The Green Bay Packers know that barring injury, Jordan Love will be their starting quarterback in 2023. But the backup quarterback job is up for grabs. The Pack currently has two players fighting for the position on their 90-man roster, but which of the two should win the job?
The Returning Candidate to be the Packers Backup Quarterback
The returning backup quarterback candidate on the current, 90-man roster is veteran Danny Etling. The New England Patriots drafted the former LSU star in the seventh-round back in 2018. Since then, Etling has been on the roster of six different NFL teams but has yet to take a snap in a regular season game.
Etling played very well last preseason with the Packers but spent the entire year on the practice squad behind Aaron Rodgers and Love. He completed 17-of-22 passes for 220 yards and one touchdown last preseason. That gave Etling a quarterback rating of 123.3.
He also proved to be very athletic and ran for a score while often eluding pressure that resulted from playing in front of a combination of backup offensive linemen.
Of course, all these great numbers were from the preseason when defenses tend to be basic and try not to give away too many strategic aspects of the game to opposing teams. He was also largely facing second or third string opponents.
The Draft Pick Hoping to Become the Green Bay Packers Backup Quarterback
Packers GM Brian Gutekunst added another quarterback in the fifth-round of this year’s NFL Draft. With the 149th overall pick, the Packers selected Sean Clifford out of Penn State.
Clifford started for four years for Penn State and completed 24 touchdown passes against just seven interceptions in his senior season.
Scouts loved Clifford’s leadership, toughness, and football intelligence although he does not have an elite arm by NFL standards. That lack of arm strength kept him from being considered an early round draft pick this year.
Clifford has played well thus far at OTAs and made some key completions last week in front of reporters. Because he is a draft pick, he will have a leg up on Etling in the eyes of the front office and coaching staff.
The Third Option for the Green Bay Packers at Backup Quarterback
Another option for Gutekunst is to bring in a veteran backup. Neither Etling nor Clifford have taken a snap in an NFL game. Clearly if Love got hurt, the team would likely see a big drop off in play at the quarterback position which is the most important in football.
The Packers would likely seek a veteran who would not be a threat to Love as the starter but who could serve as a mentor for the inexperienced starter and fill for a game or two if Love is banged up or ineffective.
Backup quarterbacks are an important position in the NFL and the Green Bay Packers are still not sure who will fill this position for the team in 2023.
Dark Horse Candidates to Make the Green Bay Packers Roster
Contact/Follow us @Packer_Notes on Twitter, Subscribe to our Newsletter here, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Green Bay Packers news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Gil Martin on Twitter @GilPackers
Follow this link and use promo code: BADGERNOTES for 25% off your next True Classic order.
Join our watch party on Playback Sports and stream Packers games by following this link.
