go with Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson headlining their QB depth chart.
We like Nix’s potential, but even if he starts, he’ll struggle as a rookie behind that offensive line and lackluster set of weapons. If Nix sits? Good luck winning with Stidham and Wilson, who have 31 career touchdowns and 33 interceptions between them.
31. New York Giants
We remain a bit surprised the Giants didn’t draft a quarterback in round one, but taking Malik Nabers and then secretly tanking for a QB in 2025 isn’t the worst alternative either.
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With a 22-36-1 record, 46 fumbles, and 40 interceptions, Daniel Jones has repeatedly shown that he’s not a starting-caliber NFL quarterback. Neither is backup Drew Lock. Tommy DeVito was a fun story for a bit last year, but he’s not a starter.
30. Carolina Panthers
No more excuses for Bryce Young, who has a new head coach and a revamped supporting cast.
Free agent signings Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis bolster the interior o-line. New offensive weapons Diontae Johnson, Xavier Legette, Jonathan Brooks and Ja’Tavion Sanders put Young in a good situation to improve considerably, too.
As far as backups go, Andy Dalton is just fine as a No. 2.
29. Las Vegas Raiders
We liked the Raiders’ offseason except for their interesting NFL quarterback decisions. Cutting Jimmy Groppolo was necessary, but do they really think a quarterback room of Aidan O’Connell or veteran Gardner Minshew II will get the job done?
O’Connell was “meh” as a rookie. Minshew is a high-end backup, not a starter.
28. New England Patriots
The Pats selected North Carolina QB Drake Maye with the No. 3 selection, but don’t be surprised if veteran journeyman Jacoby Brissett opens 2024 as the starter.
New England can’t rush Maye as they enter year one of a full-scale rebuild under rookie head coach Jerod Mayo. With a mediocre o-line and football’s worst set of skill position guys on offense, Brissett and/or Maye will find it difficult to get much going here in 2024.
27. Washington Commanders
This isn’t a knock against Jayden Daniels. We believe the LSU product will eventually flourish in Washington and give this team the long-term guy at QB they’ve lacked for three decades now.
But patience and low expectations are always necessary for a rookie QB on a rebuilding team. Behind Daniels on the depth chart stand Marcus Mariota and Jeff Driskel. Not the best insurance options.
26. Minnesota Vikings
Make no mistake, the Vikings did the right thing by letting Kirk Cousins walk and drafting a promising prospect in Michigan’s JJ McCarthy with the No.10 selection.
If McCarthy isn’t ready? Well, Minny signed Sam Darnold to be a bridge QB if necessary. But ideally, McCarthy wins the starting job and makes the most of the elite supporting cast around him. JJ and Justin Jefferson have a nice ring to it.
25. Tennessee Titans
Will Levis had a solid rookie year on a rebuilding Titans team, and he stands to improve with Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd joining forces with DeAndre Hopkins at wide receiver.
Levis is also in good hands with rookie head coach Brian Callahan, who played a big role in grooming Joe Burrow for the pros.
That said, Mason Rudolph and 2022 third-round pick Malik Willis don’t inspire a lot of confidence as backups. So the Titans NEED Levis to be good if this team is to make any meaningful progress in 2024.
24. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts are tough to rank. If Anthony Richardson stays healthy and continues to flash the way he did in his small sample-size rookie season, the Colts could emerge as a playoff team in 2024.
If Richardson gets hurt, we suppose 2023 Comeback Player of the Year Joe Flacco is a fine insurance option. He wouldn’t go off for Indy the way he did in Cleveland last season, but Flacco is still among the better understudies in this league.
23. New Orleans Saints
Derek Carr is an average quarterback at best. He will push for 4,000 yards and 25 TDs a season and mostly protect the football, but he’s not a top-10 guy. So it’s only fitting that a middling QB is starting for a middling New Orleans team.
Taysom Hill may be listed as a QB, but he’s more of a running back. Rookie Spencer Rattler.
22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield turned a career year into a $100 million extension over three years. The Bucs’ offensive personnel is hardly different from the 2023 group, so the star NFL quarterback has all the resources to prove last year wasn’t a fluke.
2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask and veteran John Wolford are currently the backups behind Baker. But let’s be perfectly blunt: The Bucs are in trouble if Trask or Wolford have to play meaningful snaps in 2024.
21. Arizona Cardinals
Arizona’s offense should vastly improve with generational receiver prospect Marvin Harrison Jr. joining the party.
But Desmond Ridder and Clayton Tune aren’t exactly exciting backup options if the injury-prone Murray goes down again. And the No. 1 pick of 2019 has been maddeningly inconsistent throughout his career, so it’s tough to place Murray’s Cardinals in the top-20 here.
20. Seattle Seahawks
Geno Smith has been a feel-good story over these last two years, leading Seattle to consecutive winning seasons after replacing franchise icon Russell Wilson behind center.
But Smith isn’t elite, and backup Sam Howell must cut back on the turnover woes if he’s to emerge as a starter in this league.
19. Chicago Bears
Of course, we’d love to put Caleb Williams and the Bears higher on this list. But we need to see how the rookie transitions over to the NFL level…plus we aren’t really high on Tyson Bagent, Brett Rypien and Austin Reed as the other QBs on the depth chart.
18. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are hard to rank here. They have two starters Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
But we also don’t know how much Wilson has left, if Fields just needed a change of scenery, or if he’s destined to be a bust. Our guess is Wilson has a solid bounce-back year with Mike Tomlin leading the way, but it’s another case of believing it when we see it.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence has looked like an MVP-caliber QB for two stretches: The second half of 2022 and the first half of 2023. Is this the year the No. 1 pick of 2021 finally discovers consistency and puts it all together?
Mac Jones had an ugly final year in New England, but he and CJ Beathard are two solid backup options behind T-Law. Learning behind offensive guru Doug Pederson for a year can only benefit Jones winning his contract year.
16. Cleveland Browns
$230 million man Deshaun Watson still hasn’t put it together since joining the Browns. The good news is that as Jacoby Brissett and Joe Flacco proved, backup QBs can find success in Kevin Stefanski’s offense.
With Jameis Winston, Tyler Huntley, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson rounding out the depth chart, the Browns have three other short-term guys if Watson gets injured again.
15. Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford showed he has plenty of gas left in the tank, guiding the Rams back to the postseason with a superb second-half finish.
Jimmy Garoppolo shouldn’t be a starter anymore, but his experience makes him one of the better backups in the league. And we’re still curious to see what Stetson Bennett could do if Sean McVay ends up giving him a look…
14. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons hope that the $180 million man Kirk Cousins can be their solution as their long-term NFL quarterback. To us, it’s hard to envision him NOT succeeding in an offense with Kyle Pitts, Bijan Robinson, and Drake London.
Cousins’ arrival makes Atlanta the team to beat in the NFC South. And hey, maybe that Michael Penix Jr. guy will get some reps? And Taylor Heinicke is as good as a third-stringer as you’ll find.
13. Miami Dolphins
Tua Tagovailoa is still a polarizing QB. But his MVP-caliber stats can’t be ignored, even if he’s a product of Mike McDaniel’s system that boasts the league’s best-receiving tandem in Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill.
Mike White is a fine backup to Tua, and third-stringer Skylar Thompson nearly upset Josh Allen in the Wild Card Round two seasons ago. Now…if Tua could just win a playoff game.
12. Green Bay Packers
In year one as a starter, Jordan Love threw for 4,159 yards and 32 touchdowns. He led the Packers to a blowout win over the Dallas Cowboys on Wild Card Weekend before they narrowly fell to the top-seeded 49ers in the Divisional Round.
We can’t wait to see what Love does for an encore, especially if No. 1 receiver Christian Watson can stay healthy. Sean Clifford isn’t a secure No. 2 option, but Love’s rise to superstardom is enough to put the Pack in the 12th spot here.
11. Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert has been a top-10 NFL quarterback since his record-breaking 2020 rookie year. But how will he fare without Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Austin Ekeler? We wanna see that first.
Also, we’re surprised the Bolts didn’t upgrade the QB room behind Herbert after his season-ending injury last year. Easton Stick, as your No. 2 guy, is head-scratching, and Max Duggan has yet to attempt an NFL pass.
10. Detroit Lions
Remember when Goff was supposed to be a throw-in as part of the Matthew Stafford trade? What an incredible story, as Goff instead took his game to another level with Dan Campbell after being discarded by the Rams.
So, as we saw last year, the Lions are a championship contender with Goff, who might make his case as a top-five quarterback this year. 2023 third-round pick Hendon Hooker hasn’t seen any snaps yet, but maybe we’ll get a glimpse in garbage time if the Lions continue to crush their weaker opponents?
9. San Francisco 49ers
Is Brock Purdy a top-10 QB in football? That’s up for debate, but any QB who plays in the Kyle Shanahan offense is in good hands. Just look at the long list of QBs who’ve had success in his system.
New second-stringer Josh Dobbs proved himself as a steady backup option in 2023, which was split with Arizona and Minny. Surely, he’d do wonders in Shanahan’s star-studded offense if Dobbs were to get a look.
8. Houston Texans
Don’t be surprised if CJ Stroud contends for the MVP honors again this year…or if he cements himself as a top-five QB in the game as a sophomore.
Davis Mills showed some promise in 2021, so he’s a solid backup plan behind Stroud. Ditto for journeyman CaseKeenum, who has 66 starts under his belt.
7. Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott’s consistent regular season success is obviously the main reason Dallas lands this high. But they also have a top backup option in Cooper Rush, who’s gone 5-and-1 as Dak’s understudy in Big D.
We still don’t know what Trey Lance might become in the NFL, but having a recent former third-overall pick as your third-stringer is a pretty fun luxury.
6. New York Jets
Assuming Aaron Rodgers is back to full health in Week 1, the Jets have themselves a top-10 quarterback.
The Jets were undone last year by a lack of an adequate backup plan behind Rodgers. That’s not a problem now that they have one of the league’s best second-stringers in Tyrod Taylor — and a fascinating rookie in Jordan Travis. The latter probably won’t see meaningful snaps, but we’d take him over Zach Wilson or Tim Boyle any day.
5. Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts’ many haters like to think he’s the product of a star-studded Eagles’ offensive system. Superstar? Game manager? Above average? No matter how you slice it, Hurts does his part and gives Philly one of the best
And though it didn’t work out in Pittsburgh, Kenny Pickett is a safe insurance option. I mean, we’d like to think he’d do something with AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Saquon Barkley as his main weapons
4. Buffalo Bills
It remains to be seen how Josh Allen will fare without Stefon Diggs, but elite NFL quarterbacks always find a way to produce regardless of who’s catching their passes. We’re still high on Allen, who may actually benefit from the departure of Diggs — who proved to be a massive headache in the locker room.
Yes, Mitch Trubisky is an all-time draft bust. But he’s a not-so-horrible backup plan if Sean McDermott has to turn to him. And if the occasion called for him to start, Trubisky would maybe show his best stuff under a top-notch NFL head coach.
3. Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson won his second MVP award in five seasons — not to mention he led Baltimore to its first AFC title game appearance in 11 years.
Josh Johnson and sixth-round pick Devin Leary don’t offer a lot of optimism as backup options. However, John Harbaugh found ways to keep his Ravens competitive without Jackson in 2021 and 2022, so we’re confident the Ravens wouldn’t quite sink if Jackson had to miss time.
But as we saw last year, Jackson changes everything when he’s on the field for practically the entire season.
2. Cincinnati Bengals
Almost a coin-flip here between the Bengals, Bills, and Ravens for the No. 2 spot. Take your pick as to who has the second-best QB in the league, but the Bengals get this spot since they have a top-tier backup option in Jake Browning.
A healthy Joe Burrow makes the Bengals Super Bowl contenders. But after Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury last year, Browning completed a league-best 70.4 percent of pass attempts for 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Browning won four of his seven starts and had the Bengals in the playoff race without their star QB. Hard to top that QB situation, unless you’re the…
1. Kansas City Chiefs
Not much more to say here. Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in football, with three Super Bowl championship rings to back it up. No debate here.
As far as insurance goes, something tells us Carson Wentz would do just fine in Andy Reid’s offense if Mahomes had to miss time. I mean, Reid got wins out of Matt Moore and Chad Henne when the occasion called for it!
Once again, KC is the golden standard of NFL quarterback situations. Such is life with the NFL’s best player in their hands.
