Written by Will Brinson at CBSSports.com
It’s often overlooked in August when trying to figure out what teams will take steps forward and what teams will take steps back, but the backup quarterback position is a pretty important one in the NFL. Just ask the 2015Dallas Cowboys, who went turnstile with the position while Tony Romo nursed multiple collarbone injuries, unable to let a league-best offensive line take over games because they were too weak under center. Jerry Jones admitted he made the mistake of not solidifying the position.
With that in mind, I decided to rank the backup quarterbacks around the NFL. I actually created a very rough formula for ranking them, giving three points for a start, two points for a touchdown pass and negative one point for an interception. But that gives too much credit for playing a long time — Peyton Manning could unretire and be the “best” backup in the league. Matt Schaub gets the most points!
It is a helpful guidepost, however, because it’s important to have experience behind the starter. You can’t just toss some rookie out there and hope it works out; Kurt Warners don’t grow on trees.
These rankings are based on the backup group as a whole — you get more points if you have a great third-string guy too — but primarily based on who would be the least hosed should their starting quarterback go down. It’s not strictly about the dropoff (Lord knows it’s not that steep for the Browns), but the gap does matter.
Also, safety is a big thing here. No one’s itching for upside when your starting quarterback goes down. Having a higher floor is a better thing than having a really high ceiling for a backup.
1. Panthers
Depth chart: Derek Anderson, Joe Webb
Ranked fifth according to our metric, this is the best backup situation in the league and one with proven success. Anderson filled in for Cam Newton over the course of multiple games in 2014, going 2-0, completing 67 percent of his passes, while throwing five touchdowns and no interceptions. Once upon a time Anderson was a Pro Bowl quarterback with the Browns. Then he was one of the questionable starters for the Cardinals, at which point in time he lost his mind on a reporter. THAT’S FINE. IT’S FINE.
Now he’s settled into the role of backup in Mike Shula’s offense, providing consistency at a critical position, considering how often reigning MVP Cam Newton takes shots on the field. Joe Webb is a sneaky bonus as the third-string guy who can help replicate what Newton does on the field.
2. Buccaneers
Depth chart: Mike Glennon, Ryan Griffin
In another timeline, Glennon is the actual starter for the Bucs. But NFL politics are weird, and when you get drafted by one regime and that regime gets fired, sometimes you’ve got to fight through as a backup. Glennon knows this all too well, having sat behind Russell Wilson for several years in college.
Greg Schiano recruited him out of high school and drafted him with Tampa Bay in the third round, but he never stood a chance once Jameis Winston was the No. 1 overall guy. He knows that and is at peace with it heading into 2016 (he also likes working with Dirk Koetter). If Jameis should go down, Glennon might offer the best possible replacement level quality production of any top-20 quarterback backup.
3. 49ers
Depth chart: Blaine Gabbert, Thad Lewis/Colin Kaepernick
Weird situation here because it might actually be Colin Kaepernick on this list instead of Gabbert depending on what Chip Kelly ends up doing with the starting role in San Francisco.
Either way we’re talking about a potential high-end backup with plenty of upside. What a thing to say about Blaine Gabbert in 2016. Say whatever you want about the start to his career but he’s improved since he landed in San Francisco.
If he ends up losing out on the gig to Kaepernick, I’d be willing to wager he gets a look at some point this season anyway. And his skill set might fit Kelly’s system even better. Thad Lewis has experience!
4. Cardinals
Depth chart: Drew Stanton, Matt Barkley
There is something extremely comforting about both knowing what Stanton can do — he went 5-3 for the Cardinals after taking over for Carson Palmer in 2013 — and knowing how much confidence Bruce Arians has in his backup. True story: before trading for Palmer, Arians was willing to start out in Arizona with Stanton as his starter. It’s only a bonus that Stanton can dance on the sideline like no one you’ve ever seen before.
Barkley isn’t safe by any means, with Jake Coker being drafted, but he should have the advantage here and has some time working in Arians system at this point.
5. Dolphins
Depth chart: Matt Moore, Brandon Doughty
Is this too high? It might be. The closest Moore came to starting a game since 2011 (12 starts) was when Joe Philbin threatened to yank Ryan Tannehillagainst the Raiders in Oakland and insert his backup. Man, that feels so long ago. He’s 31 now and has served faithfully as the backup to Tannehill through five coaches now. Tony Sparano and Todd Bowles in 2011, Joe Philbin, Dan Campbell and now Adam Gase. He’s not going to magically become a late-blooming superstar, but he feels like a really safe floor for Miami if something happens to Tannehill.
6. Bears
Depth chart: Brian Hoyer, David Fales
There is a reason why Hoyer keeps bouncing around — he is not a great quarterback. But there is another reason he keeps landing a job — he is a good enough quarterback to play if a team really needs him to. There are tons of examples of him starting and looking good while doing it. People were clamoring for Cleveland to pay him big money a few years ago and he helped lead the Texans to the postseason in 2015. His ceiling is low, but his floor is high.
7. Bengals
Depth chart: AJ McCarron, Keith Wenning
If the Bengals lose Andy Dalton, they’re probably in trouble, particularly after Cincy lost some critical weapons this offseason (Mohamed Sanu, Marvin Jones), saw Hue Jackson leave for Cleveland and is waiting on Tyler Eifert to come back. But McCarron looked pretty good filling in for Dalton during the stretch run of 2015, and even came within a Vontaze Burfict meltdown of “winning” the first playoff game of Marvin Lewis’ tenure. He thinks he’s the next Tom Brady and that’s a stretch, but he’s a good backup who is developing very nicely.
8. Eagles
Depth chart: Chase Daniel, Carson Wentz
If this list were based on how much backups were being paid, the Eagleswould be No. 1 by a longshot. After investing big money into Sam Bradfordthis offseason, the team also gave Daniel a large contract to be the primary backup and then went out and drafted Wentz with the No. 2 overall pick. If the rookie plays, things have gone very south. But Daniel is a good, if overpaid, option behind Bradford, a player with a history of not staying healthy. Daniel’s knowledge of Doug Pederson’s offense is a huge plus obviously.
9. Browns
Depth chart: Josh McCown, Cody Kessler
This is a case where we could see the backup flip and become the starter, depending on what happens with Robert Griffin III. Regardless, having McCown on the roster is a huge plus, even if he’s a limited player. Hue Jackson can work some magic with quarterbacks and there’s a reasonable chance RG3 gets injured or isn’t great in 2016. If that’s the case, there needs to be something for the Browns to fall back on. McCown is that not-quite-so-sexy fallback, but he’s not entirely unattractive either.
10. Patriots
Depth chart: Jimmy Garoppolo, Jacoby Brissett
This is entirely based on the premise of Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels marching forward with Garoppolo as the starting quarterback for the first four weeks of the season and not flinching. It’s what they do in almost any situation — “we’ll play with the guys we have,” etc., blah, yada — but there is something that inspires confidence when the people in charge don’t appear concerned about missing the greatest quarterback of all time for four games to start the season. Life without Tom Brady won’t mean not winning either, and it’s totally possible Jimmy G goes 3-1 and nets the Pats something nice in a trade. At the very least it would result in someone else asking Belichick if Brady is going to get benched, which is worth it for the press conference alone.
