The Green Bay Packers have a full 90-man roster (91 if you included Kenneth Odumegwu, who is on the roster as part of the NFL International Player Pathway Program). Whereas there were many questions regarding how well the roster would play last year, this season’s Packers team has entered offseason team activities (OTA’s) with far less uncertainties.
Jordan Love has established himself as the next franchise quarterback and the Packers’ young core of pass catchers are ready to take the next step in their second year of playing together. Additionally, the defense sounds like it will be revitalized under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
Indeed, there are very few holes on the roster (at least on paper). However, some NFL analysts do not think that what Green Bay has done at the backup quarterback position is good enough.
The Green Bay Packers Have 2 Inexperienced Players Competing to Be Jordan Love’s Backup Quarterback
When the Packers made the decision to trade Aaron Rodgers, they had Love ready to take over for him as the starting quarterback. However, Love had been Rodgers’ backup for the previous two seasons (he was on the practice squad as a rookie in 2020) and his promotion meant that the Packers needed a new backup.
As a result, Green Bay selected Sean Clifford from Penn State in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He went on to beat out former USFL MVP and now Packers wide receiver Alex McGough for the number two roll last season.
Prior to the 2024 NFL Draft, general manager Brian Gutekunst stated that he wanted the Packers to get back to being a team that drafts and develops late-round quarterbacks. True to his word, he selected Tulane’s Michael Pratt in the seventh round this year.
Now, Green Bay has Clifford and Pratt set to battle it out for the opportunity to be the team’s backup behind Love. Whoever does not win the competition will likely be signed to the Packers’ practice squad.
Some analysts, though, do not think having two inexperienced quarterbacks behind Love is such a good idea.
The Green Bay Packers Are Named the Most Logical Landing Spot for Former Pro Bowl Quarterback Ryan Tannehill
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In a recent article posted by Bleacher Report, NFL analyst Alex Ballentine suggests that former Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill would be a better option as Love’s backup than either of the two younger quarterbacks:
“The Packers, for instance, would be better off going to Tannehill in the event of a Jordan Love injury than hoping for the best with Sean Clifford (one career pass attempt) or rookie Michael Pratt.”
It is worth noting that Tannehill lost his starting job in Tennessee and, in eight starts last year, threw four touchdowns and seven interceptions.
The Green Bay Packers Will Not Sign a Veteran Backup Quarterback for Jordan Love
As mentioned, Gutekunst has stated that he wants the Packers to get back to being a team that drafts and develops quarterbacks even though they have their franchise starter. This is a practice that Green Bay had in the Brett Favre era especially when they drafted and developed NFL starters Matt Hasselbeck, Mark Brunell, and Aaron Brooks.
Furthermore, if the Packers were really worried about having a veteran as Love’s backup, they would have had one last year when there was more uncertainty surrounding Love and whether or not he would turn out to be a good NFL starter.
Finally, the Packers simply will not use the salary cap space for a veteran backup at this point. While they certainly can afford it, they are more likely to pour those financial resources into other players now, or wait until next year when they can roll their savings over.
