NFL Week 1 Backup Quarterback Rankings For 2024

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Only a crazy person would rank the backup quarterbacks, so we did it! The top ten backups for NFL Week 1 of 2024. Once you see the field, you’re out.

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.

 

Anyone can list the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL. Heck, one could throw together a top 32 pretty easily for NFL Week 1 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. 

However, it takes a different mind entirely to rank QBs 33 through 42. That’s what we attempt to do at the Backup QB Rankings. This is NFL Week 1 and the backups are rearing to stand there quietly holding a clipboard.

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What makes the best backup QB? It certainly isn’t NFL success. 

It could be the best pure passer who happens to not hold a starting gig. It could be the best situation, someone primed for starts in the future. However, it’s a fine line, because as soon as that backup becomes a starter, he drops off the Backup QB Rankings entirely. Guys have to be careful if they want to hold their standing.

 

NFL Week 1 Backup Quarterback Rankings

 

1. Tyrod Taylor – Aaron Rodgers’ backup, New York Jets

Todd Salem: Taylor is your favorite backup quarterback’s favorite backup quarterback. He is the epitome of the “position.” If your starter goes down (and, let’s face it, Rodgers is going down at some point), Taylor can hold the fort. You don’t want him starting 15 games, but thanks to his savvy and athleticism, he can admirably start six.

Dan Salem: Taylor was a darn good starter back in the day, so it’s no surprise he’s atop our Backup Quarterback rankings. If he is called upon mid-game, there is no one better. If he is required to start a few games, well then we have a problem, because Taylor finds new and exciting ways to get injured. That won’t happen though.

2. Andy Dalton – Bryce Young’s backup, Carolina Panthers

Todd Salem: Dalton has a whiff of Taylor’s backup pedigree, with the added benefit of playing behind one of the worst rookie quarterbacks we’ve ever seen. If Young doesn’t get with the program early in year two, Dalton could be gone from this list rather quickly.

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Dan Salem: Dalton is thoroughly unexciting, yet he too was a solid starter at one point. This makes him a solid backup as well. I’m not ready to punt on Young, but he certainly appears to be another Zach Wilson, making Dalton’s position on our list that much more volatile.

3. Jameis Winston – Deshaun Watson’s backup, Cleveland Browns

Todd Salem: Watson hasn’t been good in four years and is enemy number one in the NFL thanks to his off-field issues. Winston hasn’t been a starter in more than four years. When we last saw him week in and week out, he led the NFL in interceptions. Boy, though, the uproar to put Winston in is going to be loud and quick this season thanks to who’s ahead of him.

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Dan Salem: I can’t decide if Winston is a great backup, or a truly scary one. His propensity to throw interceptions is a fan’s nightmare, but Winston is also a good passer in all other ways. As long as he doesn’t have to play, he will hold firm to a top five spot in our rankings.

4. Jake Browning – Joe Burrow’s backup, Cincinnati Bengals

Todd Salem: In an ideal world, Browning won’t see the field a single time this season. But Burrow has had health issues a few years running now, and when Browning was forced into action last season, he was darn good for this Cincy squad.

Dan Salem: Is Browning decent, or do the Bengals simply have too many weapons for him to fail? Irrelevant, because he’s the backup. Since we must consider the team too, Browning is certainly in the top five at the moment.

5. Drake Maye – Jacoby Brissett’s backup, New England Patriots

Todd Salem: Even the Patriots coaches somewhat admitted that Maye is the better quarterback. They don’t necessarily want to put him behind this offensive line, with these weapons, though. Brissett is unlikely to find much success in 2024 thanks to the supporting cast. Maye has too much talent to hold on the sideline for long.

Dan Salem: One way of spinning things is that Maye did not lose the starting job, but that the team is protecting him. Another way to look at this is that Maye lost the starting job, because he is in fact the backup. I envision him quickly plummeting down our list, but for now his rookie potential and lack of stink from his team keep him elevated.

 

 

6. Justin Fields – Russell Wilson’s backup, Pittsburgh Steelers

Todd Salem: Let Fields play! Let Fields play! He offers so much more upside than Wilson, with pretty much the same downside of taking far too many sacks and holding onto the ball too long.

Dan Salem: Wilson is ten times the leader that Fields is, so I was expecting to find Fields on our list entering NFL Week 1. He’s shown signs of excellence, so it’s possible we’ll find Fields in the top three sooner than later.

7. Joe Flacco – Anthony Richardson’s backup, Indianapolis Colts

Todd Salem: The sky is the limit for Richardson, but he is still incredibly raw as a passer, and we already saw him go down for an extended period of time as a rookie. Flacco showed last year that he can come in and find success. He turns 40 this winter, which is all the more reason to root for the guy to have some more moments.

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Dan Salem: Flacco falls into a similar category as Tyrod Taylor, with a much lower ceiling. He can be very good in a game or even two, but nothing more. If he somehow becomes the starter for the Colts, their season will be over.

8. Michael Penix – Kirk Cousins’ backup, Atlanta Falcons

Todd Salem: I loved Penix coming out of college, until he was taken eighth in the draft to a team who already had a starting quarterback. The prospect Penix is still someone I love as a quarterback, even if the NFL player Penix is unlikely to see the field. He’s perfect for the Backup QB Rankings. Only seeing him fail on the field can knock our imagination of what he can become.

Dan Salem: Personally, the new rookie smell surrounding Penix is a bit more appealing than Maye’s in New England. Atlanta simply has so much more to offer, yet there is no denying the difference in pedigree. Penix remains in our conversation and will likely be a staple of this list all season.

9. Drew Lock – Daniel Jones’ backup, New York Giants

Todd Salem: If Jones goes down again or stinks again, can’t Lock be better than Tommy Cutlets was last season?

Dan Salem: I don’t care for Drew Lock, but he must be a fine backup quarterback because he keeps getting new opportunities to carry a clipboard. Tommy Cutlets is infinitely more exciting, but he’s probably not better.

10. Mitch Trubisky – Josh Allen’s backup, Buffalo Bills

Todd Salem: The 30-year-old vet is a better backup than he ever was a starter. And I don’t mean his stats are better as a sub. I just mean teams are far happier when they don’t have to play him.

Dan Salem: Trubisky is slightly more appealing to me than Lock, but not as reliable. He’s also much less likely to see the field, so his value is lower entering NFL Week 1. He’s still relevant though!

 

Meet our NFL Week 1 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.

NFL Week 1 Backup Quarterback Rankings – This Is The End

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