Against the Broncos last week, the Green Bay Packers backup quarterbacks looked abysmal. Second year Penn State product Sean Clifford posted a 6 for 10 and 43 yards stat line that included an interception, while Tulane rookie Michael Pratt finished 10/16 for 52 yards. Overall, not great at all.
One could argue that if Jordan Love goes down with a long-term injury, the season is over. But let’s say the Packers are 11-3 and Jordan Love suffers an ankle sprain, keeping him out for about 3-4 weeks and Green Bay is competing for a top seed in the NFC. The season is far from a wash, they need a guy to step up and win some games! Unfortunately, the current guys behind Jordan Love haven’t been exactly lighting it up.
Sign: Ryan Tannehill
The current backup quarterback market is not what one would call “appealing.” Ryan Tannehill, former Dolphins and Titans quarterback is still a free agent. At 36 years old, Tannehill has reached his potential in his career. He’s been moderately efficient, despite a drop off from the best season of his career in 2020 when he finished just below 4,000 yards and had 33 touchdowns to 7 interceptions. Eventually losing his starting job to Will Levis, Tannehill is now a free agent.
While Tannehill is easily the best quarterback available in free agency at the moment, he wouldn’t come cheap. Tannehill would be a top 5 backup in the NFL from the moment of his signing, one could argue top 2. But with his age, and how much he would probably ask for, it’s unlikely that he’d sign with Green Bay. Tannehill is playing it smart though. The longer he waits, injuries may happen to a contender’s starting QB to where he can demand a bit of money. He knows he’s the best amongst a group of guys like Trevor Sieiman, Kellen Mond, and Blaine Gabbert. Unless you’re one of those people who thinks Tom Brady is coming back, then it’s hard to disagree.
Trade: Tyler Huntley, Cleveland Browns
The Browns quarterback room, while a public relations nightmare for the team to manage, is overflowing with players. This offseason, they signed not only one but two more than capable backup quarterbacks in Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley to sit behind Deshaun Watson. Not to mention, they have second-year UCLA product Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Tyler Huntley himself has said that whether he is with the Browns or not, he wants to prove himself again after backing up Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson for the first four seasons of his career.
Huntley played a decent amount in 2023, playing in five games, he finished with 203 yards and 3 touchdowns. The year prior, Huntley was selected as a Pro Bowl quarterback. While he finished 2-2 as a starter in the absence of Lamar Jackson that season, he was participating in the Pro Bowl simply because no one else wanted to. Huntley is an athletic quarterback who has played well in spurts, and is the same age as current Packers backup Sean Clifford, despite already being in his 5th NFL season. Veteran presence and intelligence can go a long way.
Develop: Michael Pratt
I know this article starts off trashing Pratt’s latest preseason performance. Looking beyond that game, Pratt has played well in preseason. Despite having sixty yards less and one less touchdown than Sean Clifford this preseason, Pratt has done more with less, in terms of players he shared the field with. In the Broncos game, Pratt had 5 more snaps than Clifford. Pratt was playing with much more furiosity. It seemed like every single ball he threw was a laser. Earlier in the preseason, he had an awesome block against the Browns, outrunning and informing runningback Emanuel Wilson to cut outside. That shows he’s willing to do anything to make this roster, even if it’s not the smartest decision for a quarterback.
Michael Pratt seems a lot more fluid in his play. He seems a lot smoother on play action, he doesn’t feel like he’s forcing anything to happen, other than when he makes mistakes. Ultimately what I think this decision between Pratt and Clifford boils down to is this: trust and money. Sean Clifford has shown an exciting yet detrimental love for launching the ball downfield, reminiscent of a certain other former Packers quarterback in Brett Favre. As great as he was, Favre still leads the NFL in interceptions, despite retiring almost two decades ago. Pratt is 4 years younger than Clifford, yet he only has one year less in the league. He was also selected in the 7th round, compared to Clifford being selected in the 5th the year prior.
The Green Bay Packers ultimately have a tricky situation on their hands. While many are focused on the god-awful kicking competition in Green Bay, the Packers front office is hoping and praying Jordan Love stays healthy – I mean, who isn’t? – because the depth behind him has looked scary. As a certified #PrattTruther though, I think he wins the backup job and Clifford remains with Green Bay’s practice squad.
