NFL News & Notes: Focus On Backup Quarterbacks
During a recent NFL preseason game, an aggressive Washington Commanders defense tackled scrambling Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow a couple of times in the first quarter. One of these led to a horse collar penalty against the Commanders.
Burrow was uninjured during the three series he played, but Bengals fans probably weren’t happy he was on the field deep into the first quarter of an August game that doesn’t count.
As for the Commanders, their star quarterback, second-year standout Jayden Daniels, played one series in the game against the Bengals, scoring a 14-yard rushing touchdown before being pulled rather than risk injury. Burrow and Daniels, two Heisman winners from LSU, are considered vital in their NFL teams’ chances of have a shot at the Super Bowl this season.
The preseason game between the Bengals and Commanders was a reminder of the importance of keeping top quarterbacks as injury-free as possible. As the GDC Group’s empirestakes.com reported a few years ago, only about half of the league’s quarterbacks can be expected to go a complete season without missing a game due to injury.
This season, quarterbacks like the Rams’ Matthew Stafford, suffering from back problems, has highlighted the importance of having a strong backup or two in place on a game-to-game basis. This summer, the Rams expressed confidence in veteran Jimmy Garoppolo, pictured, being ready if Stafford is sidelined.
In New York, the expected starter, veteran Russell Wilson, is backed up by 2025 first-round pick Jaxson Dart, a rookie from Ole Miss, in addition to Jameis Winston and Tommy "Cutlets" DeVito.
With the 2025-26 regular season kicking off on Sept. 4, fans, bettors and fantasy team owners are paying attention to which teams have good backup QBs. As legendary bettor Billy Walters has noted, a team’s quarterback factors heavily into wagering decisions.
In recent days, Boston-based DraftKings has released its ranking of the Top 10 backup quarterbacks. They are:
- Kick Cousins Atlanta Falcons
- Jimmy Garoppolo Los Angeles Rams
- Jake Browning Cincinnati Bengals
- Mac Jones San Francisco 49ers
- Marcus Mariota Washington Commanders
- Andy Dalton Carolina Panthers
- Jacoby Brissett Arizona Cardinals
- Sam Howell Minnesota Vikings
- Aidan O’Connell Las Vegas Raiders
- Cooper Rush Baltimore Ravens
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