Packers insider predicts how the backup QB battle will play out

The Green Bay Packers are entering Year 2 of the Jordan Love era. While it's great that Love looks the part of a franchise quarterback, the Packers find themselves in a new situation where the confidence level in the backup quarterback is quite low.

As Packers fans are well aware by now, the backup quarterback situation in Green Bay would not be described as a good one. Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt are battling it out for the right to back up Love and neither one has emerged as a viable candidate.

Clifford, a fifth-round pick in last year's draft, has thrown for 154 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception during his two preseason games to this point. Pratt, a seventh-round pick out of Tulane in this year's draft, hasn't been much better, throwing for just 98 yards in two games.

The backup quarterback situation is so bad that Matt Schneidman of The Athletic was asked about it during his weekly mailbag. Schneidman was asked if the Packers should stick with the options they have now or find someone not currently on the roster.

His response was that if the Packers wanted to bring in a free agent, the two "best" options are Ryan Tannehill and Blaine Gabbert and neither of those options appealed to him. He said if the Packers continue to be concerned with the state of their backup quarterback options after the preseason finale, perhaps the team will turn to the waiver wires to find a better candidate. Schneidman finishes by saying that if he had to guess who'd win the job, he'd go with Clifford.

The Packers have a backup quarterback problem

The good news is that Love has emerged as one of the most exciting quarterbacks in the league after how he finished the 2023 season. Fortunately, the quarterback drama in Green Bay is centered around the guy behind Love and not Love himself.

That being said, backup quarterbacks are important and a good one can help keep a team's season afloat if the starter does have to miss time. Take Jake Browning with the Bengals last year as an example. The Bengals lost Joe Burrow midway through the season but Browning played well enough to keep them afloat in the playoff hunt. They might not have made the playoffs but they still finished with a winning record despite losing Burrow for half the year.

If Love were to miss an extended period of time, fans aren't going to feel confident about Clifford or Pratt stepping in to lead the charge. Let's hope we don't have to worry about that happening.

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