Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Jalen Hurts. However, with all the names getting multi-million dollar contracts this year, we rarely talk about their replacements. The reality is that when a starter gets injured, we only look at backup quarterbacks. Many fans didn’t even know who he was until he came on because of an injury.
Still, if we look at the official backup list for 2023, we find some very strange stories. Starting with Zach Wilson, who went from backup to starter in less than a week. No one expected Aaron Rodgers to end his season with the Jets in just four games and miss the entire season. Wilson, the No. 2 pick in the 2021 class, has had two forgettable seasons with the Jets, including 2022, and New York already has a pretty competitive unit on offense. Well at least it looks like 2023 will give Wilson a new chance, well they say third time is the charm and yes the Jets need a new backup now as Wilson is the only four point guard on the roster guard.
Did you know Andy Dalton was Carolina’s backup? Yes, the veteran was Bryce Young’s replacement on the Panthers, and we can criticize Dalton for a lot of things, but never for his lack of experience. In nine years in Cincinnati, he won two division titles and for a long time we thought of him as the face of the Bengals. What you may not remember is that Dalton ran the Cowboys offense after Dak Prescott was seriously injured in 2020, and while he performed well at times, the reality is that his performance reaffirmed the Cowboys’ need for regular Ray Scott’s reasons.
Yes, it’s a shame that the bench also proves why a team needs a starter back, even if there are times when we fall in love with his personality. A good example is Gardner Minshew, who is now a backup with the Indianapolis Colts but whose image is iconic in the NFL. Minshew is off to an incredible start with the Jaguars following Nick Foles’ injury in 2019. Through his first three games, his completion percentage was the highest of any quarterback in the league during that span. Despite earning the starting job, he wasn’t exactly what Jacksonville needed, and we’ve seen him in Philadelphia since then, now as the backup to rookie Anthony Richardson.