Ranking the NFL backup quarterbacks for the 2017 season

Petty found the field as a starter four times in his sophomore season with the Jets last year, going 1-3. An extremely productive player in the Baylor offense, Petty threw seven picks in his first taste of regular-season NFL action. The fact the organization signed the 38-year-old Josh McCown instead of giving Petty an opportunity says a lot.

An undrafted free agent out of Central Michigan, Rush surprisingly won the backup job ahead of Kellen Moore. He was very efficient during the preseason, but there was a reason Rush went undrafted.

Battling Blaine Gabbert for the No. 2 job in the preseason, Stanton has only shown that the Cardinals are in trouble if Carson Palmer gets injured. He's completed just 53 percent of his passes for his career with 14/19 TD/INT.

Andrew Luck is unlikely to be ready in Week 1, and the Colts are in big trouble. Tolzien has started three games during his NFL career and has a horrendous 66.4 passer rating for his career. That explains why the Colts traded wide receiver Phillip Dorsett to the Patriots in exchange for quarterback Jacoby Brissett right before the start of the regular season.

The Seahawks cut Trevone Boykin in favor of Davis, who has more NFL experience. He made 10 starts between the Rams and Browns in 2014-15 but has significant problems with picks. Seattle would be in trouble if something happened to Russell Wilson.

Considered a sleeper as a fifth-round pick this year, Peterman could get some starts this season if the Bills fall out of contention. In fact, he may get the start Week 1 with Tyrod Taylor in the NFL's concussion protocol heading into the opener. He completed only 54 percent of his passes during the preseason but didn't throw any picks.

Rudock got one year in the Jim Harbaugh offense at Michigan before going in the sixth round of last year's draft. He's coming off a very nice preseason, completing 66 percent of his passes with 3/1 TD/INT. While Rudock lacks a big arm, it looks like he might carve out a nice career as a backup.

Jones is Ben Roethlisberger's primary backup for now, but it probably won't be long before rookie Joshua Dobbs jumps over him on the depth chart. Jones is .500 in four career starts, but the Pittsburgh offense has needed to adjust for him.

The Rams have too much invested in 2016 first overall draft choice Jared Goff to give Mannion an opportunity, but he has flashed ability during the preseason. The 2015 third-round pick completed more than 64 percent of his passes with two touchdowns this preseason.

A third-round pick out of Iowa, Beathard was able to beat out the experienced Matt Barkley for the No. 2 job. He could be the team's quarterback of the future and looked good in the preseason with 4/1 TD/INT.

Jones made a name for himself at Ohio State and was acquired before the season from Buffalo. The fourth-round pick in 2016 has a huge arm, but his accuracy has always been lacking. Given Philip Rivers's durability, the Chargers probably aren't concerned.

Manuel was an optimistic 16th overall pick in the 2013 draft by the Bills, but it didn't take the organization long to conclude he wasn't starter material. He has only 6.4 yards per attempt for his career and is 6-11 as a starter. If nothing else, Manuel does have wheels.

It's much too soon to call the 26th overall pick in the 2016 draft a bust, but the early returns for Denver haven't been good. Lynch struggled in his rookie season and looked overmatched during the preseason this year before getting injured. He could miss significant time, necessitating the Broncos to sign Brock Osweiler.

The strong-armed Mallett was infamously cut from the Texans in 2015 despite beginning the year as the starter. His leadership has often been questioned, and he's also extremely inaccurate, completing only 55 percent of his passes for his career.

A third-round pick by Cleveland last year, Kessler is the equivalent of a finesse pitcher. He went 0-8 as a starter as a rookie, albeit on a horrendous roster. Kessler did complete more than 65 percent of his passes, but he also threw only six touchdowns and didn't even figure into the starting conversation during training camp this year.

Stuck behind Aaron Rodgers, Hundley has thrown 10 regular-season passes over his first two seasons. He performed during the preseason this year, completing 63 percent of his passes with 3/1 TD/INT.

A draft bust after going 39th overall in the 2013 draft, Smith infamously lost the quarterback battle for the Jets in 2015 when he he broke his jaw in a locker room fight. Completing less than 58 percent of his passes in four years, Smith now backs up Eli Manning with the Giants.

The fact Henne couldn't beat out the struggling Blake Bortles despite getting the opportunity says a lot. A former starter in Miami and Jacksonville, Henne is 18-35 over his NFL career, completing less than 60 percent of his passes.

Cassel went 10-5 as the replacement for an injured Tom Brady back in 2008 with New England and became a starter under Todd Haley with the Chiefs, going 10-5 two years later. Since then he's been quite inconsistent, struggling with significant work in Dallas in 2015. Now 35, it's debatable if Cassel is even a reliable backup, though he has experienced and has won in the past.

Still the best quarterback in Texans history, Schaub made two Pro Bowls during his tenure but was benched in 2013. He's seen only two starts since then but continued to struggle with interceptions when he did play. There are still few backups with his résumé, but Schaub is well past his prime at 36.

The starter in L.A. at the beginning of last season, Keenum failed to move a bland offense but did go 4-5 as a starter. However, he's completed only 58 percent of his passes for his career and struggled with his accuracy in the pocket.

Clemson's hero should emerge as Houston's starter sooner than later. He was taken 12th overall to finally fix the organization's years of quarterback issues, but he struggled during the preseason, completing only 51.8 percent of his passes with one pick and no touchdowns. Still, he can make plays and create offense with his feet.

The last quarterback to lead Cleveland to a winning record over a season, Anderson has settled in nicely as Cam Newton's backup. He started two games last season, losing both, but completed more than 66 percent of his passes for the third straight year. Anderson's biggest weakness is his decision making, with as many touchdowns as interceptions for his career.

A starter early in his career with Cleveland, McCoy has made a nice living recently as a backup. McCoy doesn't have great arm strength but can execute short throws. He completed more than 71 percent of his passes in his last year of extended playing time with Washington in 2014.

It's easy to forget that Foles was a Pro Bowler in the Chip Kelly offense in 2013, going 8-2 s a starter with 27/2 TD/INT for the year. He soon fell out of favor in Philadelphia, St. Louis and Kansas City. Foles's experience still makes him valuable behind Carson Wentz.

Daniel is on his third team in three years, but it's not for lack of ability. The Mizzou alumnus doesn't have much of an arm, but he's shown accuracy and scrambling ability when he's found the field during his career, completing more than 65 percent of his passes.

Fitzpatrick had a huge season with the Jets in 2015, but his regression last season made the team look smart for not signing him long-term. The fact is that Fitzpatrick has turned over the ball far too often in his career with 133 picks in 3,876 career attempts. He's also just 46-69-1 as a starter for his career, though the experience and smarts he has are invaluable as a backup.

Bears fans weren't crazy about the Trubisky pick when he was selected second overall, but now they're calling for him to be the starter ahead of Mike Glennon after a great preseason. Trubisky was 36-of-53 for 364 yards and three scores. It's only a matter of time before he's starting ahead of Glennon.

The 10th overall pick in the 2017 draft out of Texas Tech, Mahomes showed his raw talent and absolutely lit up defenses during the preseason. He finished 34-of-54 for 390 yards and 4/0 TD/INT with some highlight-reel throws. Of course, Mahomes also got away with some risky throws, which is why scouts said he needed a year on the bench. He's in the right situation under the tutelage of Andy Reid and could emerge as a star next season.

Moore performed well in Ryan Tannehill's stead late last season, though it wasn't enough to prevent the Dolphins from signing Jay Cutler when Tannehill went down again during training camp. For his career, Moore is a very respectable 15-13 as a starter with more than 6,000 yards passing. He's the type of passer a team can trust as the No. 2.

Cincinnati discovered that McCarron could play late in 2015 when Andy Dalton got injured. He made three regular-season starts and threw for 854 yards and 6/2 TD/INT over seven total games. He also would have led the team to a playoff victory if not for some boneheaded defensive fouls by the Bengals.

A former second-round pick, Garoppolo played well in two starts for the Patriots last season when Tom Brady was suspended. For the season, he was for 43-of-63 for 502 yards, four touchdowns and no picks. He's completed an impressive 67 percent of his passes for his career and is the heir apparent to Brady.