NFL Mid Season Awards for Backup Quarterbacks 2024

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Players you’ve never heard of and never saw coming have won NFL mid season awards! We’re honoring the backup quarterbacks who held their clipboards the highest as we enter NFL week 10.

Prepare for the intense sports debate that only sibling rivalry can conjure. Seesaw Sports, where Dan Salem and Todd Salem throw down on the NFL, MLB, NBA and more. Only on BuzzChomp. Two brothers from New York yell, scream and debate sports.

 

Having crossed the halfway point of the 2024 NFL season, it’s time to hand out some NFL mid season awards. The players on the field usually get all the love, but what about the backups holding clipboards on the sidelines? Don’t they deserve some attention? We say yes, and having ranked the backup quarterbacks all season, its time for some superlatives.

Anyone can list the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL. Heck, one could throw together a top 32 pretty easily based on all the evidence we have of these pros and rookies coming in, how they fit in their offense, and what success they may or may not find. But what about the backups?

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It takes a different mind entirely to rank QBs 33 through 42, so that’s exactly what we’ve done here all season at BuzzChomp. With half a season of inaction under our belts, these ignored quarterbacks deserve your recognition for not doing much of anything. They’ve successfully stood there quietly holding a clipboard, while some of them even got to play!

Entering NFL Week 10, we are handing out NFL mid season awards to the forgotten players. Who was the best, the worst, the most promising, the least exciting, and the one destined to lead his team and set down his clipboard forever?

 

NFL Mid Season Awards for Backup Quarterbacks

 

 

Best Backup Quarterback – Tyrod Taylor, New York Jets

Todd Salem: He hasn’t sniffed a start this season and probably won’t unless Aaron Rodgers goes down. That said, everyone around the league agrees he’s a solid quarterback with competent accuracy and good athleticism. He is a veteran presence capable of leading a huddle. Taylor is essentially a top 25 quarterback in the NFL, who signed to play with a team that wasn’t going to give him a chance to play unless something went wrong.

Dan Salem: There is no doubt that Taylor is the best of the backups, but he’ll never reach number one again on our rankings. He simply has such a small chance of actually playing, unlike other former number ones like Winston and Maye. Both have gotten their chances and failed to live up to the hype we placed upon them. Taylor won’t have that problem, because he is staying safely on the sidelines as the NFL’s best backup QB.

Worst Backup Quarterback – Davis Mills, Houston Texans

Todd Salem: Did you know he was still on an NFL roster after his rookie contract ended? I thought he retired to become a coach somewhere.

Dan Salem: I did not know Mills was still in the NFL, so kudos to him for that. We deemed him beneath Mitch Trubisky, who was last on our rankings, so kudos to us for that.

Most Promising Backup QB – Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts

Todd Salem: I would accept Michael Penix as an answer here, but I actually think I’d still lean toward Richardson. Oftentimes, the unknown is given more value than a known failure or known shortcoming. Richardson has certainly come short of expectations thus far in his NFL career, but I still think his upside offers slightly more value than Penix.

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Richardson is still extremely young. In fact, he is two years younger than Penix despite entering the league a year earlier. He has a better arm and better athleticism. Penix is the more complete pocket quarterback at this point, but we’ve also never seen him start a game in the pros.

Dan Salem: Penix may have the higher floor, but his ceiling is much lower until proven otherwise. Richardson is exciting and has a high ceiling, but he’s also been disappointing and shown us just how low his floor can be. Potential gets coaches fired in the NFL. Richardson may get several fired before all is said and done.

Least Promising Backup QB – Drew Lock, New York Giants

Todd Salem: Let’s be honest, if Lock had even the smallest glimmer of upside, the New York Giants would have made a move by now. Not benching Daniel Jones through nine weeks means the team sees no purpose in giving Lock a chance with this offense.

Dan Salem: If we’re really being honest, this category should be chock full of names all tied for truly sucking ass. Since you’re a Giants fan and are stuck with a bad starting QB because your backup is even worse, I’ll give you Lock. He has no upside and zero room to grow. I can’t figure out why Tommy DeVito remains on New York’s bench, but Lock is ahead of him and that’s all we need to know.

 

 

Most Exciting Backup QB Storyline – Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers

Todd Salem: Entering the year, the QB job was supposed to belong to Russell Wilson. He was “hurt” though. Or maybe, actually, he was legit hurt. Wilson went through small upgrades, being deemed the emergency quarterback, then the backup, and then the out-and-out starter. Once ensconced as the starter, he took off. Now Fields lingers as the backup with the game-changing legs, and we await Wilson turning back into a pumpkin.

Dan Salem: This has truly been the most exciting storyline of the first half among backup quarterbacks, but it’s dead in the water. Fields won games but his numbers lacked intrigue, giving way to Wilson once healthy. Apparently Wilson was actually hurt, and now he isn’t giving up the job unless injured again. I don’t see Fields looming or the Steelers even looking over Wilson’s shoulder to see if Fields is their guy, meaning the excitement will remain a memory.

Most Boring Backup QB Storyline – Carson Wentz, Kansas City Chiefs

Todd Salem: Wentz is intriguing as a quarterback asset, especially considering his experience in this league. He is certainly a better pure quarterback than some guys who have been forced into action thus far due to injury. However, being Patrick Mahomes’ backup means Wentz will never see the field.

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Dan Salem: I learned two things today. Davis Mills still plays in the NFL and so does Carson Wentz. I did not know he was a backup, probably because he is behind Mahomes. Wentz hasn’t even cracked our rankings, staying firmly behind Mitch Trubisky. Let that sink in. Trubisky is the floor and if you’re under the floor, do you even exist?

Busiest QB Riser – Joe Flacco, Indianapolis Colts

Todd Salem: Flacco got the call once for injury and once for ineptitude. He seems capable of being benched and called upon even once more before this season is out.

Dan Salem: Flacco is a serious contender for most exciting, but losing as the starter this past week tempers things quite a bit. There was no Flacco magic against Minnesota and as I said, he can be very good, but also extremely average. He’ll continue to rise as long as his performance keeps relegating him on and off the bench.

Safest QB Positioning – Jake Browning, Cincinnati Bengals

Todd Salem: Joe Burrow is an entrenched franchise quarterback. Browning isn’t seeing the field except for injury. That means his chances of rising up the rankings are capped. He is also a 28-year-old backup without much experience or upside. He’s started just seven career games. However, he was really good in the small samples we have seen, so he can’t reasonably drop too far down the rankings on talent alone.

Dan Salem: If only his team was actually winning, but Browning’s spot on the sidelines remains secure no matter what. He will be in the top five all season as a backup QB.

Shakiest QB Positioning – Jarrett Stidham, Denver Broncos

Todd Salem: Stidham has been linked to Drew Lock for much of the season. The comparison is obvious. Both are backups with limited upside but questionable passers ahead of them. The difference is Stidham’s starter is a rookie to whom the team has turned the franchise over. They made their decision and will let Bo Nix build a resume of experience, through both ups and downs. If the organization wasn’t willing to stick with Nix through major mistakes, they would have sat him to start the season in favor of the veteran.

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Having said all that, there still lingers the very real issue that Stidham has to be ready because Nix has stunk. He’s an overdrafted rookie who took years to even find his footing in college. It is no surprise that he stinks. But it is true nonetheless. A Denver team battling for the playoffs has to consider an Indy-esk move to a veteran if Sean Payton feels the QB is what’s holding them back.

Dan Salem: I’ve felt as though the Broncos have been playing over their heads all year, because at some point you need to win with offense, not just defense. Nix is not about to give them any offense, so if Denver puts together a losing streak, there is a chance we see Stidham. Not a big chance, but a chance. My gut says the Broncos are “ride or die” with Nix and it’s going to crash and burn.

 

 

Meet our NFL Mid Season Awards Writers:

Dan Salem is Lead Editor and Co-owner of BuzzChomp. He’s an award winning Actor, Director and Producer. Visit M Square Productions for his film work, or get lost in his old-school comedy on Pillow Talk TV. You can follow him on X, TikTok and Instagram. His latest film ‘Alone’ is now on Amazon.

Todd Salem is a Staff Writer and Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp. He’s also a champion of fantasy football and fantasy baseball, dominating leagues for over two decades. Comment below on his unfiltered opinions.

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