Every Backup Quarterback Who Started an NFL Game this Season, Ranked
Gunslingers. Game managers. Sparks off the bench. This is The Cheap Seats' definitive guide to all 34 backup QBs who found themselves starting a game in 2023.
If you're like me, you've spent most of the post-holiday, post-regular season lull thinking about how many different quarterbacks started an NFL game this season (as most well-adjusted human beings are wont to do).
It felt like a lot, right? Like, an obscene number of quarterbacks. I know I watch an unhealthy amount of football, but please, someone tell me I’m not going crazy.
Naturally, this pressing inquiry prompted some in-depth research. So let’s lock in…
Much like Alan at the casino, I dug into the numbers.
I found that my initial suspicions were mostly correct — there were a ton of quarterbacks who started at least one game this year. Sixty-six, to be exact. That’s 32 opening day starters and 34 backups, second-most in a single season since 2000.
Was this an anomaly? Yes, and no. While the total number of starters, 66, was well above the average for the past 24 seasons (56.3), and the number of QBs who either lasted all season or sat out only one to two games was slightly below — but not far off from — their respective 24-year averages, 2023 was certainly unique. But it’s last year, 2022, that was even more of an outlier.
Last year saw a record 68 different starters, only eight of which played in all 17 games. Eight QBs started just one game, and 12 others made only two starts — a chaotic QB carousel of epic proportions. I should’ve written this piece last year!
But looking at these QB trends more broadly, a larger pattern emerges. Is it a coincidence that we’ve just had three seasons in a row with 62+ starting quarterbacks? I’d say no, given that these were the first three seasons with a 17-game schedule (it had been 16 games from 1978 to 2020). Between 2000-2020, the league saw 60 or more starting quarterbacks in a season only twice.
That one extra week apparently makes a big difference. It adds more fatigue, more opportunities for injuries, and when you mix that with a ton of young, inexperienced passers, the resulting turnover is significant.
Taken on the whole, the total number of starting QBs each season is trending upwards, while the number of those that are able to start in every game (or nearly every game) is on a slight downswing.
So, why did 2023 feel so strange?
No, it wasn’t quite on the same level of disarray as last season — but still, only 9 quarterbacks started all 17 games for their respective teams this year. Of the 23 other clubs that weren’t fortunate to have one of these iron men, eight had at least three different starters over the course of the season. The New York Jets and the Minnesota Vikings had four. The Cleveland Browns had five.
There were also a lot of one-hit wonders. Flashes in the proverbial pan. Ten quarterbacks started just one game in 2023, seven others started two games. Between a rash of major injuries that kept a number of day one starters sidelined for large chunks at a time, some late-season rest, and tremendous volatility at the position overall, 2023 gave us a wide range of performances that ran the entirety of the quarterback spectrum. Some of them were memorable, some bewildering, and some made you want to do anything to stop your eyes from working.
Such is the beauty of the backup quarterback. No matter the age, skillset or level of experience, bringing the other guy into a football game to play the sport’s most difficult position is always a wild ride.
So, we here at The Cheap Seats have devised a helpful list — a ranking, of sorts — broken down by tiers, to tell NFL fans and casual observers everything they need to know about the men behind the men who make the big bucks in America’s most popular sport.
If it’s anything like our last set of rankings, you all are in for a treat!
Tier No. 1: The Aaron Rodgers' Friend Tier
Also known as the "How in the hell is this guy in the NFL?" tier, Aaron Rodgers’ friend is a special spot on this list reserved for that one guy who only had a job this season because, well, he’s friends with Aaron Rodgers.
34. Tim Boyle
Boyle must be an unbelievably great hang, because that has to be the only way to explain how he’s spent six years in the NFL. An undrafted free agent who entered the NFL in 2018, he spent three full seasons with Rodgers in Green Bay, before eventually following him over to New York this year. In Boyle’s now five career NFL starts, he’s thrown four touchdowns and nine interceptions, and has a passer rating of 63.4. In his two starts with the Jets this season, New York is 0-2 with a total of 13 offensive points.
At least he had a great college career. Wait, no. In his three years at UConn, Boyle had a career 48% completion rate to go with 13 interceptions and just one passing touchdown. One. Gotta respect the grift.
Tier No. 2: The “I haven’t even thrown the ball more than 21 times” Tier
Pretty self-explanatory. There’s a pair of rookies who each made their NFL debut this season, and neither of them were able (or allowed) to pass the ball very much. Because of this very small sample size, I’m just going to leave them here. I would have ranked them last, but then again, Tim Boyle is on this list.
33. Clayton Tune
A week after the Cardinals traded Joshua Dobbs to the Vikings and a week before Arizona’s actual starter, Kyler Murray, returned to action following nine months rehabbing from a torn ACL, the Cardinals started their 2023 fifth round pick, Clayton Tune.
The result was a Week 9 shutout loss at the Cleveland Browns. Tune was thrown into the fire against one of the league’s toughest defenses, completing 11 of his 20 passes for 58 yards and two interceptions. He was also sacked seven times. Yeah, not great for your first NFL start.
Here’s to hoping the days ahead are looking brighter for our friend Clayton.
32. Jaren Hall
At the exact same time Tune was getting his teeth kicked in by the Browns defense, Vikings rookie Jaren Hall — who was also selected in the fifth round of the 2023 draft — was also making his first NFL start, also on the road. But unlike his Cardinals counterpart, Hall did not finish the contest.
Yes, Hall was credited with the eventual Vikings win, but he left the game with a concussion after scrambling near the goal line. Dobbs, who arrived from Arizona less than a week prior, then entered the game and rallied Minnesota to a 31-28 victory.
In Week 17, Hall was given another shot at the starting gig. The good news? He didn’t get hurt this time. The bad news? It did not go well. Hall was benched at half time after completing 5 of 10 passes with an interception and a fumble.
Tier No. 3: The “This is a real Bummer” Tier
Football is a beautiful, exciting game. Jogo Bonito, as many around the world call it. I’m a football guy. I enjoy a 45-41 shootout just as much as 10-7 grinder. But there are some quarterbacks, notably the ones below, that seem to just suck away all the fun whenever they’re playing.
If any of these guys are slated to start for your team, you might as well unplug and go for a nice, long walk.
31. Brian Hoyer
At 38 years old, Hoyer has lost almost all of whatever juice he once had as a backup quarterback, including in his two stints behind the great Tom Brady in New England. The Raiders became Hoyer’s eighth team in his 15-year career, and for his sake, we hope it’s his last.
He’s a far cry from his prime gunslinger days, almost a decade ago, with Cleveland and Houston. This season, Hoyer led the Raiders on the road against a Bears squad that, at the time, had only won one game. Starting in place of the injured Jimmy Garoppolo, Hoyer dazzled with 129 yards passing and two picks, with 17 completions on 32 attempts. Mercifully, Las Vegas did not trot him out on the field again.
30. Blaine Gabbert
Taking over for a resting Patrick Mahomes in Week 18, Blaine Gabbert made his first NFL start in five years on Sunday. Some would say he led the Chiefs to a 13-12 win over the Chargers in Los Angeles, but the more accurate analysis is that the Kansas City defense dragged the team to the victory despite a 15-of-30, 154-yard, one interception day from their 34-year-old quarterback. The Chiefs better hope Mahomes stays healthy this postseason.
Blaine Gabbert: Niner for life.
29. Trevor Siemian
Even as a current Northwestern student, it’s very difficult to get fired up about fellow Wildcat Trevor Siemian. He’s no Tim Boyle, but it’s not like he was giving the Jets much of a spark this year, either. In five appearances and three starts with New York, the seventh year veteran threw two touchdown passes and turned the ball over seven times, with a passer rating of 62.1.
I guess the one other similarity Siemian shares with Boyle is that they were both extremely mediocre in college. In his 44 games played at Northwestern, Siemian had a career 59% completion rate, averaged 135 yards per game, and threw 27 touchdowns to 24 interceptions. Somehow his 5,931 career passing yards still rank fifth all-time in school history. Go Cats!
28. Jeff Driskel
The seven-year NFL veteran was the fifth quarterback to start a game for the Cleveland Browns this year, and he did it in Week 18 against the team with which he made his first career start back in 2018: the Cincinnati Bengals. Unfortunately, the Jeff Driskel revenge game did not go as he had hoped. He started 7 of 18 for 60 yards and two interceptions before throwing a pair of garbage time fourth quarter touchdowns.
27. Mitch Trubisky
The former No. 2 overall pick started two games in his second season in Pittsburgh. They weren’t exactly inspired performances. In his first start, the Steelers last at home to a two-win Patriots team that had lost five straight. The next week, Pittsburgh jumped out to a 13-0 lead in Indianapolis before giving up 30 unanswered points. Trubisky was then benched for Mason Rudolph.
All told, Mitch appeared in five contests for the Steelers in 2023 and accounted for six touchdowns and six turnovers. Pittsburgh lost seven games this season; five of those were games in which Trubisky played quarterback.
26. P.J. Walker
I’m a big fan of P.J. Walker. He has one of the coolest underdog story paths to the NFL, and had some fun moments as an occasional starter for the Carolina Panthers over the last few years. That being said, he had a rough season playing quarterback for the Cleveland Browns.
Cleveland did win the first of Walker’s two starts this year, which came against the 49ers, but it certainly wasn’t on his account. He completed 54% of his passes and threw two interceptions in that one — part of his seven turnovers and one touchdown total in five appearances in 2023.
25. Brett Rypien
Perhaps one of the clearest examples of how crazy this season was at the quarterback position, Brett Rypien spent time on not one, not two, but three different rosters in 2023. After three full seasons in Denver, Rypien landed in Los Angeles to backup Matthew Stafford, where he started a Week 9 game in Green Bay. The Rams lost 20-3 in that one, with Rypien committing two turnovers and failing to complete 50% of his passes. He was cut days later, and then signed to the Seahawks practice squad. His last five weeks of the season were spent on the Jets active roster. Talk about racking up those Southwest miles!
Full transparency: Brett gets some bonus points here for having a cool uncle, Washington Redskins’ Super Bowl XXVI MVP quarterback Mark Rypien. Only 112 more touchdown passes to go to pass Uncle Mark’s total!
24. Tyson Bagent
For one Sunday afternoon in October, Tyson Bagent looked like the second coming of Jay Cutler. With Justin Fields temporarily sidelined, Bears fans got their first taste of the undrafted quarterback out of Division II Shepherd University at the end of the team’s Week 6 game versus Minnesota. In Bagent’s first start the following week against the Raiders, he led Chicago to a 30-12 win with a 97.2 passer rating and zero turnovers. The hype was real.
Then the wheels quickly came off. The Bears lost each of his next two starts, in which Bagent combined for six turnovers. He struggled once again in his final start against the lowly Carolina Panthers. Fields returned to action, and the legend of Tyson Bagent vanished into the ether.
Bagent may one day return, but until that happens, all I’ll remember is that his Dad is an elite arm wrestler.
23. Easton Stick
Hockey guy. He probably should have just stuck to the ice instead of being Justin Herbert’s backup in L.A. (I have no idea if he actually plays hockey). Seriously, Stick was winless in his four starts this year and did not throw a touchdown or an interception in any of his last three.
22. Bailey Zappe
Watching Bailey Zappe this year was like riding a really sketchy roller coaster. Sure, you’re having some fun while riding, but in the back of your mind, you know there’s a non-zero chance that this thing kills you. Some games, Zappe came off the bench to provide a spark for the Patriots offense, simply due to the fact that Mac Jones was abjectly terrible. But in others, Zappe looked just as lost as the guy he was replacing. You never knew what you were going to get, or what was going to happen next.
Zappe started in a 6-0 shutout loss to the Chargers. Then, he looked competent in a narrow win in Pittsburgh. He struggled again in a 10-point loss to the Chiefs, and then reemerged in an upset win over Denver. He then threw three picks against the Bills, and two more in the season finale against the Jets. His 10 total turnovers to six touchdown passes, combined with the sorry state of the New England Patriots, was enough to keep Zappe in this tier of bummer quarterbacks. At least he’s not Mac?
21. Case Keenum
Case Keenum, the man responsible for 50% of the Minnesota Miracle, struggled in his two starts for Houston this season, the team with which he began his NFL career ten years earlier. He went 1-1, but Keenum was a big step down from the Texans’ sensational rookie, C.J. Stroud, throwing three interceptions on 54 pass attempts. For comparison, Stroud threw just five in 499 attempts.
The 11-year pro still has some life in him, but for now, it looks like Keenum’s best days at quarterback are almost certainly behind him.
Tier No. 4: The “Competent but Boring” Tier
Unlike the tier above, these are the guys who can win a team a game or two if given the chance. They won’t ever be franchise guys, and at least a few times each game, they will show you why they’re not starters. But they’re still professionals.
The only downside is, none of these QBs have much pop. They lack charisma, boldness, moxie. They’re almost trying too hard to do everything right — to not turn the ball over, to hit the check downs — that they miss out on the big plays. They bore you to death.
20. Aidan O’Connell
AOC embodies the immense mediocrity of what is modern day Big Ten West football. After four years of quarterbacking at Purdue, O’Connell has gotten all he can eat in his rookie season with the Raiders, starting 10 games and winning five of them.
This mustachioed signal caller had a rude awakening in his NFL debut, when he committed three turnovers and was sacked seven times against the L.A. Chargers. He’s looked rather uninspiring in most of his other appearances, except for a four touchdown performance in his second meeting with the Chargers (when Las Vegas put up 63 points). But that one wild night looks a lot like an aberration, because O’Connell combined for eight touchdowns, six interceptions and a 81.6 passer rating in his other nine appearances.
19. C.J. Beathard
In Week 17 against Carolina, C.J. Beathard made his first NFL start in three years, and his first with the Jaguars. He posted the perfect C.J. Beathard stat line: 17 of 24, 178 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, three sacks. Jacksonville won 26-0. The boring competence of Mr. Beathard, everyone.
18. Jarrett Stidham
NFL teams can do a lot worse than Jarrett Stidham at backup quarterback. He got put on the map after taking the 49ers to an overtime shootout last season in Las Vegas for his first career start, and this year he sat behind Russell Wilson before putting up some mundane stat lines in the Broncos’ final two games.
God, does he have a nice head of hair, though.
17. Andy Dalton
The Red Rifle blessed us this season with a single appearance way back in Week 3. For a Panthers team that only won two games all season, Andy Dalton gave us all we could want with 58 pass attempts, 361 yards and two touchdown passes in a 37-27 loss in Seattle. He’s not the flashiest guy in the world (aside from the flaming red hair), but it’s good to see that ol’ Andy can still sling it.
Am I crazy for saying that Derek Carr isn’t that much of a better quarterback option for the Saints this year than Andy Dalton was last year? Anyone? Just me? Okay, I’ll shut up.
16. Mason Rudolph
It took four games of Mitch Trubisky for the Steelers to realize that Mason Rudolph probably gave them a better chance to win games. I’m not entirely sure if I can blame them; Rudolph has had a couple of tough visuals in his career, and almost got his head bashed in by Myles Garrett that one time. But with Rudolph at the helm, Pittsburgh won each of its final three games, including two on the road, to get to 10 wins and clinch a spot on the postseason. He wasn’t spectacular, but he threw three touchdowns, no interceptions, and posted a passer rating of 120.4.
The sixth-year vet out of Oklahoma State is actually 8-4-1 in his career as a starter with the Steelers, so maybe this is a sign for Mike Tomlin to quit fooling around with other QBs (i.e. Trubisky and Kenny Pickett) and start Mason Rudolph?
Tier No. 4: The Livewire Tier
This is where things get interesting. For me, the ideal backup quarterback plays with a bit of energy and attitude. They offer that instant ignition off the bench, take the big risks downfield, and dive head-first for the first down marker. They make me feel something.
Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that they're good at playing quarterback. Indeed, livewires, by their very nature, are unpredictable. Sometimes they provide all the spark you need, and sometimes they can burn your house down. That’s the risk you run when you start one of these guys. But one thing’s for certain: you will always be entertained.
15. Dorian Thompson-Robinson
DTR may not be a competent NFL quarterback (yet), but the rookie from UCLA certainly had a memorable first season in Cleveland. Four picks and a touchdown in three starts is, uhhh, not great. But he was responsible for one win against a tough-nosed Pittsburgh team, and I’d much rather watch this little guy run around out there and toss the ball around 40-plus times than P.J. Walker (or even that sicko Deshaun Watson). I’ll stand on that.
14. Zach Wilson
I really, really wanted to put Zach Wilson in the “Bummer” tier, but I just can’t quit this guy. Every time I watch him play football, every snap that he runs around like he forgot which direction his team is supposed to be going, it makes me want more. Not even the tutelage of Aaron Rodgers could help Wilson shake the bust tag this season. Did you know Wilson lost as many fumbles (7) as he threw interceptions (7) this year? That’s fun!
Is Wilson a bad NFL quarterback? Yes. Should he have been drafted No. 2 overall? Probably not. Is he objectively hilarious to watch drop back to pass? Absolutely. I know he’s been a constant source of torture for Robert Saleh over the past three seasons, but I never want Wilson to change.
Never let them know your next move. That’s a livewire.
13. Taylor Heinicke
Don’t let Taylor Heinicke’s recent ugly performance in Chicago fool you, he’s still objectively more exciting to watch than Desmond Ridder. In four starts for the Falcons this season, Heinicke has thrown only one fewer touchdown passes to Kyle Pitts (1) than Ridder has in 17 starts (2). But not even Heinicke’s never-say-die playing style could save Atlanta’s doomed season, or help Arthur Smith keep his job.
12. Will Levis
Will Levis didn’t win very much in his nine games as the starter in Tennessee (mostly because the Titans were not a very talented football team), but the rookie certainly had some memorable moments. How about throwing four touchdowns and getting a win on his NFL debut? Or posting his first 300-yard passing game in that insane fourth quarter comeback in Miami? That was fun! Levis is fun!
His season featured nine total touchdowns, four interceptions and four fumbles. That’s a livewire. And with Ryan Tannehill set to hit free agency, it might be Levis time in Nashville come September.
11. Carson Wentz
Three days after watching Brett Rypien stink it up in his Week 9 start in Green Bay, the Rams signed Carson Wentz off the street to serve as Matthew Stafford’s new and improved backup. That turned out to be a wise decision.
Wentz, almost a year removed from being cut by the Commanders at the end of last season, became somewhat of a battering ram for Los Angeles in their season finale against the 49ers. Apparently Sean McVay discovered that the best way to channel the frenetic quarterback’s chaotic energy was to turn Wentz into the game’s leading rusher, with 17 attempts for 56 yards and a touchdown.
The former No. 2 overall draft pick still found time for some of his characteristic hijinks on Sunday, including a tipped interception and a last-second flip to his running back (that turned out to be a sack). The Zach Wilson of an earlier generation.
10. Drew Lock
I will always remember where I was when Drew Lock turned into prime Payton Manning for one Monday night in December to drive the Seahawks 92 yards in 84 seconds to beat Philadelphia. After a two interception performance the week prior in Santa Clara, Lock brought Seattle back to life again, only for them to flame out on New Year’s Eve against Pittsburgh two weeks later. It was special.
9. Joshua Dobbs
2023 was very nearly the year of Josh Dobbs — that was, until a certain former Super Bowl MVP returned to take the league by storm. We’ll get to him soon, but Dobbs deserves much praise for arriving at the last minute to two different franchises and winning a total of four games in some pretty awful situations.
He did it first in Arizona, where he started eight games for one of the worst teams in football, despite being traded there from Cleveland just 17 days before the season started. Dobbs was then shipped out to Minnesota at the deadline, where he was thrown into action days later (despite not knowing the playbook or any of his teammates) and won back-to-back games for the Vikings. The legend of Josh Dobbs had never been bigger.
Did he proceed to throw five interceptions in his next two starts and eventually get benched in a 3-0 barnburner in Las Vegas? Yes. It all just confirmed my life-long suspicion that football is actually harder than rocket science (Dobbs majored in aerospace engineering), but it did also cement Dobbs’ rightful place in this illustrious tier of backup quarterbacks.
8. Sam Darnold
This former No. 3 overall pick gave us everything in his Week 18 start for the 49ers. Replacing a resting Brock Purdy, Darnold took his fair share of deep shots, firing the ball into tight windows and slinging it to backup wideouts who can’t catch. He passed for a touchdown, ran for another, and then ended the game on a hilarious fumble.
Darnold has come a long way from his days of catching mono in Hoboken; he’s now the strong-armed, veteran insurance policy behind Purdy. But don’t get it twisted, ol’ Sammy D’s still got that crazy in him. It’s only a matter of time before he lets it out.
7. Tyler Huntley
That’s Pro Bowler Tyler Huntley, to you. The man they call Snoop, who almost took down Joe Burrow and the Bengals last January, if not for his fumble at the goal line that was returned 99 yards the other way. Although Huntley managed to hold onto the ball fine in his Week 18 start against Pittsburgh, none of his Ravens teammates could say the same.
In his fourth year out of Utah, Huntley is an ideal backup for Lamar Jackson in Baltimore. He’s just enough of a complete quarterback to keep things interesting should anything happen to Jackson, but nowhere near Lamar’s level to warrant any QB controversy. Jackson is an MVP, Snoop is one of the greatest Pro Bowlers of all time.
6. Nick Mullens
Sure, Nick Mullens went winless in his three starts with the Vikings this year and dropped his career record to 5-15, but there’s no denying that Mullens is pure electricity every time he drops back to pass. Here are his three stat lines for his three starts this season with the Vikings:
Week 15 at Cincinnati: 26-33, 303 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Week 16 vs Detroit: 22-36, 411 yards, 2 TD, 4 INT
Week 18 at Detroit: 30-44, 396 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Let us be the first to congratulate Mullens on officially earning the prestigious title of the NFL’s King Gunslinger. Niner for life.
5. Tommy DeVito
I’ll be honest, I was going to make a “pervert” tier of backup quarterbacks, but we don’t make those jokes anymore. In 2024, we show respect for our fellow Italian Americans, starting with undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito.
There was a stretch this season when Tommy Cutlets led the Giants to three straight wins (50% of New York’s win total), in which he threw five touchdowns and zero interceptions. New Jersey’s “Passing Paesano” quickly became a cult hero in East Rutherford, on a team that had previously given its fans little to celebrate. And it wasn’t only for his thrilling performances on the field — DeVito’s large, boisterous family, sharply-dressed agent, and liberal use of hand gestures all made for must-watch television every time he suited up.
DeVito-sanity was one of many reasons why this year felt like a fever dream.
4. Tyrod Taylor
Tyrod Taylor is one of the great stabilizers at the backup quarterback position. What do I mean by that, you ask? It means that, anytime your team needs someone — anyone — to come in and settle things down, Taylor is your guy.
That’s certainly what he helped do for the Giants this year when he stepped up after injuries to both Daniel Jones and Tommy DeVito. With 58 regular season (and one postseason!) starts and 13 NFL seasons under Taylor’s belt, he’s pretty much seen everything. His 84 career touchdowns to 35 turnovers speaks for itself. And at 34, you’d almost expect him to slow things down and play with a little more trepidation.
Not Tyrod. He finished 12th in yards per attempt (7.5) among QBs with at least 100 pass attempts this season (he threw 180),* showing the world that he’s still very much addicted to letting that thing fly. No matter how you slice it, New York’s offense was just better with Taylor and DeVito at the helm.
*For what it’s worth, our King Gunslinger, Nick Mullens, was second (8.8 Y/A on 148 attempts) and Brock Purdy was No. 1 by wide margin (9.6 Y/A on 444 attempts).
3. Jake Browning
When Joe Burrow was sidelined with a wrist injury in mid-November, the Bengals could have easily given up and turned into a team that nobody wanted to watch. Instead, Folsom High School legend Jake Browning emerged from nowhere to nearly guide Cincinnati to a postseason birth. Browning didn’t play a single snap in either of his first two seasons with the Bengals, but was ready when his services were finally called upon in Week 11. He went on to start each of the team’s final seven games, winning four of them, and finishing the year with a 98.4 passer rating.
Within that stretch was a three-game winning streak where Browning completed 77% of his passes, averaged 318 yards a game, and was shredding defenses like prime Aaron Rodgers. In the end, the Steelers proved to be Browning’s kryptonite (he threw 4 INTs and the Bengals scored a total of 21 points in their two meetings with Pittsburgh), but he did more than enough to earn a spot in the livewire tier.
Another win for Northern California football!
2. Gardner Minshew II
Gardner Minshew is a football guy’s football guy. Just look at that face. He lives for this shit.
A rash of early season injuries derailed what was a promising start to rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson’s NFL career. In stepped Minshew to take things over and eventually lead an unproven Colts roster — with a first year coach — to the brink of the postseason. A product of the late-great Mike Leach’s air raid system at Washington State, Gardner knows a thing or two about putting on a show.
That involves taking risks — like throwing and rushing for 18 total touchdowns to go along with 14 total turnovers on the season. He also has a flair for the dramatic; eight of the 15 games in which Minshew played in this season ended within one score. Four of his nine wins came against playoff teams, including likely the most impressive win of any backup quarterback on this list: a 22-19 overtime victory in Baltimore.
If you like watching backup QBs with starting-caliber potential let it rip, Gardner Minshew comes highly recommended. Congrats on the extra $2 million, sir.
Tier No. 5: ELITE
It almost goes without saying that most all backup quarterbacks aren’t elite. But most backup quarterbacks aren’t Joe Flacco. In fact, there's only one Joe Flacco.
1. Joe Flacco
Fact: Joe Flacco is the only quarterback on this list who has started in and won a Super Bowl.
Fact: Joe Flacco went 4-1 as starter for the Cleveland Browns this season, threw 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions in those games, and became the first player in franchise history to pass for 300-plus yards in four consecutive games.
Fact: under Flacco, the Browns are scoring 7.5 more points per game than with any other quarterback this year.
Fact: Joe Flacco can get scorching hot in the playoffs, like he did in 2013 (4 wins, 11 touchdowns, no interceptions).
Fact: Joe Flacco terrifies me.
He turns 39 this month, and he’s only getting stronger.