August 26, 2024
Denny Medley/USA Today Sports
Former Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz is now with Andy Reid in Kansas City.
It's that time of the year to rank the most popular person in every respective NFL city: the backup quarterback. No football town knows the importance of the position better than Philadelphia, as the likes of Koy Detmer, A.J. Feeley, Jeff Garcia, Michael Vick and Nick Foles (on several occasions...) have etched themselves into Eagles lore.
I'm including three quarterbacks from three different teams: the Eagles, Browns and Cowboys. The Browns have two relatively bigger-name backup QBs, the Eagles' QB2 situation should be flipped around and Dallas will always be intriguing to a Philadelphia audience.
Let's get after it...
| Rank | Player | Team |
| 1 | Jake Browning | Bengals |
| 2 | Joe Flacco | Colts |
| 3 | Justin Fields | Steelers |
| 4 | Andy Dalton | Panthers |
| 5 | Drew Lock | Giants |
| 6 | Sam Howell | Seahawks |
| 7 | Tyrod Taylor | Jets |
| 8 | Tanner McKee | Eagles |
| 9 | Tyler Huntley | Browns |
| 10 | Michael Pennix Jr. | Falcons |
| 11 | Jameis Winston | Browns |
| 12 | Jimmy Garoppolo | Rams |
| 13 | Jacoby Brissett | Patriots |
| 14 | Carson Wentz | Chiefs |
| 15 | Mac Jones | Jaguars |
| 16 | Mitchell Trubisky | Bills |
| 17 | Sean Clifford | Packers |
| 18 | Cooper Rush | Cowboys |
| 19 | Kenny Pickett | Eagles |
| 20 | Davis Mills | Texans |
| 21 | Kyle Trask | Buccaneers |
| 22 | Aidan O'Connell | Raiders |
| 23 | Skylar Thompson | Dolphins |
| 24 | Brandon Allen | 49ers |
| 25 | Desmond Ridder | Cardinals |
| 26 | Josh Jonhson | Ravens |
| 27 | Marcus Mariota | Commanders |
| 28 | Nick Mullens | Vikings |
| 29 | Nate Sudfeld | Lions |
| 30 | Trey Lance | Cowboys |
| 31 | Mason Rudolph | Titans |
| 32 | Jarrett Stidham | Broncos |
| 33 | Easton Stick | Chargers |
| 34 | Tyson Bagent | Bears |
| 35 | Jake Haener | Saints |
Some notes on the rankings...
• I'm operating under the assumption that Drake Maye will be starting over Jacoby Brissett in New England. Brissett is a quality enough backup, but Maye needs to be the guy for the Patriots immediately.
• Teams that would be better if Jake Browning was their starting quarterback: Giants, Vikings, Panthers, Saints, Raiders, Titans, Steelers and maybeeeee the Browns.
• The Falcons giving Kirk Cousins a boatload of money and then drafting Michael Pennix Jr. in the top 10 this year remains bizarre. That's why bad franchises stay bad.
• I thought Joe Flacco was washed up, but 2023 Flacco gave the most inspiring non-Foles backup quarterback performance of the last 10-plus years in Cleveland last season. He gets a top-two ranking out of that respect.
• Are we sure Daniel Jones is better than Drew Lock in New York?
• Is there a more destitute quarterback situation in the league than New Orleans right now?
• The Eagles will list Kenny Pickett as their QB2, but if it was a situation where Jalen Hurts was missing multiple games, Tanner McKee should be the guy for them. Setting aside pre-draft pedigree for a moment, McKee just out-played him this summer both in camp and, to a slightly larger degree, in the preseason. My mindset when it comes to a backup quarterback is that if your starting QB were to miss three games, is there at least a shot you could go 2-1 in that stretch depending on the opponent? If the answer is unequivocally no and you're a contender, an upgrade at backup QB is a must. McKee inspires more confidence in this three-game hypothetical than Pickett does.
• There's not a better current landing spot for Carson Wentz as a reclamation backup quarterback project than with Andy Reid in Kansas City. Strange career to say the least!
MORE: How does Jahan Dotson fit with the Eagles?
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