Where do Bengals, who had to lean on Jake Browning in 2023, land?
A cluster of teams are relying on 2021 first-rounders as QB2s.
Kirk Cousins and Andy Dalton are among the most decorated QB2s, both with multiple Pro Bowl nods to their credit.
Some NFL teams (and fans) treat them as afterthoughts. In other football cities, he might be the most popular guy on the squad and, according to some head coaches, the second-most important player on the roster.
He is, of course, the backup quarterback. Depending on his role, he might be a football messiah, mentor, nomad, reclamation project, has-been-who-might-have-something-left or some combination thereof.
Whatever the case may be, the QB2s are already stepping into the 2025 season’s spotlight – one of them forced into the starting lineup Sunday, and another, the Bengals’ Jake Browning, likely now facing the prospect of salvaging his team’s season now that leading man Joe Burrow is headed for surgery on his injured toe.
Heading into Week 3, when it seems quite feasible at least four (Burrow, Brock Purdy, J.J. McCarthy, Justin Fields) starting passers will be down league-wide, now feels like the right time to rank every team’s backup quarterback situation from best to worst:
1. New York Giants
Even with a temp, albeit one who played well Sunday afternoon, like Russell Wilson atop the depth chart, they have something of an ideal mix in reserve. Coming off a scintillating preseason, rookie Jaxson Dart is clearly the future here – and made his regular-season debut Sunday, taking three snaps in packages designed for him. The Giants’ brutal schedule seems likely to keep him next to coach Brian Daboll for a while. But whenever Dart gets in on a permanent basis, he’ll have Wilson – if he sticks around – and/or Jameis Winston, a beloved teammate who can still sling it, as veteran backstops.
2. Atlanta Falcons
After an up-and-down first season in the ATL, veteran Kirk Cousins is now nearly two years removed from an Achilles tear that short-circuited what was shaping as potentially his best season when he was still in Minnesota. A four-time Pro Bowler, few backups have Cousins’ bona fides … or his salary, which is $27.5 million for the 2025 season. He remains quite the valuable – literally and figuratively – insurance policy to second-year starter Michael Penix Jr., though probably one who’s too expensive to offload without extensive cap ramifications for both Atlanta plus any potential suitor. Veteran Easton Stick, who has four NFL starts, is on the practice squad.
3. San Francisco 49ers
Mac Jones made his Niners debut Sunday – four years later than some predicted for the 2021 Patriots first-rounder – in place of injured Purdy and had one of his best pro games (279 yards and 3 TDs passing) in a 26-21 victory at New Orleans. He’s expected to make a few more starts while Purdy recovers from an injured toe, though one that’s apparently in much better shape than Burrow’s. The Niners also have former UFL MVP Adrian Martinez in reserve and injured Kurtis Rourke and Carter Bradley in deep storage.
4. Kansas City Chiefs
5. Cincinnati Bengals
Even with Burrow likely out until December, don’t expect the team to make a drastic move – especially given this organization’s reluctance to execute trades or certainly its unwillingness to further stretch its salary cap after an offseason when WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins and DE Trey Hendrickson all got paid, the latter after protracted negotiations. And given how well Browning ran this offense in 2023, it’s probably not necessary anyway. He led the league with a 70.4% completion rate two years ago and won four of seven starts, just shy of guiding Cincinnati back to the playoffs at a time when Burrow went down with a season-ending wrist injury. Browning scored the winning touchdown on a 1-yard dive Sunday, capping a largely uneven performance against Jacksonville, but will need to be on point moving forward as the Bengals’ next five opponents are against 2024 postseason outfits. Whether or not seventh-year vet Brett Rypien (4 NFL starts) is promoted from the practice squad, the team will need to add another arm at some point in order to get through the week and provide scout team looks.
6. Los Angeles Rams
Starter Matthew Stafford’s bad back has held up through two weeks, but LA seems fairly well prepared if he goes down. Veteran Jimmy Garoppolo earned two Super Bowl rings as Tom Brady’s backup in New England and made a Super Sunday start of his own for the 49ers five years ago. He is 33 and hasn’t played much since losing the QB1 gig in Las Vegas two seasons ago, but fair bet coach Sean McVay could maximize his best traits, typically solid accuracy and decision-making. If not, Stetson Bennett IV, who won two rings of his own while under center for the University of Georgia’s recent powerhouses, has shown quite a bit of potential in extensive preseason action after getting his personal life in order during his 2023 rookie season.
7. Baltimore Ravens
There’s no duplicating the inimitable Lamar Jackson, and the Ravens seemed to take a “why try?” approach this year. Baltimore signed Cooper Rush – he could hardly replicate Dak Prescott’s pedestrian athleticism in Dallas, much less Jackson’s – to an incentive-laden deal that will run the next two seasons. But Rush does know how to get the ball into the hands of playmakers – and the Ravens have plenty of those – something he usually did to great effect in Prescott’s absence, going 9-5 as Dallas’ fill-in QB1 since 2021. And in the event Rush isn’t up to the task in Charm City, practice squader Tyler “Snoop” Huntley got a (dubious) Pro Bowl nod in 2022, when he also started a playoff game in Jackson’s stead.
8. Indianapolis Colts
Daniel Jones won the starting nod here coming out of training camp and is now stunningly playing like the franchise quarterback the Giants hoped he was when they invested the No. 6 overall pick in him in 2019. Behind Jones is Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 pick just two years ago and a man with as much physical talent as any QB in the league. And while the raw, inexperienced and occasionally immature Richardson, 23, has yet to approach his ceiling, he’s still been good enough to win eight of his 15 NFL starts and is finally getting the opportunity to sit and learn without having to rehab an injury. Whether it ever clicks for him the way it currently is for Jones remain to be seen, but Richardson is hardly a slouch if his number gets called. Rookie Riley Leonard, who started last season’s national championship game for Notre Dame, is the third-stringer.
9. Minnesota Vikings
They hired Carson Wentz, who’s started 95 NFL games and been a member of two Super Bowl teams, as the Plan B QB behind first-year starter McCarthy, whose growing pains have been evident so far during two prime-time starts. And those pains have already progressed beyond the figurative, an ankle injury likely sending McCarthy to the bench for a few weeks. Undrafted rookie Max Brosmer also made the Vikes’ 53-man roster, a strong indication of how highly they think of him following a strong preseason.
10. Carolina Panthers
Three-time Pro Bowler Andy Dalton, 37, has filled in briefly for Bryce Young each of the past two seasons and played solidly in 14 starts for the Saints as recently as 2022. Hendon Hooker, 27, made a run at the 2022 Heisman Trophy before a torn ACL prematurely ended his college career. He latched on with the practice squad after failing to win the backup job in Detroit this summer.
11. Pittsburgh Steelers
Aaron Rodgers is 41 and was semi-regularly victimized by serious injuries even before blowing out his Achilles during his Jets debut in 2023. The Steelers are reasonably safeguarded with Mason Rudolph, who carried the team into the 2023 playoffs with a 3-0 regular-season flourish, back in the fold. Rookie Will Howard, who led Ohio State to last season’s national title while opposing Leonard in the CFP championship, is currently on injured reserve along with Skylar Thompson, who started a playoff game for Miami at the end of the 2022 season. Logan Woodside is on the practice squad as long as Pittsburgh needs him.
12. Seattle Seahawks
Drew Lock has 28 NFL starts, some of them tantalizingly impressive, which is why Seattle re-signed him after his 2024 hitch with the Giants. Rookie Jalen Milroe might be the future here – and perhaps part of the present given he has elite athleticism Lock and starter Sam Darnold don’t possess – but he’s probably at least two years away.
13. Buffalo Bills
If you watch “Hard Knocks,” then you’re aware that former Pro Bowler Mitch Trubisky’s mechanics have improved – he fired off a 32-yard completion in brief relief of Josh Allen on Sunday against the Jets. However Trubisky has started just seven games since leaving Chicago after the 2020 campaign and hasn’t exactly looked stellar in those opportunities. Down on the practice squad, Shane Buechele can only hope his extended exposure to Mahomes in Kansas City and Allen somehow rubs off, but he definitely understands from personal experience what a league MVP looks like.
14. Chicago Bears
No hot take here, but if Caleb Williams doesn’t play up to his potential in a relatively timely manner, don’t be surprised if rookie HC Ben Johnson gives recently extended third-year man Tyson Bagent, who threw 159 TD passes in college, an opportunity. Third-stringer Case Keenum, 37, who owns 66 NFL stars and an FBS record 155 TD passes himself, is the wise graybeard neither Williams nor Bagent really had to lean on in 2024.
15. Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels, last season’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, is virtually irreplaceable … yet is also nursing a sprained knee. But fellow former Heisman winner Marcus Mariota can provide experience, athleticism and a steady hand for an extended stretch if called upon. Peripatetic third-stringer Josh Johnson, 39, has seen it all; practice squad inhabitant Sam Hartman hasn’t.
16. Las Vegas Raiders
They’re rolling rather deep behind recently obtained starter Geno Smith, 34. Former first-rounder Kenny Pickett and his 25 NFL starts were acquired last month after Aidan O’Connell fractured his throwing wrist in the preseason finale. Both have shown flashes though probably not enough that either will ever be a major threat to Smith. Journeyman Jeff Driskel and rookie Cam Miller reside on the practice squad.
17. New England Patriots
Understudies Joshua Dobbs, 30, and Tommy DeVito, 27, have both prominently displayed the ability to excel in spurts. Whether either could effectively supplant Drake Maye for a prolonged period is an open question.
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
They boldly changed the depth chart behind Baker Mayfield last month by signing Teddy Bridgewater, 32, and stashing undrafted rookie Connor Bazelak on the practice squad. Bridgewater is 10 years removed from his only Pro Bowl nod and has only started twice since the start of the 2022 season. In terms of being a positive locker room presence, he’s almost incomparable.
19. Philadelphia Eagles
Third-year man Tanner McKee earned the second-string job behind Super Bowl 59 MVP Jalen Hurts after thriving in spot duty last season (plus the 2025 preseason) and rendering Pickett expendable. However the Eagles did swing a trade last month for Sam Howell, who led the league with 612 pass attempts two years ago in Washington … when he also served up an NFL-high 21 INTs. Rookie sixth-rounder Kyle McCord earned a practice squad slot.
20. Green Bay Packers
Malik Willis was a highly touted prospect entering the 2022 draft but never carved out much of an opportunity with the Titans. Yet he was excellent in two spot starts for the Pack last season, though he wasn’t asked to throw all that much. Third-stringer Clayton Tune had a forgettable start for Arizona in 2023.
21. Detroit Lions
After Hooker failed to develop, they’ve opted for a veteran-centric room led by starter Jared Goff, 30. Kyle Allen, 29, has 19 NFL starts, though just two since 2021. C.J. Beathard, 31, who has an excellent locker-room reputation, only has one start since 2021.
22. Arizona Cardinals
Jacoby Brissett has picked up 53 starts while bouncing around the league for a decade. Great guy but hardly even a remote Kyler Murray facsimile, and there’s simply no proof to the notion that Brissett can keep a playoff-caliber team afloat for the long run. Kedon Slovis, 24, is on his third NFL practice squad after playing for three college programs.
23. New York Jets
Tyrod Taylor had to take over for Fields on Sunday after the NYJ’s new QB1 entered the concussion protocol. Taylor, 36, a Pro Bowler in 2015, is 28-28-1 as an NFL starter but hasn’t been one with regularity since 2017. He’s smart and protects the football but also has a propensity to get injured himself. Undrafted rookie Brady Cook is currently Plan C for the Jets.
24. Jacksonville Jaguars
Devil-may-care gunslinger Nick Mullens, who can be alternately spectacular and cringeworthy, is the new Trevor Lawrence fallback. Undrafted rookie Seth Henigan is on the practice squad.
25. Denver Broncos
Even though he’s had limited regular-season run in six NFL seasons, coaches tend to rave about Jarrett Stidham. Third-stringer Sam Ehlinger is similarly unproven.
26. Houston Texans
Drafted in 2021, Davis Mills has 25 middling-at-best NFL starts. Rookie Graham Mertz is behind him.
27. Miami Dolphins
Drafted (highly) in 2021, Zach Wilson has 33 NFL starts that were mostly sub-middling. Rookie Quinn Ewers is behind him.
28. Los Angeles Chargers
Drafted (highly) in 2021, Trey Lance has all of five NFL starts and remains a largely unknown commodity on this third team. Rookie DJ Uiagalelei was a five-star recruit who never lived up to that billing with three college programs, but his potential has earned him another shot on the Bolts’ practice squad.
29. Tennessee Titans
Ninth-year pro Brandon Allen has been around the block, albeit with limited personal success. His most important job might be as a sounding board for this year’s No. 1 pick, Cam Ward. The same probably also goes for Trevor Siemian, also in his ninth season and holding it down on the practice squad. Last year’s starter, Will Levis, is out for the year following surgery on his throwing shoulder.
30. Dallas Cowboys
If potential was the measuring stick, Joe Milton would be near the top of this list. But since experience is a major factor, he’ll likely need a lot more of it before the Cowboys should feel confident he can step in as effectively for Prescott as Rush did so many times in recent years. Will Grier is back for another stint on the practice squad.
31. Cleveland Browns
Arguably the most talked about QB room in the league, it jettisoned Pickett this summer, when rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders also nursed injuries and didn’t do nearly enough to unseat former Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco. Gabriel got some snaps in Sunday’s blowout loss at Baltimore, and it stands to reason that both he and Sanders will get more looks in the coming weeks to show if they have any staying power. ICYMI, Bailey Zappe and his nine NFL starts made the practice squad. In case you forgot, Deshaun Watson (PUP list) is technically still on this team, too, rehabbing multiple tears of the same Achilles.
32. New Orleans Saints
Wouldn’t be a shock at all if rookie Tyler Shough and/or third-year man Jake Haener (practice squad) get to play extensively in 2025. But given neither could beat out Spencer Rattler to start the opener … yeah, seems likely the Saints will be QB-focused going into the 2026 draft.