1. Rams
The Rams are the only team in the NFL who has a backup QB who has consistently been the starter for a Super Bowl contender on a year in year out basis in Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo led the 49ers to two conference titles and nearly a Super Bowl win and was in the MVP discussion at times. Garoppolo is still not 35 years old as of yet and if he were to be trusted to be healthier more and if he were to be trusted more in big games, he could certainly be a starter elsewhere. Not to mention Stetson Bennett on the depth chart behind Garoppolo. Bennett has won 2 National Championships and 2 National Championship Game Offensive MVPs in college with Georgia.
2. Colts
Daniel Jones is currently listed as the backup to Anthony Richardson on the Colts depth chart but could certainly replace him as the starter. Jones, a former top 10 pick, had an up and down tenure as QB1 of the New York Giants. Jones had a borderline pro bowl caliber season with the Giants once and led the team to the playoffs once. He can do plenty of damage in the ground game and does not necessarily need a strong offensive line. The high points of his tenure with the Giants certainly indicate he is a starting caliber NFL QB and he will have the chance to prove he is that with the Colts although he remains the backup as of now. Not to mention rookie Riley Leonard behind Jones on the depth chart who is fresh off of leading Notre Dame to a national title game appearance.
3. Chargers
Although Trey Lance is currently listed as the #3 QB on the depth chart I would imagine he would eventually climb into the #2 spot on the depth chart. Lance, the third overall pick in the 2021 draft, has not had a fair chance to prove he was worthy of being taken that high as of yet. Lance since being drafted in 2021 has appeared in just five regular season games where he received anything close to starting QB snaps. Based on his draft position and his lack of playing time he has received, it would not shock me if he eventually became a high-level starter in the NFL like a third overall pick typically is. Not to mention former high school offensive player of the year and former five-star recruit DJ Uiagalelei being present on the roster behind Lance as well. Taylor Henicke is the most proven NFL QB on the Chargers’ roster and is currently listed as #2 on the QB depth chart behind Herbert. Henicke is nothing special and I would imagine that Lance would eventually take his place as the main backup to Herbert.
4. Falcons
Kirk Cousins is currently listed as the backup to Michael Penix Jr on the Falcons depth chart and if he remains there, he will be one of the premier backup QBs in the game. Cousins is a four-time pro bowler who at the age of 36 while not being overly reliant on his arm strength/athletic ability should certainly still be near his prime. Easton Stick and Emory Jones are nothing to write home about behind Cousins on the depth chart, but if Cousins remains #2 on the depth chart behind Penix Jr, the Falcons will rank near the top of this list.
5. Lions
Hendon Hooker during his final season with the Tennessee Volunteers in college was one of the leading Heisman contenders until an injury ended his season. This was playing in the SEC, which is the toughest conference in all of college football as well. In Hooker’s final season with the Volunteers, he was leading the program to it’s best season since Peyton Manning was on the team in the late 90s which included leading Tennessee to its first ever #1 CFB playoff ranking before an injury ended it for him. Hooker is a dual threat player who can give the Lions some athletic ability at the QB spot that is perhaps lacking with Goff starting at QB. Hooker can maybe eventually be a starter at some point but at this point he will be one of the premier backups.
6. Dolphins
Zach Wilson could very well be the Sam Darnold backup QB for the Dolphins that Darnold was for the Vikings. Wilson’s career before joining the Dolphins was a doppelganger of Darnold’s career before joining the Vikings. Both QBs were drafted in the top ten by the New York Jets who are known for putting their QBs in positions to fail. As a result, both Darnold and Wilson were labeled as busts after their time with the Jets. Darnold then served as a backup QB for one season in San Francisco, likewise, Zach Wilson served as a backup QB for one season in Denver. In that one season both young QBs were humbled and got to learn from two of the smartest offensive minds in NFL history in Sean Payton and Kyle Shanahan. The Vikings when Darnold signed with the team were also a doppelganger of the Dolphins before Zach Wilson signed with the team. Both teams have elite skill players, a very bright young offensive minded head coach, a strong but questionable left tackle position with the rest of the offensive line being a concern, along with very good but not great defenses. The similarities between Zach Wilson’s and Sam Darnold’s careers are almost a bit creepy. With that in mind, Darnold had an MVP caliber season for the Vikings last year when QB1 J.J McCarthy went down with injury. If injury prone QB1 Tua Tagovailoa goes down with injury for the Dolphins again, hopefully Wilson can play well for Miami like Darnold did stepping in for the Vikings due to Minnesota’s QB1 injury. Not to mention rookie 7th rounder Quinn Ewers currently on the depth chart behind Zach Wilson as well. Ewers was considered by many to be the top high school recruit in the country entering college. Ewers for a long portion of time was also discussed as a potential first round pick in the NFL draft and Miami may have gotten a steal selecting him in the seventh round.
7. 49ers
Mac Jones was a first round pick as a QB in the NFL draft in 2021 and is currently the #2 QB on the 49ers’ depth chart. Jones, initially drafted by the Patriots, had a remarkable rookie season ranking 12th out of 39 qualified QBs in terms of an overall offense grade according to Pro Football Focus in his 2021 rookie campaign. As a rookie, Mac Jones even made the Pro Bowl and drew comparisons to Tom Brady for the Patriots coming off his stellar rookie campaign. Jones unfortunately took steps backward in his next two seasons starting for the Patriots but still was solid at times. Mac Jones was decently effective stepping in for an injured Trevor Lawrence last season in Jacksonville as well. Given the fact that Jones was a such a high draft pick and had one of the better rookie QB seasons in recent memory, closing the book on him as an NFL starter is premature for now. But as of now he remains one of the premier backup QBs in my estimation. The Patriots in the post Tom Brady era have been known for an offensive tone-deafness and consistently having incredibly mediocre to well below average offensive personnel. That certainly contributed to Mac Jones’ drop off in his level of play in his 2nd and 3rd NFL seasons starting for the Patriots. The 49ers led by Kyle Shanahan are the polar opposite of that and perhaps Jones, if given the opportunity, can begin to shine. Mac Jones is also one of the most decorated college QBs in football history. Jones is a two-time national champion while being named first team in his conference which was the toughest in all of college football, the SEC. Jones in the 2020 season had one of the greatest college QB seasons ever being named First Team All Sec, a Consensus All American, winning the Manning Award, the Davey O Brien Award, and the Johnny Unitas Golden Award. With the latter three awards being meant to recognize the top overall college QB that season. The remaining two QBs on the 49ers’ depth chart behind Brock Purdy and Mac Jones are unproven NFL commodities. But the presence of Mac Jones itself has the 49ers in the top ten of this list.
8. Packers
Malik Willis is more of an athlete at the QB position than starter Jordan Love is. As Willis runs a remarkable 4.37 40-yard dash which ranks up there with any current NFL QB. Willis is one of the most athletically gifted QBs in the NFL as well. Willis was thought of as a potential #2 overall pick in the draft before falling to the third round in 2022. Willis in two starts last season was also unbeaten in place of the injured Jordan Love. Willis in 2024 in four games playing extended snaps posted a 109.8+ passer rating in all four games in place of the injured Jordan Love albeit in limited passing attempts.
9. Browns
The Browns currently have five different QBs on their roster and it is not yet decided who will be starter and who will remain on the team as backups. Shedeur Sanders although he fell to the fifth round was viewed as the favorite to be the first overall pick in the draft for much of his college career. Joe Flacco, although aging, is a former Super Bowl MVP who based on the last few seasons still has something left in the tank. Kenny Pickett is a former first round pick who led the Steelers to the playoffs as a starter and who played very well stepping in for an injured Jalen Hurts last season for the Eagles. Dillon Gabriel is one of the most decorated college quarterbacks in football history and was even taken before Sanders in the draft by the Browns. Deshaun Watson, although being a massive bust of a signing thus far for the Browns, still was consistently an MVP caliber player not that long ago and still has not turned 30 years old. It is not decided yet who will start for the Browns/remain on the team, but regardless of who does, they will have one of the premier backup QB situations in the NFL.
10. Seahawks
Jalen Milroe selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft is currently listed as the primary backup to starter Sam Darnold. Milroe has physical gifts that mirror Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson and he very well could have been a steal for Seattle in the third round. Milroe was a second team All Sec selection in 2023 which is not easy to come by given that the SEC is the premier college football conference in the country. Milroe could eventually mold into a high-level NFL starter if he can just refine his passing. Behind Milroe on the depth chart is former second round pick Drew Lock who has one of the strongest arms in all of the NFL.
Honorable Mentions
-Bengals – Jake Browning when he stepped in for an injured Joe Burrow in the 2023 season looked very effective for long stretches. Browning led all NFL QBs in completion percentage in the 2023 season playing in place of Burrow. Although undrafted, Browning was the 2016 Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year and 2016 First Team All-Pac-12 as well.
-Cowboys – Joe Milton III is an above average athlete at the QB position running a 4.63 40-yard dash which is neck and neck with that of Super Bowl MVP Eagles’ QB Jalen Hurts. Milton is a full 3-4 inches taller than Hurts and 20-30 pounds heavier than Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts as well. A 6th round pick in 2024, Milton III had an opportunity to start just one game as a rookie but took full advantage of it. In week 18 vs the Bills playing for New England he posted a 111.4 passer rating completing 22 of 29 passes with no interceptions while being the highest graded QB in the NFL in week 18 according to Pro Football Focus. Milton III’s physical gifts and stellar play, albeit in a very limited sample size, should be a reason for optimism for Dallas fans. Not to mention Will Grier on the depth chart behind Milton III, who was drafted pretty high in the third round and who was a highly touted player entering college as well.
-Giants – The Giants currently have four QBs on their roster with Russell Wilson currently being listed as the starter. Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, Jaxson Dart, and to a lesser extent Tommy DeVito will be one of the premier backup QBs in the game to whomever the starter is. Wilson is a future hall of famer who has still not turned 37 years old yet and can maybe have a bounce back season. Winston is a former number one overall pick who although he did not have the career he was expected to have, he has still shown plenty of promise throughout the years. I would not necessarily say Winston, as a former first overall pick, was a bust as he was still a capable NFL starter for much of his career. Jaxson Dart was a first round pick for the Giants in this 2025 draft and is known for being a tremendous playmaker outside the pocket. One of those three QBs will be a strong backup QB in the league next season to whomever starts for the Giants.
