QB Room Rankings: Breaking Down All 32 teams to rank their QB Room

By: NFLHeads2020

1. Buffalo Bills

Josh Allen, Mitch Trubisky, Jake Fromm, Davis Webb

Immediately when we get into this list there will probably be controversy, so let me explain. Not only does a quarterback room rely on the starter, it relies on the backups behind him, which will make some of these ratings make more sense. Josh Allen keeps improving every year, and having Mitch Trubisky as a backup is definitely not the worst option at backup by any stretch, especially since some teams would have probably brought him in for a QB competition. Jake Fromm could be a promising young player, and if Davis Webb is buried at fourth, they are definitely safe.

2. Houston Texans

Deshaun Watson, Tyrod Taylor, Ryan Finley

Now I get that there is massive controversy surrounding Deshaun Watson at the moment, but there is no denying the fact that he is one of the true elite quarterbacks of the NFL. I also find Tyrod Taylor to be one of the best backup quarterbacks in the league, and Ryan Finley as the third option is not awful.

3. Cleveland Browns

Baker Mayfield, Case Keenum, Kyle Lauletta

The key to football is trusting your eyes, and in Mayfield’s rookie year I saw more than enough to believe that he can be the future long term option. Even with that being said, Case Keenum is in the same category with Tyrod as being one of the best backups in the NFL. I cannot emphasize how important backup QB’s are, backups are there for the five week span of a quarterback being injured. They need to be able to hold down the fort if they need to potentially keep playoff hopes alive.

4. Kansas City Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes II, Chad Henne, Anthony Gordon, Jordan Ta’amu

If Mahomes was not the best quarterback on planet Earth, the Chiefs would be way down on this list. Chad Henne is an abhorrent backup quarterback option, and Anthony Gordon and Jordan Ta’amu were working at Walmart a week before they got signed.

5. Cincinnati Bengals

Joe Burrow, Brandon Allen, Kyle Shurmur

Does this seem high for the Bengals? Maybe. What I am taking into account is that I find Brandon Allen to be a quarterback that can rise to the Case Keenum or Tyrod Taylor level, I really believe in this guy as one of the premier backups in the NFL.

6. Dallas Cowboys

Dak Prescott, Garrett GIlbert, Ben DiNucci, Cooper Rush

Dak Prescott is now officially an injury risk, and while I do like Garrett Gilbert’s 2020 tape, the other long years of his career also have to be looked at. If he craps out, Ben DiNucci and Cooper Rush are going to be absolutely terrible and lose the Cowboys their season.

7. Arizona Cardinals

Kyler Murray, Chris Streveler, Cole McDonald

While Kyler Murray may not be a huge injury risk, he is still unproven to a certain degree. To put it another way, no matter how well a young quarterback has played or how durable he has been, it is crucial to have a good backup behind him, just in case. Streveler does have actual playing experience in the CFL, but the CFL is not the NFL.

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tom Brady

The reverse logic applies to the Bucs, Tom Brady has proved his durability and (obviously) skill in his career, so there is no need to have an elite backup behind him. At the same time, it is wise to have A backup.

9. Green Bay Packers

Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love

Aaron Rodgers may be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but durability is a legitimate concern with him. I could not be less excited about Rodgers’s backup, Jordan Love. When I looked at tape of all of the 2020 rookie quarterbacks last year, I had Love ranked below all other first round quarterbacks, and below Colts’ backup Jacob Eason.

10. Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson, Trace McSorley, Tyler Huntley

As we all know Lamar is prone to needing the potty during games, so a capable backup is definitely needed. Is Trace McSorley that guy? No, he isn’t, and neither is Huntley.

11. Las Vegas Raiders

Derek Carr, Marcus Mariota, Nathan Peterman, Kyle Sloter

I had the hardest time ranking the Raiders because based on what people think of Carr I think this QB room could go anywhere from about rank 8-25 on this list. My view of Carr is that he is above the level of a backup, but he is not going to be the reason that a team excels to the playoffs, or to a Super Bowl. Depth behind him is good with Mariota, and awful with Peterman. Since Carr is a worthy starter, I think this is a fair judgement for the Raiders.

12. Los Angeles Rams

Matthew Stafford, John Wolford, Bryce Perkins

The Stafford-Goff deal is going to be seen as one of the worst trades in NFL history, and my prediction is that either due to injury or due to bad play a backup quarterback will become necessary. Ladies and gentleman, say hello to John Wolford, who thumbed his nose at my backup QB rankings during week 17 and during the playoffs. Wolford is a good contingency plan for when the Stafford plan fails.

13. Los Angeles Chargers

Justin Herbert, Easton Stick

Remember in my earlier Kyler Murray piece when I mentioned that a backup quarterback is vital for a young quarterback? Same logic here, do not trust your backup to an unproven player like Easton Stick.

14. Tennessee Titans

Ryan Tannehill, Logan Woodside, DeShone Kizer

I really really love Ryan Tannehill, I love him a lot. That being said, Tannehill has injury concerns, but good thing that the Titans future is secured with Logan Woodside. I know sarcasm is not applicable in written format, but please let it be heard that I do not believe Logan Woodside is one of the 28 best backups in the NFL (keeping in mind that three teams currently do not have backup quarterbacks).

15. New Orleans Saints

Jameis Winston, Taysom Hill, Trevor Siemian

The Saints not having a definitive starter really hurts them, especially because I do not believe that Winston or Hill is up to the challenge of being the future in New Orleans. That being said, depth is not an issue, even if starter skill is.

16. Pittsburgh Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger, Mason Rudolph, Dwayne Haskins

Big Ben’s resigning was one of my least favorite free agency moves, followed closely by the signing of Dwayne Haskins. I can easily say that I have very little faith in all three quarterbacks to do anything remarkable in 2020, but at least they have all played snaps and have some experience.

17. Seattle Seahawks

Russell WIlson, Alex McGough, Danny Etling

I have major concerns about Russell Wilson. Normally when a quarterback comes off of a bad stretch of play, it ends up being no big deal because the team knows he will be back to normal by the beginning of the next season. The trade rumors surrounding Wilson really have me worried that he is going to fall off hard, and Alex McGough and Danny Etling are terrible backup options.

18. Carolina Panthers

Teddy Bridgewater, P.J. Walker, Will Grier

Bridgewater is a perfect staple quarterback, and P.J. Walker is your average backup quarterback. Unfortunately, there is no engine that is driving this team to double digit wins and a playoff berth, even if there is good depth.

19. Atlanta Falcons

Matt Ryan

Matt Ryan is starting to lose the faith of his fans and his coaches, and there is absolutely nobody to back him up.

20. San Francisco 49ers

Jimmy Garoppolo, Josh Rosen, Josh Johnson

Out of pure popular opinion I stuck the Niners with the 20th spot, but I believe they have the potential to far surpass that. Rosen has the potential to be a starter, and I love that he is the backup behind Garoppolo instead of Nick Mullens or C.J. Beathard.

21. New York Giants

Daniel Jones, Mike Glennon, Clayton Thorson

Daniel Jones is due for a massive season, but it has to be mentioned that it is also perfectly possible that he will not deliver at all. Glennon is a great backup quarterback, but I do not think he is on the same echelon as Tyrod or Case Keenum, which is what the Giants really need.

22. Indianapolis Colts

Carson Wentz, Jacob Eason, Jalen Morton

Anybody who is familiar with my work knows that I am probably one of the biggest Jacob Eason fans on the planet, but I am not saying that in the likely event that Wentz craps out or gets injured Eason can step in and be a quality starter.

23. Miami Dolphins

Tua Tagovailoa, Jacoby Brissett, Reid Sinnett

I do not see a huge talent divide between Tua and Brissett right now, and if it stays that way then the Dolphins are in trouble. However, if Tua improves (which I believe he will) then the Dolphins are definitely going to move up this list.

24. Detroit Lions

Jared Goff, David Blough, Tim Boyle

Like I said with the Rams, the Goff-Stafford trade is going to erupt in the faces of both teams. We all know what David Blough can bring to the table, and anybody hyping up Tim Boyle needs to not be tweeting their opinions about football to the general public.

25. Chicago Bears

Andy Dalton, Nick Foles

Get excited Bears fans, the quarterback room consists of two backups that are exactly the same!

26. Minnesota Vikings

Kirk Cousins, Jake Browning, Nate Stanley

The Vikings backups are almost as bad as the Titans. If this is the case, why are the VIkings so much lower on this list? The answer to this is that Kirk Cousins was one of the most disgusting, abhorrent quarterbacks in the NFL in 2020, and if he gets even worse the Vikings are going to struggle without a number two option.

27. Philadelphia Eagles

Jalen Hurts

The Eagles are in big big trouble if there is nobody to back him up. As much as I like him, he played two games and was OK at best.

28. Washington Football Team

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Taylor Heinicke, Kyle Allen, Steven Montez

Washington is an even worse version of the Chicago Bears. Fitz, Heinicke, and Allen are all good backup quarterbacks, but they are all backups. Washington is not going to win big games by having great depth, but no star talent.

29. Denver Broncos

Drew Lock, Brett Rypien, Jeff Driskel

The general consensus of NFL fans is that we are all pretty collectively down on Drew Lock, which is completely fine because he was pretty awful in 2020. Speaking of completely awful, Brett Rypien and Jeff Driskel were on a never ending carousel when Lock was injured because the Broncos were scrambling to find the less awful option.

30. Jacksonville Jaguars

Gardner Minshew II, Jake Luton

The Jags are definitely in contention for worst team on this list, but Minshew is at least a quality backup, which at this point is more than can be said for the two starting quarterbacks that are featured below.

31. New England Patriots

Cam Newton, Jarrett Stidham, Jake Dolegala

Pop quiz kids- what was the worst signing of free agency? That’s right, overpaying for another year of Cam Newton, one of the most God awful quarterbacks of the 2020 season. While they’re at it, why not just leave the backup situation as the train wreck that it is? Why not?

32. New York Jets

Sam Darnold, James Morgan, Mike White

To everyone in New York, Sam Darnold is not a bad quarterback, but the irresistible force of terrible coaching has made it impossible for Sam Darnold’s career to grow and develop, and I suspect the exact same thing is about to happen to either Justin Fields or Zach Wilson.