Evaluating Wilson's Ranking Among NFL Backup QBs

It seems like the Miami Dolphins have tried everything to fix the backup quarterback position in recent years. 

They’ve signed veterans (Teddy Bridgewater, Jacoby Brissett), tried to develop young talent (Skylar Thompson), and added free agents in the middle of the season (Tyler Huntley). None of those have worked, so the Dolphins are taking a different approach in 2025. 

Instead, they’ve gone down the “reclamation project” route by signing Zach Wilson, and if Sports Illustrated’s recent ranking of the NFL’s backup quarterbacks is to be believed, Wilson is a middle-of-the-pack option (15th). 

SI’s Gilberto Manzano wrote: “Wilson received rave reviews from the Broncos during his one-year stint in Denver. Still, it’s unknown how much Wilson benefited from having a reset year away from the chaos he faced daily in three seasons with the Jets.”

Let’s look at whether Wilson’s ranking makes sense and the gamble the Dolphins are taking on him this season. 

Everything About Wilson Involves Projection 

The problem with properly evaluating Wilson against the rest of the league is that any positive spin on his play is based solely on word of mouth and projection. 

Wilson spent last season on the Broncos, learning under Sean Payton, who has a reputation for developing quarterbacks. Reports out of Denver were that Wilson greatly improved, and his preseason tape did look marginally better than his tape with the Jets. 

But it’s fair to ask how much faith you can put in either of those. 

The notion that Denver was super high on Wilson seems somewhat debatable when looking at how it handled the quarterback position behind Bo Nix last season and this offseason. Manzano ranks Jarrett Stidham — Denver’s current QB2 — 20th, five spots behind Wilson. 

There’s a fair argument that makes some sense. Wilson is more naturally talented, and he has more starting experience. However, if Denver truly loved Wilson as much as everyone says, why didn’t it just keep him? 

Both players were free agents this offseason, and the Dolphins signed Wilson to a contract that will account for a $2.2 million cap hit and $6 million in 2025 cash spending. Stidham’s two-year deal with the Broncos will account for $4 million on the cap and $5.5 million in 2025 cash spending. 

Now, of course, Wilson could have wanted to leave Denver, feeling like he was better off elsewhere. But the Broncos could have guaranteed him the QB2 spot over Stidham and didn’t. 

All of this is to say that ranking Wilson over Stidham isn’t crazy, but doing it with confidence seems almost impossible. The Broncos didn’t rank Wilson over Stidham in their offseason plans, and he was never higher than QB3 on last season’s depth chart. 

Wilson is also ranked ahead of players like Will Levis, Tyrod Taylor, Joshua Dobbs and Mason Rudolph, who replaced Levis when the Titans beat the Dolphins last season. All of those players have better NFL tape than Wilson. 

Why The Ranking Could Be Correct 

Everything listed above is the argument for why ranking Wilson as a middle-of-the-pack backup might be too rich. It involves a lot of projection and faith in anonymous reports out of Denver. 

However, Wilson is a talented enough passer to make good on this ranking. He has the best physical tools of any Dolphins passer since Ryan Tannehill, and the Jets were a bona fide mess when he was the starter there. 

Miami’s offensive infrastructure is the best he’s played under. Tyreek Hill is certainly the best receiver he’s thrown to, and depending on how you feel about Garrett Wilson, Jaylen Waddle could be second. Regardless, the combination is better than anything the Jets had. 

Additionally, Miami’s offensive principles might clean up some of Wilson’s biggest issues. 

He’s not a perfect fit for the Dolphins’ offense because it’s so tailored to Tua Tagovailoa’s skill set, but Wilson could use to take some pages from Tua’s book. Wilson gets into trouble when he holds the ball too long and tries to do too much. 

Sure, that leads to some of his out-of-structure heroics, but the negatives have easily outweighed the positives so far. The Dolphins want the ball out quickly, and many of the team’s concepts involve throwing to spots. 

That could take some of the thinking and playmaking pressure off Wilson’s plate, allowing him to get into a rhythm and let the offense do some heavy lifting. With his mobility and arm talent, that could also come with a healthy balance of big plans out of structure. 

All of that would take a significant step in development, but it’s not impossible. Former Jets quarterbacks like Geno Smith and Sam Darnold have blossomed in new locations. Wilson has more work to do than those players, but he also doesn’t need to become a consistent starter for Miami’s bet to pay off. 

Ironically, the Dolphins would prefer never to find out if Wilson can justify this ranking. 

However, given Tua’s unfortunate injury history, there’s a good chance they’ll know whether Wilson was a worthwhile gamble after all.

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