Jan 20, 2024; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley (2) warms up before a 2024 AFC divisional round game against the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Former Ravens Pro Bowler Named Best Available QB

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Aug 27, 2025 10:00 AM ET

As NFL teams continue trimming their rosters down to fit the maximum 53 roster spots, countless former prospects and journeymen are forced to re-enter free agency just one week before the regular season is set to commence.

Tyler Huntley was one of several Cleveland Browns quarterbacks to be reminded of how tough it is to outlast the wave of final preseason cuts, as he was one of several of their insurance backups who the front office took a flier on. He did what he's always done in playing the role of the serviceable spot signal caller, but players of his ilk are considered expendable by this point in the offseason.

After being let go on Sunday, he's already considered as arguably the best backup quarterback in free agency, joining a slew of other game managers suddenly without a home. With career second-stringers like Bailey Zappe, Dorian Thompson Robinson and Brett Rypien now joining various other failed starters in the void, Huntley reins supreme over just about every other one of those names.

"Huntley's 2022 Pro Bowl nod is a bit misleading, considering he started just four games in place of an injured Lamar Jackson that year," CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin wrote of the top-ranked backup. "But his composure did help the Baltimore Ravens reach the playoffs that season. He also briefly outplayed rookie Shedeur Sanders at the close of the Browns' preseason finale, leading a game-winning drive for Kevin Stefanski.

"Still just 27, he offers both experience and dual-threat ability, even if he's yet to prove capable of holding a full-time job."

He spent his first four seasons as Jackson's understudy, seeing occasional action during the star's spotty first few seasons of the 2020s. Huntley started just one game in 2023, his final year with the team, as Jackson went on to win his second MVP.

The Ravens have since found one of the more sure-handed backups in the NFL in Cooper Rush, but Huntley is a name people should continue looking out for should the Ravens part ways with Baltimore regular Devin Leary.

Huntley failed to stick with the Miami Dolphins in 2024 in his first pro season away from Jackson and the Ravens, and if his good reputation compared to other backups signifies anything, it's safe to assume that he'll be one of the first arms that front offices call when some quarterback room inevitably thins out.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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