Cheat Sheet to Every NFL Team's Backup QBs for 2024 Season After Roster Cuts

Last year, several NFL teams turned to backup quarterbacks and even third-stringers during the regular season. The No. 2 signal-caller isn't just a clipboard holder. He must be ready to play at a moment's notice.

As all 32 teams made roster moves before Tuesday's cutdown deadline, one potential playoff-contending club acquired a backup quarterback, which underscored the importance of the position.

With the initial 53-man rosters set, we went through the depth charts and categorized backup quarterbacks into six tiers.

These tiers are mostly based on recent production and playing experience with an emphasis on projection for quarterbacks who have yet to play in the regular season.

32. Stetson Bennett, Los Angeles Rams

31. Clayton Tune, Arizona Cardinals

30. Kyle Trask, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

29. Malik Willis, Green Bay Packers

28. Tyson Bagent, Chicago Bears

27. Skylar Thompson, Miami Dolphins

Most of the quarterbacks in the lowest tier have had rough career starts with poor performances or, in one case, because of matters away from the field.

As a rookie last year, Bennett spent a lot of time away from the Los Angeles Rams while he tended to personal matters, which has likely slowed his development. In two preseason games this offseason, he threw two touchdown passes and five interceptions. Bennett needs more reps.

Tune and Trask have minimal regular-season experience. When the former made his lone start, he completed 12 out of 21 passes and threw two interceptions.

Willis, Bagent, and Thompson have intriguing physical tools and started in multiple games, but none played particularly well in their time under center. They all have thrown for more interceptions than touchdowns.

26. Josh Johnson, Baltimore Ravens

25. Jarrett Stidham, Denver Broncos

24. Taylor Heinicke, Los Angeles Chargers

23. Mitchell Trubisky, Buffalo Bills

22. Marcus Mariota, Washington Commanders

21. Cooper Rush, Dallas Cowboys

Because of passing inefficiencies or poor recent performances, you would rather see this group of signal-callers hand the ball off to ball-carriers than push it downfield through the air.

Johnson is a career backup with more interceptions (16) than touchdown passes (13). At 38, with those numbers, he could easily lose the primary backup job in Baltimore.

Stidham has below-average arm strength and is not fleet of foot. He has the same number (eight) of touchdown passes and interceptions and a 59.4 percent completion rate. Stidham isn't dynamic or efficient.

The Chargers acquired Heinicke from the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday. He's an upgrade over Easton Stick, who has far less regular-season experience.

Between 2021 and 2023, Heinicke started in 28 out of 30 games in stints with the Washington Commanders and Atlanta Falcons. He threw for 37 touchdowns and 25 interceptions in that stretch. He also threw for 306 yards, a touchdown and an interception in a 2020 Wild Card Round matchup.

In five contests (four starts) last season, Heinicke only completed 54.4 percent of his passes, which is why he's in Tier 5, but Greg Roman's run-heavy scheme won't require him to carry the offense with his arm.

Trubisky and Mariota have extensive playing experience, mostly as starters, but they have struggled over the previous two years. Last season, the Steelers benched Trubisky for third-stringer Mason Rudolph, who helped lead them to the playoffs. In 2022, Mariota lost his job to Desmond Ridder.

Rush lists at the top of Tier 5 because he helped lead the Cowboys to a 5-0 record in place of Dak Prescott during the 2022 campaign.

However, Rush is a low-end starter because of his modest numbers in those outings. He threw for five touchdowns and three interceptions in that stretch and completed less than 56 percent of his passes in two of those contests.

While Rush threw all three interceptions in one game, the Cowboys didn't ask much of him and leaned heavily on their ground attack, rushing for 134-plus yards in three of his 2022 starts.

20. Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints

19. Hendon Hooker, Detroit Lions

18. Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons

17. Drake Maye, New England Patriots

This is a small group of quarterbacks who haven't played in the regular season but flashed upside in the preseason.

Saints head coach Dennis Allen hasn't officially named the team's No. 2 quarterback, but Rattler turned heads in a couple of exhibition games. Ross Jackson of the Locked On Saints podcast believes Rattler is the obvious choice for the primary backup job (starts at 2:32).

If Rattler sees the field, he may exceed expectations for a rookie fifth-rounder. He enters the league with three-and-a-half years of starting experience on the collegiate level. If given the opportunity to play, Rattler could put himself in a position to be Derek Carr's successor.

After making a full recovery from a torn ACL, Hooker beat out Jake Fromm and Nate Sudfeld for the primary backup position. Between Weeks 2 and 3 of the preseason, he went 24 of 35 passing for 264 yards, a touchdown and an interception and ran for 104 yards and a touchdown.

Hooker isn't going to create a quarterback controversy with Jared Goff, who's playing his best football, though he will garner attention from other teams on the market for a young high-upside quarterback.

We only saw Penix in one preseason game. He completed nine out of 16 passes for 104 yards, showing pinpoint accuracy and good ball placement in limited action. The Falcons selected him with the eighth pick in this year's draft, indicating he could be their long-term starter.

Maye battled Jacoby Brissett for the Patriots' starting position this offseason. Head coach Jerod Mayo said the rookie is the team's "second-best quarterback" on the roster.

Nonetheless, Maye will likely start sooner rather than later. He played well in the exhibition games, though the Patriots may want to fix their issues along the offensive line before they toss him into the huddle.

16. Drew Lock, New York Giants

15. Davis Mills, Houston Texans

14. Nick Mullens, Minnesota Vikings

13. Mac Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars

12. Aidan O'Connell, Las Vegas Raiders

The quarterbacks in Tier 3 can command a huddle, but they will frustrate you with repeated errors or limitations beyond their control.

Lock can give the Giants a spark if Daniel Jones flops again, but since 2020, he's thrown for nearly the same number of touchdowns (21) and interceptions (20).

Mills and Mullens are similar in that they can go through stretches with a high turnover rate.

In his last year as a starter, Mills tied Dak Prescott for most interceptions (15) leaguewide. Last season, he threw for two touchdowns but completed just 46.2 percent of his passes.

In 2023, Mullens filled in for Kirk Cousins, starting in three games and finished the campaign with more interceptions (eight) than touchdown passes (seven).

Jones has a 2021 Pro Bowl year on his resume, but after a solid rookie campaign, his completion rate, average passing yards per game and touchdown pass rate have all trended in the wrong direction. He lacks the mobility to buy time against an aggressive pass rush, too.

O'Connell threw for 2,218 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions with a 62.1 percent completion rate in tough circumstances under an interim head coach (Antonio Pierce) and a first-time play-caller (Bo Hardegree).

This offseason, O'Connell failed to beat out Gardner Minshew in an open competition for the lead job. According to The Athletic's Vic Tafur, O'Connell's lack of mobility and inability to show improvement worked against him in the battle.

As a spot starter, O'Connell could be effective, but he's at the mercy of his pass protection, and he may already be close to his developmental ceiling in his second season.

11. Kenny Pickett, Philadelphia Eagles

10. Joshua Dobbs, San Francisco 49ers

9. Jake Browning, Cincinnati Bengals

8. Mason Rudolph, Tennessee Titans

7. Tyrod Taylor, New York Jets

With this tier group, you can trust them to start in short stretches but not for the long haul.

Pickett may have a low ceiling like Aidan O'Connell, who's in Tier 3, but he has the mobility to help him in the face of a relentless pass rush.

Last year, Dobbs filled in for Kyler Murray and Kirk Cousins with the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings, respectively. He's a reliable backup with mobility but has some inconsistencies with accuracy.

In four out of 12 starts last season, Dobbs completed less than 58 percent of his passes, and the Vikings benched him for the last four games of the campaign. Dobbs is serviceable in spurts, but he's prone to unravel as a season-long starter.

Starting in the last seven games of the 2023 term, Browning nearly led the Bengals to the playoffs, but he struggled in a couple of crucial games late in December.

Browning's experience may pay off for him if he gets another opportunity to start in meaningful games, though. In nine contests, he threw for 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions with a league-leading 70.4 percent completion rate. Browning may have a long career as a backup.

Rudolph is similar to Browning, but he helped lead the Steelers to the postseason last year. Remember that the former has far more league experience than the latter, which may have been a factor in those critical late-season games, one of those contests between the Bengals and Steelers.

In his 14-year career, Taylor has transitioned from backup to starter and back into a second-string role. He's a reliable fill-in starter who can manage an offense and extend plays with his legs, too.

Even though Taylor doesn't have a strong arm, he had one of his most efficient stretches last year, completing 64.4 percent of his passes in 11 games (five starts).

6. Joe Flacco, Indianapolis Colts

5. Andy Dalton, Carolina Panthers

4. Jameis Winston, Cleveland Browns

3. Carson Wentz, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Sam Howell, Seattle Seahawks

1. Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers

The quarterbacks in Tier 1 could be serviceable starters for a full season. You can trust them to run an offense efficiently or make big plays to provide a much-needed spark.

Flacco and Dalton are 39 and 36, respectively. Yet, based on recent production and impact on their previous teams, they're two high-end backups with a wealth of experience.

Last year, Flacco helped lead the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs, throwing for 1,616 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions in five starts. Though he had a 60.3 percent completion rate, the savvy veteran threw for 309-plus yards in four of those outings.

In 2022, Dalton took over the starting role for the New Orleans Saints in Week 4. He threw for 2,871 yards, 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions with a 66.7 percent completion rate.

At this point in his career, Winston is more known for humorous soundbites, though he's still a high-end backup.

Between 2021 and 2022, with the Saints, Winston threw for 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 10 starts. New Orleans went 6-4 with him as a starter.

Winston has a big arm that can open up the deep passing attack, which would bode well for the receivers if Deshaun Watson continues to struggle in Cleveland. As a pocket passer, Flacco aired it out in place of Watson last year. Winston can do the same, and he's much younger at 30 years old.

Wentz is on his fifth team in five years. General managers no longer see him as a long-term starter, but he still has a big arm and the mobility to spark the passing game. With more than twice as many touchdown passes (153) than interceptions (67), he could lead an offense for a full season.

Last season, Howell started for all 17 games for the Washington Commanders and looked the part of a starter with 17 touchdown passes and nine interceptions through Week 10.

In the last seven games of the term, Howell threw for four touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Yes, he made head-scratching decisions, but former Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy ran a pass-heavy offense that ranked last in rush attempts.

With a few solid starts in a balanced offense, Howell could work his way into a lead role in Seattle or elsewhere.

Fields started in 38 out of 40 games with the Chicago Bears before they moved on from him in favor of Caleb Williams. He's one of the league's best quarterbacks on foot, rushing for 2,220 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Even though Russell Wilson seems primed to start in Week 1, the Steelers may have an ongoing quarterback controversy. According to The MMQB's Albert Breer, Fields "has real support" in Pittsburgh.

Fields has a career 60.3 percent completion rate, but whether it's in Pittsburgh or elsewhere, he'll start for a team that believes his best playing days are ahead of him.

Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.