Ranking the NFL backup quarterbacks

With Blaine Gabbert entering camp as San Francisco's starter, Kaepernick is certainly the most talented (and highest paid) backup going. New 49ers head coach Chip Kelly held on to Kaepernick during the offseason despite rumors to the contrary. Kaepernick's play was awful in nine games last season (78.5 passer rating), but he led the team to the Super Bowl in his first year as a starter and shows elite talent with his arm and feet.

The Browns opted for the upside of Robert Griffin III over making McCown the starter this year. Still, there's little doubt McCown can play after throwing for over 2,100 yards and 12 touchdowns in eight games with the Browns last season. The bigger issue for him recently has been staying on the field.

Hill started earlier in his career for the 49ers, Lions and Rams, but he has the responsibility of helping young Teddy Bridgewater from the bench in Minnesota. For his career, Hill has completed 62 percent of his passes and has a satisfactory 85.2 passer rating.

Some believe Glennon has the ability to be an NFL starter, but he'd probably have a job somewhere if teams were truly convinced. He passed for more than 4,000 yards with an 83.7 passer rating in his first two years spanning 19 games before Jameis Winston took over in 2015.

Daniel isn't the most talented backup quarterback, but he's proven that he can take care of the ball in his brief looks in K.C. and has the advantage of knowing Doug Pederson's offense. He will help teach Sam Bradford and rookie Carson Wentz the new offense and should be able to step in if called upon.

The former Alabama starter stepped in for Andy Dalton last season and was adequate, if nothing else. Playing in only his second year, McCarron completed more than 66 percent of his passes and threw six touchdowns over the last four games in a scaled-down offense.

Garoppolo has the tall task of filling Tom Brady's shoes for the first four games of the 2016 season, as the Patriots starter serves his suspension for Deflategate. The Patriots speak highly of the 2014 second-round pick, but he's thrown only 31 passes during the regular season, completing 20 of them.

Anderson threw for 3,787 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2007 with the Browns but has been floating around as a backup since then. Our best proof that he can still play is his performance in two starts with Carolina in 2014, winning both games and finishing the year completing 67 percent of his passes with a passer rating better than 105.

Mallett has as much arm talent as any quarterback in football, but playing the position in the NFL isn't that simple. He was cut by Houston last season due to his off-field issues and has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns during his career. With more time in Baltimore's offense, Mallett should improve but may never get another chance to start.

We don't have much proof of McCown's ability other than a spectacular performance last season against the Panthers. Starting for Drew Brees, he completed 31-of-38 passes for 310 yards. That's enough to consider him a late bloomer like his brother, Josh.

Hoyer's days as a starter are probably over after his atrocious play against the Chiefs in the AFC Wild Card round, but he should be one of the most trusted backups. He has a career passer rating of 82.2 and had a solid 19/7 TD/INT ratio during the regular season last year.

The Rams ended last season with Keenum as their starter and were set to go into 2016 with him until trading up for the first pick in the draft to take Jared Goff. St. Louis installed a white bread offense with Keenum at the helm, and he averaged 6.6 yards per attempt with four touchdowns in six games.

Henne adds veteran leadership off the bench for Blake Bortles, but he didn't find the field last season. A former starter with the Dolphins and Jags, Henne has thrown for nearly 13,000 yards over his career but has never had a passer rating over 80.7.

Moore was Miami's starter back in 2011 but has served as a backup since then. He's barely played over the last four seasons but has averaged nearly seven yards per attempt when he has played over his career.

Cassel has failed in nearly every opportunity he's had to start, with the exception of replacing the injured Tom Brady with New England in 2008 and one strong year in K.C. More recently, he failed to move the Cowboys offense in nine games last season, averaging fewer than 6.3 yards per attempt and throwing more picks than touchdowns.

Arizona talks up Stanton's ability, but there's no doubt the Cardinals would be in trouble if Carson Palmer goes down again. Stanton completed only 55 percent of his passes while starting part of the 2014 season, throwing just seven touchdowns in 240 attempts.

Weeden saved his career with a short stint in Houston after getting released by the Cowboys. The former Browns' first-round pick won both the games he appeared in with Houston and had a strong 96.8 rating for the season in a limited offense.

Schaub returns to Atlanta this season, where his career began. He hasn't been the same since faltering as Houston's starter in 2013 and threw four picks in only two games with Baltimore last season.

McCoy played well during Washington's merry-go-round at quarterback in 2014, even helping upset Dallas on national television. The former Texas quarterback doesn't have great physical tools and fizzled as Cleveland's starter early in his career, but his recent play wins him some points.

Clemens showed that he belongs in the NFL with his solid work in Sam Bradford's stead with the Rams in 2013, as he had 6.9 yards per attempt. He hasn't had to do much other than hold a clipboard behind Philip Rivers over the last two years.

Oakland apparently really likes McGloin, and he wasn't horrible while playing seven games as a rookie in 2013. He played well in very limited time last year, completing nearly 72 percent of his passes over 32 attempts.

It's usually been bad news when Orlovsky has found the field, notably with the winless Lions of 2008 and the 2-14 Colts of 2011. Despite those smudges, he has more touchdowns than interceptions for his career and a fair 58.2 completion percentage.

Gradkowski missed 2015 due to injury, necessitating the Steelers to sign Mike Vick. A seasoned backup, Gradkowski is with his fifth team but has more interceptions than touchdowns.

Manuel is a first-round bust and lost the Bills' starting job to Tyrod Taylor last season. He struggled again when he found playing time last season, with a 78.5 passer rating.

Tolzien saw significant playing time with Green Bay in 2013, struggling with one touchdown and five picks. The Colts are hoping he can improve their bench behind Andrew Luck this season and even more hopeful he won't need to play.

A former star at Boise State, Moore struggled in three games with the Cowboys last season. It's still very possible the Cowboys will add another backup before the season or rookie Dak Prescott will beat out Moore for the No. 2 job.

Rumors had Nassib as high as a first-round pick in 2013, but he fell to the fourth round. Over three seasons, he's thrown only 10 passes during the regular season behind Eli Manning.

The Chiefs have a battle for the backup behind Alex Smith between Murray and Bray, with the loser likely to be cut or traded. Neither quarterback has significant NFL experience, though the Chiefs have been complimentary of both signal callers at times.

A seventh-round pick by the Broncos in 2015, Siemian is set to compete with veteran Mark Sanchez for the starting job in Denver. It remains to be seen if he can handle NFL quarterbacking.

Projected as a top-round pick early in his career at UCLA, Hundley fell to the fifth round in 2015. The Packers are hopeful they won't need to use Hundley, as that would mean an injury to Aaron Rodgers.

Petty is the backup to Geno Smith for now, but he would be demoted if Ryan Fitzpatrick finally signs with the Jets. The former Baylor quarterback seems unlikely to find the field this season.

A multifaceted quarterback at TCU, Boykin could be a better runner than starter Russell Wilson, but it remains to be seen if he can handle quarterback in the NFL. He fell through the draft following off-field issues before TCU's bowl game.