Ranking the NFL's backup quarterback situations 1-32
Which NFL teams are in the best shape (and maybe worst) to weather an injury or ineffectiveness under center? The backup quarterback situations throughout the league ranked 1-32:
1. Colts: Matt Hasselbeck (80-72 in 16 seasons, 3 Pro Bowls) — He's the only backup in the league to start a Super Bowl. Hasselbeck says his body feels great after two years of relative rest behind Andrew Luck. Beloved by his organization.
2. Jets: Michael Vick (58-48-1 in 12 seasons, 4 Pro Bowls) — He hasn't impressed in cameos this year, but there's no more talented second-team slinger in NFL.
3. Eagles: Mark Sanchez (33-29 in 6 seasons), Matt Barkley (3 appearances in 2 seasons) — Sanchez looked great in preseason and has shown he can win with talent around him.
4. Cardinals: Drew Stanton (4-3 in 7 seasons), Logan Thomas (1 appearance in rookie season) — Stanton, who's been with Bruce Arians since 2012, already has two wins this year.
5. Seahawks: Tarvaris Jackson (17-17 in 9 seasons) — Seattle's starter in 2011, he has locker room's respect and some of Russell Wilson's skills.
6. Panthers: Derek Anderson (19-25 in 10 seasons, 1 Pro Bowl), Joe Webb (1-1 in 5 seasons) — Old man Anderson notched a W on opening day, his first start since 2010.
7. Packers: Matt Flynn (3-4 in 7 seasons), Scott Tolzien (0-1 in 4 seasons) — Despite excursions around the NFL, all of Flynn's wins are in No. 2 role with Green Bay, clearly where he belongs. Tolzien may be the Packers' future ... as the backup.
8. Buccaneers: Mike Glennon (5-11 in 2 seasons), Mike Kafka (4 appearances in 3 seasons) — Glennon is still officially the backup, though that could change any day.
9. Raiders: Matt Schaub (46-44 in 11 seasons, 2 Pro Bowls), Matt McGloin (1-5 in 2 seasons) — Schaub has a great resume, but hasn't played impressively for some time and was undone by a sore elbow in preseason.
10. Dolphins: Matt Moore (11-12 in 8 seasons) — Moore's had flashes in pros but only when stakes were down for bad teams.
11. Bills: EJ Manuel (6-8 in 2 seasons) — Presumably, first rounder will reclaim the starter's job at some point. But this time to marinate behind Kyle Orton, a seasoned No. 2 himself, should be a plus.
12. Redskins: Colt McCoy (6-15 in 5 seasons), Kirk Cousins (2-7 in 3 seasons) — McCoy gets his shot to grab second spot on depth chart and provides nice intangibles if subpar arm. Cousins may still rebound into future starter elsewhere.
13. Chargers: Kellen Clemens (8-13 in 9 seasons) — Like Philip Rivers, Clemens doesn't have a huge arm. But his moxie and mobility served Rams well last year.
14. Bengals: Jason Campbell (32-47 in 10 seasons) — He nearly took Oakland to postseason in 2011. AJ McCarron is an option once off non-football injury list.
15. Vikings: Christian Ponder (14-21-1 in 4 seasons) — He has never been consistent but has been an excellent game manager for stretches and is highly intelligent.
16. Steelers: Bruce Gradkowski (6-14 in 9 seasons), Landry Jones (0 appearances in 2 seasons) — Gradkowski's mobility and fire very much paint him as Little Ben.
17. Jaguars: Chad Henne (18-35 in 7 seasons) — Say what you want about his play, but he's been a class act for Jags in No. 1 and No. 2 spots.
18. Cowboys: Brandon Weeden (5-15 in 3 seasons), Dustin Vaughan (0 appearances in rookie season) — Weeden's powerful arm gets him into trouble. But he should be able to hand off effectively to DeMarco Murray.
19. Titans: Charlie Whitehurst (2-5 in 9 seasons), Zach Mettenberger (1 appearance in rookie season) — Better known as "Clipboard Jesus," Whitehurst getting a workout this season in relief of Jake Locker.
20. 49ers: Blaine Gabbert (5-22 in 4 seasons), Josh Johnson (0-5 in 6 seasons) — Lots of starting experience here, most of it terrible. Johnson cycles on and off roster.
21. Rams: Shaun Hill (13-14 in 13 seasons), Case Keenum (0-8 in 2 seasons) — Hill injured on opening day in lone start since 2010. Tank may be almost dry.
22. Lions: Dan Orlovsky (2-10 in 9 seasons), Kellen Moore (0 appearances in 3 seasons) — Orlovsky has started on some horrid teams, including 0-16 Lions in 2008.
23. Falcons: T.J. Yates (2-3 in 4 seasons), Sean Renfree (0 appearances in 2 seasons) — Yates hasn't played much lately but did win Texans' first playoff game in 2011.
24. Bears: Jimmy Clausen (1-9 in 5 seasons) — He hasn't started since train wreck 2010 rookie year but earned Marc Trestman's trust this summer.
25. Saints: Luke McCown (2-7 in 11 seasons) — Practice squad QB Ryan Griffin has had nice summer reviews, but Saints stick with McCown, who's started twice since 2007.
26. Chiefs: Chase Daniel (0-1 in 6 seasons), Aaron Murray (0 appearances in rookie season) — Daniel has learned much from Sean Payton and Andy Reid, theoretically anyway.
27. Broncos: Brock Osweiler (10 appearances in 3 seasons) — He's has earned kudos from Peyton Manning and apprenticed with help of quite a supporting cast.
28. Giants: Ryan Nassib (2 appearances in 2 seasons) — Considering Giants don't have a Plan C beyond Nassib (they don't carry an arm on the practice squad), they obviously have a fair amount of faith in him.
29. Patriots: Jimmy Garoppolo (2 appearances in rookie season) — Possibly the heir to Tom Brady, Garoppolo did enough to make Ryan Mallett expendable in preseason. Like Giants, Pats operate without practice squad help.
30. Texans: Ryan Mallett (5 appearances in 4 seasons), Tom Savage (0 appearances in rookie season) — Unknown commodities who might get known in the coming weeks.
31. Browns: Johnny Manziel (2 appearances in rookie season) — Everyone wants to see Johnny Football play, but Brian Hoyer is keeping him under wraps so hard to assess what he brings to table at NFL level right now.
32. Ravens: Tyrod Taylor (14 appearances in 4 seasons) — Taylor's opportunities have been scant. His style is rather dissimilar to Joe Flacco's, so it's worth wondering how offense would adjust.
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