Ranking lists are fun, but this time of year—smack in the middle of fantasy football draft weekend—tiers matter just as much as straight rankings. And now that NFL rosters are cut down to 53, it’s the perfect time to sort out the backup quarterback landscape.
So instead of just rattling off names, let’s group these guys into buckets. Some inspire hope, some inspire panic, and some inspire the same feeling you get when you find an old Blockbuster card in your wallet.
I Was a First-Round Pick, Now I’m Not Even QB1
- Buffalo – Mitchell Trubisky
- Miami – Zach Wilson
- Indianapolis – Anthony Richardson
- Las Vegas – Kenny Pickett
- Los Angeles Chargers – Trey Lance
- New York Giants – Jameis Winston & Jaxson Dart
- Washington – Marcus Mariota
- Minnesota – Carson Wentz
- Atlanta – Kirk Cousins
- Carolina – Andy Dalton
- Tampa Bay – Teddy Bridgewater
- San Francisco – Mac Jones
This is the “fallen angels” tier. Some are permanently relegated to backup status, but a few still have life left in the career arc. Cousins is the obvious “could start again” guy, while Richardson just needs health and improved decision making to reclaim his job. Jones, Wilson, and Pickett are still under 30, which in QB years is young enough to dream of resurrection. Dart? He’ll get thrown in at some point since they did just spend a first rounder on him.
You Know I Started a Super Bowl, Right?!?!
- Los Angeles Rams – Jimmy Garoppolo
Matthew Stafford’s health is always a headline, but somehow people forget the Rams have one of the most decorated backups in football. Garoppolo is basically the walking, talking version of “break glass in case of emergency.” And for what it’s worth, Stetson Bennett IV looked sharp this preseason too.
Shipping Off Kenny Pickett Cleared Things Up
- Cleveland – Dillon Gabriel & Shedeur Sanders
Joe Flacco holds the starter’s seat while Deshaun Watson waits on the PUP, but the depth chart behind him is rookies. Gabriel is technically QB2, but no rookie got more preseason airtime than Shedeur Sanders. ESPN might as well rename their morning block “First Take, Then Shedeur.”
We’re Screwed If He Plays
- Baltimore – Cooper Rush
- Cincinnati – Jake Browning
- Philadelphia – Tanner McKee/Sam Howell
No offense—okay, maybe a little offense—but these guys are ok at best. The problem is they back up Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Jalen Hurts. That’s a Grand Canyon–sized talent gap.
We’re Screwed No Matter Who Starts
- New Orleans – Tyler Shough
Kellen Moore handed the starting job to Spencer Rattler, leaving Shough as the backup. Both would be QB3s on half the rosters in the league. Saints fans deserve hazard pay this season.
Haven’t Heard That Name in a Minute
- Pittsburgh – Mason Rudolph
- Jacksonville – Nick Mullens
- Tennessee – Brandon Allen
- Denver – Jarrett Stidham
- Kansas City – Gardner Minshew
- Detroit – Kyle Allen
- Seattle – Drew Lock
They’ve all started NFL games. They’ve all been forgotten just as quickly. Minshew at least has a cult following, but the rest? If you walked into a room full of them with prefilled nametags, you’d probably mess up at least three.
At Least It Would Be Interesting
- Dallas – Joe Milton III
Nobody knows if Milton can actually play NFL quarterback. But the arm strength is cartoonish and the athleticism is legit. If nothing else, it’d be must-see chaos.
Proper Backup QB Situations
- New England – Joshua Dobbs
- New York Jets – Tyrod Taylor
- Houston – Davis Mills
- Chicago – Tyson Bagent
- Green Bay – Malik Willis
- Arizona – Jacoby Brissett
This is what a team wants in the room: guys who’ve started before, can step in without changing the scheme, and won’t completely sink the ship. They’re not franchise saviors, but they’re professional quarterbacks.
Backup QBs are one of the NFL’s strangest ecosystems—halfway houses for washed starters, landing pads for rookies, and random storage bins for names you forgot were still on payroll. But as history keeps reminding us, you never really appreciate a backup until you’re watching one play in December with your season on the line.
The Stain Sports 