Who is the best backup QB in the NFL?

Boyle may lose this job this season, but he remains Aaron Rodgers' backup. A 2018 UDFA who has been with the Packers throughout his career, Boyle was better than first-round pick Jordan Love throughout training camp. The Packers are viewing Love's development through a long lens; he is not expected to play as a rookie, which separates the Utah State product from just about every first-round QB of the past decade and change. Boyle has never thrown a regular-season pass and was a one-year starter at Division I-FCS Eastern Kentucky, where he threw more INTs than TD passes.

Dallas' Week 1 third-string quarterback was the 11th passer taken in the 2020 draft; his seeing early-season action represents a crisis for a team built to win now. A Pitt recruit who transferred to Division I-FCS James Madison, DiNucci came in for Andy Dalton after Dallas' opening-week backup was summoned because of Dak Prescott's gruesome injury. Prescott had not missed a game as a pro, and Dalton had only missed eight due to injury in his nine-year Bengals run. DiNucci did dominate in 2019, leading FCS QBs with a 71% completion rate and leading the Dukes to that division's championship game.

If you knew of this man and are not a Rams fan, that is impressive work. After not re-signing Blake Bortles, the Rams have one quarterback behind Jared Goff. Wolford was a Jets undrafted free agent addition in 2018. His only game reps came for the Arizona Hotshots of the now-defunct Alliance of American Football last year. Wolford led the AAF in TD passes, but a historic profile gulf exists between the profiles of Goff and his backup. Wolford, 24, was a four-year Wake Forest starter who posted a 29-6 TD-INT ratio as a senior. 

Finley did well to ensure the Bengals could draft Joe Burrow, replacing Andy Dalton for three games and completing 47% of his passes and averaging 4.9 adjusted yards per attempt and going 0-3. The 2019 fourth-round pick did throw for nearly 4,000 yards during his senior season with the Wolfpack. But if Finley sees extensive time in 2020, the Bengals' season has taken a bad turn.

Ryan Tannehill suffered torn ACLs in 2016 and '17. He missed five games because of a shoulder injury in 2018. Although Tannehill has turned his career around in Tennessee, he is one of the NFL's most injury-prone players. For now, the Titans have only Woodside behind him on their active roster. The 2018 seventh-round Bengals pick once threw 45 TD passes in a season at Toledo but has never thrown an NFL pass. However, Tennessee has former Denver starter Trevor Siemian on its practice squad. It would seem the sixth-year QB looms as the true Tannehill backup.

Sudfeld has thrown 25 career passes, completing 20, and has never started a regular-season game. But the Eagles have kept him around for three years. During their 2017 and 2018 playoff runs, the Eagles had Sudfeld as their QB2 behind Nick Foles. The Indiana alum sits behind Carson Wentz but as sort of a placeholder. Philadelphia drafted former Alabama and Oklahoma standout Jalen Hurts in Round 2 and has used him in a Wildcat capacity. While Hurts may be a Taysom Hill type, he will at some point be Wentz's backup. 

Peyton Manning did not miss a Broncos start from 2012-14, but his 2015 foot trouble began a trend for Bronco QB1s. They have seen their starters miss games in all but one season since, and Drew Lock's shoulder trouble ushered in Jeff Driskel. Despite being signed to back up Lock this year, the ex-Bengal and Lion was yanked in his first start. The nephew of ex-Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien, Brett arrived as a UDFA out of Boise State last year. He helped the Broncos to their first win this season, throwing two TD passes to beat the Jets. 

First-year Panthers coach Matt Rhule has used both Walker and Will Grier as Teddy Bridgewater's backup, dressing Grier in the seaon's opening weeks before turning to Walker in Weeks 6-7. While Grier was a third-round pick, he was drafted to work under Norv and Scott Turner. Walker played under Rhule at Temple and was on track to be the XFL MVP -- had the pandemic not nixed the season's second half. Walker had a 15-4 TD-INT ratio through five games, though the 5-foot-11 passer was barely an NFL workout body prior to his Houston Roughnecks fame. 

For all the buzz about the Patriots being confident Stidham could succeed Tom Brady, Cam Newton predictably squashed that narrative. But Stidham is backing up one of the league's biggest injury risks. The Patriots have Brian Hoyer on their roster, but Stidham has usurped him. The 2019 fourth-round pick beat out Hoyer to be Brady's backup last year, but in three seasons as a college starter, he did not eclipse 20 touchdown passes once. With the Pats' Newton signing looking much shakier in October than it did in September, Stidham starts may come soon.

A former third-round pick out of Oregon State, Mannion has both earned the trust of multiple organizations as a backup quarterback and shouldered an incredibly light burden as a pro. He has started zero meaningful games in five seasons, with his only two such calls to action coming in Week 17 for Rams and Vikings teams that rested starters. Mannion, 28, broke out as a junior with the Beavers -- with 37 TD passes -- in an otherwise unremarkable college career before backing up Jared Goff and Kirk Cousins. But as COVID-19 changes the NFL, Mannion's experience could matter as depth is more important than ever.

A fifth-round Packers pick in 2015, Hundley did not play well the last time he was thrown into action. The UCLA product threw nine touchdown passes and 12 interceptions in nine starts for an injured Aaron Rodgers -- a 2017 stretch that ended an eight-year Green Bay playoff streak. Hundley's starter debut produced a ghastly 4.7 adjusted yards per attempt and returned him to backup status. The Cardinals signed him in 2019, so he is in his second season in Kliff Kingsbury's system. After the pandemic changed the offseason, that counts for something.

Ben Roethlisberger has returned to form, igniting the Steelers from stealth Super Bowl threats to legitimate contenders. But Pittsburgh may regret not pursuing one of the many superior backup options this offseason. Rudolph, a 2018 third-rounder, was the leading man in the Steelers plummeting from the No. 6 DVOA offense in 2018 to 32nd last season. He ranked last in Next Gen Stats' average completed air yards metric and was benched on multiple occasions for UDFA Devlin Hodges. Considering Roethlisberger's injury history, Rudolph may well be called upon in 2020.

On his sixth team, Barkley has at least been with the Bills for two years. The former USC passer has a career 10-21 TD-INT ratio and may be a placeholder for rookie Jake Fromm, a one-time first-round prospect who fell to Round 5. Barkley is now 30 and represents insurance for the best Bills team in at least 21 years. Josh Allen will need to stay healthy for the team to realize its potential, but Barkley did at least win his lone Buffalo start -- a 2018 game against the Jets, which came barely a week after he signed.

Once given a nice contract to groom Mitchell Trubisky in Chicago, Glennon has since been with the Cardinals and Raiders as a backup. He landed with the Jaguars this offseason. The player whom N.C. State started instead of Russell Wilson in 2011, Glennon has thrown 801 career passes and started 22 games. While his teams only won six of those, Glennon has been on consistently bad squads throughout his career. This one is already in the running for the worst. 

A long time has passed since Henne was last a starter. The former Dolphins QB1 moved on to two seasons as a starter with the Jaguars. In 2014, however, Blake Bortles began his run after three Henne-directed losses. Henne, now 35, has not started a game since and has only appeared in five in the past five-plus seasons. But he has 53 starts to his credit and is working under Andy Reid, perhaps the game's premier play-caller. The Chiefs brought back Henne despite his 2019 injury and despite Matt Moore's critical off-the-bench work last season. A telling sign of the team's view of the 12-year vet.

As a rookie, Smith made 16 starts for a Jets team with the 19th-ranked scoring defense and an uninspiring receiving corps. The Jets went 8-8. The former second-round pick's stock has dropped since that season, and the punch I.K. Enemkpali landed on Smith certainly played a role in changing his career. Smith has been a backup for the past five seasons, moving from New York to Los Angeles to Seattle. His post-Jets tenure is best remembered for the time he snapped Eli Manning's start streak, resulting in Ben McAdoo and GM Jerry Reese's firings, but Smith has started 31 games and continues to get backup work. 

Since the Browns deemed McCoy a backup after the 2012 season, he has only started seven games. He does at least have a positive TD-INT ratio -- 29-27 -- and has been in the NFL for 10 seasons. In McCoy's last lengthy starter sample, in 2014, he completed 71% of his passes and averaged 8.3 yards per attempt. As a mentor for Daniel Jones and potential spot starter, the Giants could do much worse than the former Cleveland and Washington passer.

A two-time national champion starter at Alabama, McCarron has been in the backup game for a while. He served as Andy Dalton's understudy for four seasons and is in his second as Deshaun Watson's. The Browns once tried to trade second- and third-round picks for him -- amid a dysfunctional 0-16 season, but still. In between, McCarron lost a job to Nathan Peterman in Buffalo and backed up Derek Carr for a season. McCarron did win two games in relief of Dalton in 2015 and had the Bengals on the cusp of their first playoff win in a generation. Coaches still like what the 30-year-old passer provides.

One of a few ex-Pro Bowlers on this list, Schaub has lived three careers. He has gone from Michael Vick's backup to the Pro Bowl starter in Houston who led the Texans to their first and second playoff berths to Matt Ryan's caddy back in Atlanta. This marks Schaub's fifth season backing up Ryan and his age-39 campaign. His only start since returning to Georgia resulted in a 460-yard day -- albeit after the Falcons fell behind to the Seahawks 24-0 -- last season. Schaub should be able to deliver competent work if called upon this year. 

While this is a former Super Bowl MVP who was a Week 1 starter from 2008-19, Flacco looked bad during Sam Darnold's latest absence. He failed to lead the Jets into the red zone before garbage time in a 24-0 loss in Miami and needed Jamison Crowder catch-and-run action to post a passable stat line against the Cardinals in Week 5. However, Flacco is 35 and fresh off neck surgery. He led the Broncos to two wins last season and has 219 career TD passes -- 35th all time. That may say more about the modern game than Flacco, but the former Ravens franchise QB at least provides experience behind Darnold.

This comes with a caveat. Kyle Shanahan coaches Mullens. Under the play-calling wizard's guidance, Mullens was surprisingly competent replacing an injured Jimmy Garoppolo in 2018. And he showed flashes again replacing Garoppolo this season. He threw for 343 yards in a rout of the Giants -- the 49ers' first no-punt game since 1992. However, C.J. Beathard replaced him in Week 5. But Mullens has been Garoppolo's backup in the games since. Despite being a UDFA out of Southern Miss, Mullens helped George Kittle set the single-season tight end yardage record in 2018 and helped a worse 49ers roster to a 3-5 record.

Ditched as a possible starting option back in Jacksonville, Gabbert has quietly fared OK in backup duty in recent years. While he could not lead the Titans over a locked-in Colts team in a win-and-in scenario in 2018, the Missouri alum delivered two workmanlike wins to keep the Titans afloat that year. With the 2017 Cardinals, Gabbert started in wins over the playoff-bound Titans and Jaguars. He led a game-winning drive over the latter in a revenge game. Gabbert is back for a second season with Bruce Arians' Bucs. Should a Tom Brady injury occur, it would be Gabbert's biggest spotlight since perhaps college.

Daniel has made a career out of his ability to work as a traveling backup quarterback. The Lions gave him a three-year, $13.1 million deal to provide better work than Jeff Driskel and David Blough did last season. Despite the publicity Daniel has received as a backup mercenary, he has only made five starts in 12 seasons. The former Mizzou Heisman finalist is still cashing lucrative checks at age 34. He is at least a career 68% passer and helped the Bears to the 2018 NFC North title. With Stafford experiencing back issues the past two years, this high-Q-rating QB2 may well be called on again.

Griffin is a difficult case. He delivered one of the best rookie seasons in quarterback history, guiding Washington to the 2012 NFC East title. He also clashed with coaches in the years that followed and was a below-average starter in 2013, '14 and '15. RG3 was also out of football in 2017. But the 30-year-old profiles as an optimal Lamar Jackson backup, possessing a similar skill set -- albeit a poor man's version of it -- and a past as an electric mobile quarterback. Anywhere else, Griffin may struggle. But in his third year with Baltimore, he has found a perfect setting to continue his career.

As expected, Trubisky could not hold off Nick Foles. Matt Nagy benched the former No. 2 overall pick in September, and while the Bears offense still looks mediocre under Foles, Trubisky has not received another chance. The Bears' decision to trade up for a one-year North Carolina starter and bypass a national champion (Deshaun Watson) and future MVP (Patrick Mahomes) will be scrutinized on a Sam Bowie-over-Michael Jordan level. Trubisky had moments (24-12 TD-INT ratio in Chicago's 2018 playoff season) but looks on his way out of the Windy City. Still, he is more capable than many NFL backups.

The former No. 2 overall pick just returned from an IR stay, and Derek Carr does not look like he will lose his job this season. But the Raiders gave Mariota top-end backup money and a two-year contract. The ex-Titan has not been the same since a broken leg ended his promising 2016 season. Injuries limited him in a rough 2018 slate, and Ryan Tannehill replaced him and revived the Titans last season. But the ex-Oregon superstar is a 61-game starter -- still just 26 -- and has a higher ceiling than almost every active QB2.

Perhaps the strangest backup QB in modern NFL history, role-wise, Hill is a 30-year-old ex-UDFA with 16 career pass attempts. This ranking judges Hill's ability when taking snaps; he has remained a versatile threat during this unusual apprenticeship. Jameis Winston may well replace Drew Brees if he suffers another injury, but Hill is listed as their backup and is still ruining fun for Brees' fantasy GMs. Counting the playoffs, Hill has 12 TDs over the past two years. The Saints gave him a multiyear deal this offseason. He would profile as an all-time odd successor to a Hall of Fame passer.

Achievements-wise, it is not close. Smith is the most accomplished active backup quarterback. The 2005 No. 1 overall pick may win Comeback Player of the Year honors, even if he does not take another snap. Smith overcame a life-threatening injury that required 17 surgeries to return to action. During his near-two-year absence, the franchise acquired a new coach, a mostly new offensive nucleus and changed its name. Smith, 36, did not look good against the Rams, so he is docked a few spots. But the three-time Pro Bowler who mentored Patrick Mahomes provides an incredible resource for new Washington QB1 Kyle Allen.

Dealt two of the stranger hands in recent quarterback history, Brissett is back as an even-year backup. In 2017 and '19, he was asked to start on short notice. His 2019 season, when he replaced Andrew Luck following an 11th-hour retirement, proved better than his 2017 slate -- when he was called upon to start after an 11th-hour trade occurred while Luck was partaking in an unsuccessful rehab effort. Brissett led the Colts to seven wins last season and did some of that work despite a knee injury. The Colts, who replaced him with Philip Rivers, should be in better hands than most if their starter goes down. 

Given the Kurt Warner treatment, in being benched for a first-round rookie after a somewhat promising start , Fitzpatrick will return to the backup role he occupied in Tampa. The 38-year-old passer will be an ideal mentor for Tua Tagovailoa, given his 16 seasons' worth of experience. Fitz has also proven he can win with these Dolphins, leading them to a 3-3 mark and helping a worse Miami outfit to five wins last season. A veteran of eight teams, Fitzpatrick has made 145 starts. While he threw seven INTs in the Dolphins' first six games, he could start for a few other NFL teams right now.

Keenum's astonishing outlier season lands him here. The former UDFA finished 2017 as DVOA's No. 1 quarterback, guiding a Vikings team that lost Sam Bradford to injury to 12 wins and the NFC's No. 2 seed. Keenum threw 22 TD passes and seven INTs in '17, doing so after years as an obscure Texans and Rams backup, and threw one of this century's most memorable passes . Keenum could not parlay that into a starter career, though he somehow finished with 11 TDs and five INTs for a woeful Washington team last year. Now 32, Keenum provides tremendous experience behind Baker Mayfield.

In 2018, Taylor played a supporting role on "Hard Knocks" but was replaced by a rookie after a September injury. An unfortunate sequel took place this year, only the Chargers QB encountered a more original setback -- a pregame chest injection puncturing his lung -- en route to losing his job. Justin Herbert raises the Chargers' ceiling, but Taylor has three full seasons' worth of starter work and is in his fourth season with Anthony Lynn. The 31-year-old dual threat finished his Bills tenure with a 51-14 TD-INT ratio (with 14 rushing TDs) and likely has several years left as a quality backup/capable bridge starter.