With quarterbacks going down at an unprecedented rate this season, their backups are more important than ever. This point has been hammered into the minds of fans, especially with Joe Burrow likely being put on season-ending injured reserve due to the wrist injury he suffered last Thursday against Baltimore.
Let’s highlight some teams that wouldn’t capsize if their starting quarterback were to get hurt.
1. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett
Brissett has been among the best backups in the league for nearly a half-decade now and has proven that he can sling it just as well or even better than some low-end starters. He came onto the scene as a third-round pick for New England and first saw action filling in for Jimmy Garoppolo in 2016.
After that, he spent time filling in as the starter for the Colts’ quarterbacks as they either retired before the season or got hurt. While spending major time at the helm in 2017 and 2019, Brissett boasted quarterback ratings of 81.7 and 88.0, respectively. Not bad for a backup.
Recently, he spent last season as Cleveland’s starter while Deshaun Watson was waiting to come back from his suspension. He’d finish with an 88.9 quarterback rating, nearly nine points higher than Watson. He’s currently on the Commanders’ roster.
If Sam Howell were to go down, Brissett could look even better than Howell.
2. Quarterback Andy Dalton
Dalton has already proved that he can win games in 2023. In week 2, when No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young got hurt, Dalton got to hold the reigns against a physical Seattle Seahawks team. Although they lost 37-27, Dalton showed that he still had plenty of juice in the tank. He threw for 361 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
One could argue that the game would’ve been much uglier for Carolina if Young were starting.
After a long tenure with Cincinnati, Dalton has very much become a journeyman quarterback, but a successful one at that. Just last year, after a Jameis Winston benching, Dalton came in and remained the starter for the rest of the season. For the situation, he played well, totaling seven games with at least one touchdown and zero turnovers.
As it stands right in 2023, any team would be lucky to have Dalton as a backup.
3. Quarterback Joe Flacco
This may be a surprise addition to the list, but after Flacco was signed to the Browns’ practice squad just days ago, he needed to be included. Not only can Flacco still sling it as a 38-year-old, but he’s a coach on the field at this point.
As a former Superbowl MVP with nearly 15 years of experience, Flacco has seen every possible coverage a defense can throw at him. With mobility never being his specialty, he hasn’t lost much ability, although he ceased to be a consistent starter after Lamar Jackson was drafted in 2018.
Just last year, when filling in for an injured Zach Wilson, Flacco had a three-game streak where he passed for at least 280 yards. One of those games included an away win at Cleveland, where he threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns with no picks.
If Browns rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson gets hurt and Flacco gets sent in, Browns fans should be in good hands.