The Green Bay Packers know that if Jordan Love is healthy, he will be the team’s starting quarterback in 2023. But one thing they do not know is who will win the three-way battle to be the Packers backup quarterback this year.
The team presently has three candidates on the roster fighting for what is likely one spot on the roster and one on the practice squad. They are Danny Etling, fifth-round pick Sean Clifford and the recently signed Alex McGough. None of the trio has ever thrown a pass in an NFL regular-season game.
Packers Backup Quarterback Candidate 1: Danny Etling
The New England Patriots selected Etling in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Since then, the former LSU star has signed deals with eight NFL teams and one team in Canada but has yet to appear in a regular season game for any NFL team.
Etling can move in the pocket and escape pressure. He played very well last preseason for the Packers and after two stints with the team, should have the most familiarity with the offense. However, Etling also probably has the least upside of any of the candidates for the job.
Candidate 2: Sean Clifford
Clifford is the likely favorite to make the roster as the backup quarterback. GM Brian Gutekunst likes to hold on to his draft choices at least for one season and Clifford was a fifth-round pick in the 2023 Draft.
Clifford was a four-year starter at Penn State. Scouts like his intelligence and leadership ability but his lack of elite arm strength caused him to fall in this year’s draft class.
The Penn State alum made some good plays during OTAs but still has a lot to prove in training camp and in the preseason when players are in pads and the game is full contact.
The big question is whether the team will feel confident that Clifford could take over as the starter and be effective if Love had to miss a game or two.
Packers Backup Candidate 3: Alex McGough
The Packers added a third candidate to the backup quarterbacks sweepstakes last week when they signed Alex McGough. The former Florida International star was the MVP of the USFL this past season and led the Birmingham Stallions to the league title.
The Seahawks drafted McGough in the seventh-round back in 2018. Since then, he has spent time with the Seahawks, Jaguars, and Texans but has yet to throw a pass in an NFL game.
Gutekunst praised McGough at his pre-training camp press conference saying his new quarterback was a “Big, strong, good-looking athlete. Always had a big arm.” He also said his time in the USFL helped him make progress in his game.
The battle for the backup quarterback position should be an interesting one. It will also be telling how much playing time these three candidates get during the preseason and how much time Love gets under center in those three games.
While it is still possible the Packers sign a veteran backup, they are more likely to stick with one of these three players with another making the practice squad when the season starts.
_________________________________________________________________________
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
