Best NFL Backup QBs

Of the 32 quarterbacks who started Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season, only 20 still currently have their jobs. A few like Drew Brees or Teddy Bridgewater will return to No. 1 on the depth chart when they’re healthy enough to play. Some, like Mitch Trubisky and Tyrod Taylor, have been replaced by better options.

And at least one, in my opinion, had his job ripped away for him somewhat unfairly and probably deserves to return to his starting role.

In some cases, the backups have the chance to lead their teams to the playoffs. They could become heroes. All they need to do is exceed whatever expectations are placed on a second-string quarterback that suddenly has been put in charge of their team’s offense. Most will likely fail, because, well, there’s a good reason they were on the second string in the first place. But remember, Nick Foles won a Super Bowl MVP as a backup during the 2017 season, and Colin Kaepernick nearly won a league championship five years earlier after coming off the bench to replace the starter (who’s now one of the backups listed below!). So, it’s certainly possible.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

That said, here are the five backup quarterbacks that could lead their squads to the promised land.

1) Ryan Fitzpatrick, Dolphins: I despised the move Miami coach Brian Flores made during the team’s bye week when he took the 16-year veteran out of the starting lineup and replaced him with first-round draft pick Tua Tagovailoa. It didn’t matter that Fitzpatrick was on a two-game winning streak and, considering the Patriots are having their worst season in the past two decades, had put the Dolphins in a solid position to compete for an AFC East title. Instead, Flores said he thought Tagovailoa gave the team a better shot to win this year. To be fair, Tagovailoa is 3-1 as a starter since then, but the Dolphins offense has been less explosive. Last Sunday, Tagovailoa was benched for Fitzpatrick, who nearly led the Dolphins back to the victory. Flores said Tagovailoa is still the starter, but in my mind, Fitzpatrick gives Miami the best chance to make the postseason.

2) Andy Dalton, Cowboys: Even though Dak Prescott was lost for the season with an ankle injury in Week 5, I predicted Dallas would still win the NFC East, because Dalton is one of the best backups in the league. Almost immediately, Dallas lost four-straight games. Dalton was ineffective as a starter, and then he suffered a concussion before being struck down by COVID-19. Yet, somehow the Cowboys are still in contention for the division lead, and if they beat Washington on Thursday, Dallas will take over first place in the NFC East with a 4-7 record. Dalton threw for three touchdowns in the team’s win against the Vikings last Sunday, and he’s a much, much better option than Garrett Gilbert or Ben DiNucci. “I thought he did a heck of a job today. He kept us in clean plays. He really gave us the ability to stay with the run and the pass,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said after Sunday’s win. For a backup, that’s all you can ask.

3) Alex Smith, Washington: Who doesn’t love the story of Smith, who almost certainly will be the NFL’s comeback player of the year after missing all of last season (and nearly having his leg amputated) with one of the most cringe-inducing injuries you’ll ever see. Like Dalton, Smith has the chance to lead his team to a division title. Like Dalton, Smith is a proven winner in the regular season. With Washington having major issues with second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins, the team’s No. 15 overall pick in 2019, it seems unlikely that his relationship with the coaching staff can be healed anytime soon. But if Smith keeps playing effectively, I suppose that doesn’t matter, especially if Washington can make its own run to a possible postseason berth. That would make Smith, who suffered a concussion during the 2012 season and lost his starting job for good to Kaepernick, come full circle.

4) Taysom Hill, Saints: Thanks to Drew Brees’ numerous rib injuries and his punctured lung, Hill will likely get a few more shots at starting. Though expectations weren’t high before last Sunday’s win vs. Atlanta, Hill played well. If there was any question about whether Jameis Winston or Hill should be starting until Brees returns, Hill answered all those queries with his performance vs. the Falcons, completing 18 of 23 passes for 233 yards and rushing for 51 more yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries. Even better, he gave opposing defense an issue it normally doesn’t have to worry about when facing New Orleans: a quarterback who can burn you through the air or on the ground (and Hill was surprisingly good when passing from the pocket). Right now, the Saints are sitting in the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC. Can Hill keep them there as Seattle, Green Bay, and Tampa Bay try to catch up? I have my doubts. But coach Sean Payton clearly has his own vision. “We’ve had a chance to see him play that position a lot more than anyone else,” Payton said before Sunday’s game. Good point. We saw plenty of good from Hill on that day at least.

5) Nick Foles: Is there that much difference between Foles, who’s now started for the past seven games, and Mitch Trubisky, who started the first three contests? Not really. The only true difference: Trubisky is 3-0 as a starter. Foles is 2-5. Yet, Chicago is still in the NFC wild card running, thanks mostly to its top-10 defense. But because Chicago is No. 31 in the NFL in yards gained and points scored, the Bears don’t have a great chance to make a playoff run unless their offense drastically improves. Foles or Trubisky? My answer is quite simply: Meh.