NFL 100: Quarterback index ahead of week six

The backups

Teddy Bridgewater

This final group consists of players, who started their year as backups and mostly are poised to stay in that role going forward. One guy, in particular, has been under the worst circumstances you can imagine through his first two years in the league, while another is benefitting from the situation he is in to make people believe he should be a starter.

#28 Teddy Bridgewater

The second guy I was talking about is Teddy Bridgewater. He had an excellent game against the Bucs, who have now given up 30+ points in three straight games. However, before that he was not asked to throw the ball past ten yards at all. You can read my full analysis on this in one of my latest articles, but he was limited to handing the ball off, throwing screen passes and taking advantage of excellent field position up until that point. With a great team like the Saints, Teddy can win some games, but I don’t think you want the game in his hands in the long run.

#29 Josh Rosen

Josh Rosen, on the other hand, has had tremendously bad luck through his first one-and-a-half years in the league. He was thrown behind the worst O-line in the NFL with some of the worst skill talent out there and still battled through it. Then when the Cardinals decided to trade him once they selected Kyler Murray first overall, he arrived at South Beach to a team with no intention of winning and that got blown out 59-10 by the Ravens in the season-opener. I truly believe that he could be a .500 quarterback at least on an average team, but his career is at a very dark point.

#30 Chase Daniel

Talking about a guy in his second year, at number 30 is an eleven-year veteran who has thrown for about half as many yards as Rosen throughout his entire career. Chase Daniel has been a backup since he became a pro for five different teams and while teammates have always spoken highly of him, there is a reason he has not gotten a chance to take over a team. There is nothing special about him physically and while he can steady the ship for a while, he can not start if he begins to turn the ball over. The Bears offense might not be great, but they have to score to some degree no matter how great their defense is.

#31 Colt McCoy

Second-to-last is another career backup in Colt McCoy. After showing some promise in Cleveland early on, he had a quick stint in San Francisco before joining Jay Gruden in Washington for the last six years. He has some escapability and seems to be very well-liked as a backup, but he is more of a third-string guy, who can be thrown out there in emergencies. With Gruden now fired, I doubt McCoy will stick around for much longer – unless Dan Snyder has learned to like him as well.

#32 Mason Rudolph

I don’t want to keep harping on a guy, who we just saw lay on the turf unconscious for minutes because I do wish him all the best and hope he will be back healthy soon. However, I think Mason Rudolph hasn’t done anything to make me put him any higher. Until that Ravens game, his yardage almost exclusively came on touch sweeps and screen passes. The Steelers know he can’t make big plays in the passing consistently – at least yet – and that’s why they have tried to get the ball out of his hands quickly.