Ranking NFL contenders by backup QB situations: Mac Jones, Davis Mills headline best insurance policies
A quality NFL backup quarterback doesn't exactly garner the headlines of an All-Pro-caliber starter. It shouldn't. That said, the value cannot be overlooked. If a franchise's starter goes down for a game, or two, or six, the season could go in the toilet in an instant if they don't have someone who can come in and keep things afloat momentarily. So, while the last thing anyone wants to think about is the established starter missing time, it's good to have a quality insurance plan. Take last season, for example. A number of backup quarterbacks rose to the occasion, and their successes drove the playoff picture. A key reason why the Houston Texans overcame C.J. Stroud's absence after a concussion in Week 9 was due to backup Davis Mills thriving when his number was called. Mills went 3-0 over his stretch as the starter, which helped Houston mount a playoff berth. In the NFC, Mac Jones led the San Francisco 49ers to a 5-3 record as the starter while Brock Purdy was sidelined, and that helped them stay in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the conference until Week 18. Of course, maybe the greatest recent example of having a top backup is Nick Foles in 2017, as he stepped in for an injured Carson Wentz and led the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl LII title. With all that in mind, we're going to look at a slew of contenders and size up what their backup quarterback situation looks like and rank them. To draw a line in the sand for what "contender" actually means, we're looking at clubs that have odds to win Super Bowl LXI of +2500 or shorter at DraftKings Sportsbook, which gives us 16 teams in total. Starter : Josh Allen Backups : Kyle Allen , Shane Buechele Kyle Allen inked a two-year, $4.1 million deal to be the primary backup to Josh Allen, while 2021 undrafted free agent Shane Buechele is the third-stringer. Allen, who has been in the NFL since 2018, has starting experience (19 total starts), but hasn't started a game since Week 13 of the 2022 season while a member of the Houston Texans. In that game, he completed just 51.3% of his passes, tossed two interceptions, and recorded two fumbles (one lost). For his career, the 30-year-old is 7-12 as a starter, while completing 62.5% of his passes with an 82.1 passer rating. While maybe no quarterback can compare to Josh Allen, it would be a Grand Canyon-sized difference in the event they need to hand the keys over to Kyle Allen. Starter : Jared Goff Backups : Teddy Bridgewater , Luke Altmyer (UDFA) Not that long ago, Teddy Bridgewater was coaching high school football. After resigning from his post at Miami Northwestern Senior High School in August of last year, he signed on to be a backup for the Buccaneers and did see some action in Week 12 last season against the Rams . There, Bridgewater completed 53.3% of his throws for just 62 yards. The last time he started a game came back in Week 17 of the 2022 season as a member of the Dolphins . Now, Bridgewater is back in Detroit (where he served as a backup from 2023 to 2024) with the Lions and will likely serve as the top option behind Jared Goff, with undrafted rookie Luke Altmyer also in the fold. While Bridgewater has 65 regular-season starts under his belt and is above .500 (33-32) over that run, it's fair to wonder how much he truly has in the tank as he'll turn 34 during the 2026 season. Starter : Justin Herbert Backups : Trey Lance , DJ Uiagalelei Justin Herbert has been remarkably durable over the course of his career, considering the volume of hits he takes. Since entering the NFL in 2020, Herbert has taken the most hits (615) and the most sacks (225) in the league. That includes 129 quarterback hits last season, which was tied for the second-most in the last 20 years. While L.A. has invested in the offensive line and was simply dealt a bad hand with injuries to Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt last season, you'd think they'd pursue a better backup than they currently have in Trey Lance. Lance does have the pedigree of being a [... truncated ...]
