Patriots have best backup plan
Garoppolo provides solid QB insurance; Lions in dicey spot
Many NFL backup quarterbacks rarely see the field. Still, it can be argued they are the second-most important player on a given roster, whether they’re needed to temporarily replace the No. 1 or perhaps revitalize a team by supplanting a struggling starter.
There are various approaches across the league to managing quarterback depth charts. Perhaps the ideal situation is illustrated by the New England Patriots, who have a star firststringer (Tom Brady) but have developed a promising understudy (Jimmy Garoppolo) within their philosophy over the course of several years. Some clubs will carry a totally unproven player behind an established veteran; others are grooming a future face of the franchise until he’s ready to take the reins from a place-holding starter. Some franchises have two quarterbacks on their 53man roster; others carry as many as four.
After a flurry of roster moves last weekend, USA TODAY Sports has ranked the backup QB situations as they stand. 1. New England Patriots:
Garoppolo has started two NFL games and thrown 94 passes. Nevertheless, he’s a highly regarded player (106.2 career passer rating) who is sure to draw extensive interest on next year’s free agent market ... if the Patriots allow him to test it. He could probably start for at least 10 teams right now. 2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
Unflappable. Fearless. Smart. Underrated athlete. (Will unnecessarily force the ball at times.) Those labels could apply just as easily to Ryan Fitzpatrick as to Bucs starter Jameis Winston. Fitzpatrick most definitely lacks Winston’s arm talent, but he’d likely keep this team competitive for a protracted period, given its offensive arsenal. 3. Minnesota Vikings: Case Keenum has wandered the league, managing to collect 24 (often decent) starts over the last four seasons. He’s among the NFL’s better insurance policies. But if the Vikes get Teddy Bridgewater back this season, they should have little trouble surviving an injury to Sam Bradford. 4. Philadelphia Eagles: It’s not easy to purge the thought of how overmatched Nick Foles was as the starter for a bad St. Louis Rams squad in 2015. But let’s not forget his stellar 2013 campaign (27 touchdown passes vs. two interceptions) in Philly or the nice job he did in relief for the Kansas City Chiefs last season. He could be a nice handcuff to Carson Wentz for a long time. 5. Denver Broncos: Paxton Lynch, who won’t be ready for the start of the season after spraining his shoulder, has enviable physical skills. He did fine in two spot starts in 2016 but has failed twice to surpass Trevor Siemian and has yet to prove he’s more than a product of the college spread system. For the interim, at least, Brock Osweiler has made a stunning return to Denver after spurning this club in free agency a year ago. He has a deserved pack of detractors, but he did help the Broncos and Houston Texans to division titles over the last two seasons and has worked with offensive coordinator Mike McCoy before. 6. Chicago Bears: Rookie Mitchell Trubisky has spent the last month winning over skeptical Bears fans. The question now: How long will it take him to win over crusty coach John Fox, who remains behind Mike Glennon at the moment? Mark Sanchez has transitioned from franchise quarterback to franchise quarterback mentor after providing Dak Prescott helpful support last season with the Dallas Cowboys.
7. Cincinnati Bengals: Garoppolo might be the only second-stringer who generates more buzz than AJ McCarron. Renowned as a winner at Alabama despite limited physical tools, he stepped in for injured Andy Dal-
ton in 2015 to lead a march to the postseason — where he would have earned a win had his defensive teammates not imploded against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
8. Miami Dolphins: Matt Moore is capable of winning a few games in a pinch, which is what he did in helping Miami to the playoffs last season after Ryan Tannehill injured his knee. But clearly the team didn’t regard Moore as a viable option over 16 games this season, hence the August arrival of Jay Cutler to replace Tannehill.
9. Carolina Panthers: Derek Anderson is beginning his seventh season as Cam Newton’s backup. The club wouldn’t have won its 2014 division crown if Anderson hadn’t stepped in to win two games on short notice. But he didn’t play well in five appearances last season.
10. Arizona Cardinals: Drew Stanton is entering his sixth season alongside Bruce Arians, so you know he has earned the demanding coach’s confidence. Stanton has gone 6-3 in Carson Palmer’s absence over the years. Still, his decision-making and inaccuracy make it worth wondering if Blaine Gabbert might be a better option.
11. New York Giants: Thirdround draft pick Davis Webb is a football junkie and was highly regarded in many predraft circles. He might be Eli Manning ’s heir apparent down the road. For now, he has time to absorb knowledge from Manning and current Plan B option Geno Smith.
12. Kansas City Chiefs: The franchise was so excited by Patrick Mahomes that it traded up in the draft in April to make him the first quarterback selected by the team in the first round in 34 years. Despite an unfamiliarity with a pro-style offense, Mahomes wasted little time fueling his hype by turning in stellar preseason performances that won’t be forgotten by the fan base if Alex Smith experiences even mild struggles. Tyler Bray has never seen the field but has managed to hang around this team for four seasons already. 13. Washington Redskins:
Colt McCoy has 25 mostly unimpressive NFL starts on his résumé, but he has been pretty
reliable since settling into a reserve role with Washington in 2014. His intangibles are off the chart and his familiarity with Jay Gruden’s playbook should inspire confidence if he’s needed for a limited period. 14. New Orleans Saints:
Chase Daniel is back for a second stint in New Orleans after being well paid as a backup in other cities. Still, despite his lofty reputation, he has played sparingly (78 career pass attempts), though it’s probably not a huge issue given Drew Brees’ durability. 15. Green Bay Packers: Brett Hundley has been busy building his stock in recent preseasons and could fetch a nice draft pick one day since he won’t be around long enough to take over for Aaron Rodgers. But Hundley largely remains an unknown commodity when it counts, throwing 10 passes in mop-up duty during his first two pro seasons. 16. Houston Texans: Rookie Deshaun Watson was drafted in the first round to be this club’s future under center. With a better showing this preseason, he might have been the present also. But despite showing flashes, he hasn’t proved quite ready to leapfrog incumbent Tom Savage. 17. Tennessee Titans: Since his only Pro Bowl season in 2010 with the Chiefs, Matt Cassel has seemingly been in a steady decline. But his lengthy track record does suggest he can succeed when surrounded with a solid supporting cast, which the Titans certainly possess.
18. Buffalo Bills: Rookie Nathan Peterman might never be a regular starter in the league but might have the skills to develop into a long-term backup. T.J. Yates has been exactly that in his career. He is familiar with Buffalo’s offense and thus is a valuable resource. Neither can replicate starter Tyrod Taylor’s mobility or deep ball — however Joe Webb, who signed Monday, might. 19. Jacksonville Jaguars:
Chad Henne has 53 starts to his credit over the course of nine years in the NFL. But his inability to unseat struggling Blake Bortles in recent weeks isn’t likely to inspire much hope — inside the locker room or outside. 20. Cleveland Browns: Cody
Kessler went 0-8 as a rookie starter last season, but he held his own despite his inexperience and middling talent around him. He could carve out a nice niche as a career backup. The Browns’ young trio behind rookie starter DeShone Kizer includes Kevin Hogan and Josh Woodrum.
21. Oakland Raiders: Neither former first-round flameout EJ Manuel nor Connor Cook, who was clearly overwhelmed when pressed into service as a rookie last season, is likely to assuage panic in Raider Nation if Derek Carr goes down again for an extended period. 22. Pittsburgh Steelers:
Landry Jones hasn’t done a whole lot to justify the team’s continued commitment to him. But rookie Joshua Dobbs didn’t show during preseason that he was ready — yet — to take over as the primary alternative to often-injured starter Ben Roethlisberger, who has openly mulled retirement.
23. Seattle Seahawks: Austin Davis, who has started 10 NFL games since 2014, was sterling enough in preseason to overtake Trevone Boykin, who seemed to have many of Russell Wilson’s physical traits but never translated them sufficiently to game action.
24. Atlanta Falcons: Matt Schaub was once a Pro Bowl-caliber starter. But ever since his career spiraled in 2013, the last time he was a regular No. 1, he has shown little to suggest he’s physically able of recapturing his former glory. Maybe he can get by on guile and leadership in a pinch.
25. Indianapolis Colts: As good as Andrew Luck is, he has lacked predecessor Peyton Manning ’s durability, a lesson the team apparently hasn’t absorbed. The Colts will learn if Scott Tolzien (and maybe Stephen Morris) is capable of keeping them afloat for the short run, though confidence doesn’t appear especially high after Saturday’s trade for Jacoby Brissett, who was at least serviceable in two starts as a rookie for New England last year when Garoppolo was hurt and Tom Brady was suspended.
26. Baltimore Ravens: Ryan Mallett has a huge arm. But the seventh-year veteran has never displayed dependable accuracy,
decision-making or even maturity. Nevertheless, despite more spotty play during Joe Flacco’s absence this preseason, the Ravens remain comfortable with Mallett as their No. 2. 27. Los Angeles Rams: Sean Mannion exited the Pac-12 in 2014 as the conference’s all-time leader in passing yards. His results in preseason this year were encouraging, but he lacks meaningful NFL experience. 28. New York Jets: Josh McCown has experience, solid physical tools and an unselfish approach when helping younger teammates — an ideal blend of traits for a backup. Unfortunately for the Jets, the 38-year-old journeyman is their starter because youngsters Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty couldn’t rise to the occasion. 29. San Francisco 49ers:
The Niners might have scored a steal by snagging C.J. Beathard in the third round of this year’s draft. He outshone Matt Barkley enough in August that the veteran wound up on the chopping block. If the Niners struggle as expected, don’t be surprised if Beathard and Brian Hoyer swap roles at some point as GM John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan map their 2018 plans. 30. Los Angeles Chargers:
They traded for Cardale Jones this summer, and he has the talent to develop into a noteworthy prospect. He could also be out of the league five minutes from now. Still, he did enough last month to force the ouster of veteran Kellen Clemens, a bosom buddy of starter Philip Rivers but a stopgap performer.
31. Dallas Cowboys: A remarkable preseason allowed undrafted Cooper Rush to relegate Kellen Moore, who intimately understands this offense, to the unemployment line. Still, if Dak Prescott is knocked out of action for an extended period, expect the Cowboys to immediately contact Moore ... and that Tony Romo guy.
32. Detroit Lions: In a spirited competition, Jake Rudock beat out fellow sixth-rounder Brad Kaaya (he was later scooped by Carolina) to make the roster. But there’s no guarantee the Lions might not turn elsewhere if Matthew Stafford goes down.