8. Chad Henne, Kansas City Chiefs
The worst of the official backups and there’s no way around it.
Henne was brought in as a backup for Patrick Mahomes after Alex Smith served as a mentor for the rookie year. Henne might work wonders in the film room and holding a clipboard, but time has proven how little he offers on the field. With a career record of 18-35, Henne’s time as a “could he?” quarterback in the NFL came and went years ago and he hasn’t thrown more than 3 passes in a single NFL season since Dee Ford‘s rookie season.
Henne might prove to be adequate enough with Andy Reid as his coach, and that’s due to Reid’s ability to work with anyone’s strengths. Henne has the trust of the coaches, of course, and that’s all well and good. We can certainly hope to never have to find out whether or not Henne has anything (Henne-thing?) left, but what is clear that anyone further down this list would be a better option on paper.
7. Mike Glennon, Oakland Raiders
It feels weird to say that Mike Glennon is a better backup than anyone, but Glennon likely has been derided more than he should have been to this point. The former third round pick of the Bucs might not be a franchise quarterback at this point, but there’s no reason why he can’t be a nice stopgap in case of injury or suspension for a team in need.
It might be hard to believe, but Glennon isn’t even 30-years-old yet, and he’s thrown 35 touchdowns to only 20 interceptions in his NFL career. He does come with a pitiful record of 6-16 as a starter, but it doesn’t help that he’s played for poor coaches on unimpressive rosters with little help all around him in Tampa Bay, Chicago and Arizona. He’s got a limited skill set, yes, but if Glennon were somehow forced to ente the game for Derek Carr, you wouldn’t expect the Raiders offense to just immediately sputter that very moment. That’s more than you can say for a lot of backups in this league.
6. Tyrod Taylor, L.A. Chargers
The Chargers have perhaps one of the best backup quarterbacks in the entire NFL with Tyrod Taylor available behind Philip Rivers. Taylor spent the first four years of his NFL career languishing on the bench behind Joe Flacco with the Baltimore Ravens. However when given a chance to start with the Buffalo Bills in 2015, Taylor not only blossomed with the opportunity but he was even named to the Pro Bowl in the process.
Taylor is 23-21-1 as a starting quarterback and he has 53 touchdowns to only 20 interceptions. In Buffalo he was often without solid offensive weapons and was sacked dozens of times (including a league-leading 42 times in 2016) behind a horrible offensive front. It’s a bit surprising that a team in need of a legitimate starter hasn’t come calling for Taylor because he’s likely better than a handful of quarterbacks who will start multiple games in 2019. Somehow the Chargers have him as a backup to their Pro Bowl starter.
5. Drew Lock, Denver Broncos
It’s possible this is far too low for Drew Lock. Then again, it’s also true that it could be a bit too high. We just don’t have any way of knowing how the former Mizzou product will turn out in his NFL career.
What we do know is that more than one NFL analyst believes Lock’s best pro comparison is Matthew Stafford. He’s got a confident attitude and a pro-ready arm made for moving the chains and then some with his downfield throwing ability. If installed as the starter, Denver’s wideouts are going to love the arm action but the coaching staff might also struggle with the consistency—or lack of it.
If Joe Flacco looks like a man motivated to set the record straight about his own abilities, then Lock might just receive what he needs most—some time to refine his plentiful talents at the highest level.