5 NFL backup QBs who could start if traded
Some NFL quarterback rooms go so deep that there are guys who, instead of being backup quarterbacks, could start on other teams. Sometimes, the competition under center is tight, and a starter-level player finds himself riding the pine, waiting patiently for a chance to be back on the field. However, there are also instances where one team's backup quarterback could be another team's starter.
5 NFL backup QBs who could start if traded
#1 - Gardner Minshew, Philadelphia Eagles
Gardner Minshew sure looked like a starter when he stepped in for the injured Jalen Hurts and went for 20-of-25 through the air for 242 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions against the New York Jets during Week 13 of the 2021 NFL season.
Though his 8-14 record as a starter doesn't look astounding on paper, his completion percentage has always been above 60%, and he's always gone for, at least, three times as many TDs as INTs.
ESPN Insider Mike Tannenbaum sees two specific destinations for Minshew in 2022:
"The way I look at it, in Seattle or Carolina, I think he would be the best player [at quarterback]. I think he would go there and start."
Minshew showed a glimmer of a starter-level gunslinger against the New York Jets last season. He deserves the chance to show he can defeat superior competition as well.
#2 - Tyrod Taylor, New York Giants
Tyrod Taylor signed on the dotted line for Joe Schoen's new New York Giants regime, earning $17 million to be the backup for Daniel Jones for Big Blue.
Taylor has had a rough stretch of luck the past few years. He's been unable to hold down a starting job for a variety of circumstances. Injuries ended his time at the top of the depth chart in 2018 and 2020. Baker Mayfield and Justin Herbert each took the QB1 role for good, following Taylor's luck running out in the same fashion two years apart from each other.
Perhaps, Taylor could finally get a chance in New York, if Daniel Jones has unfortunate luck on the field or in the injury department. The latter has been a reoccurring issue for the 2019 No. 6 overall pick during his three-year career.
Certain teams could definitely use a guy like Taylor. Carolina could make a lot of sense if they still don't have an answer by the trade deadline and Jones does end up figuring it out.
#3 - Nick Foles, Chicago Bears
Nick Foles is most certainly on his way out of the Windy City after the Bears front office found what they believe is a better fitting backup to Justin Fields.
Trevor Siemian's arrival likely spells the end of Foles' time in Chicago, which never took off. Here's what Bears GM Ryan Poles had to say about a possible Foles trade:
"We'll see. Nothing has popped up right now. But we're working on it. Hopefully, something pops up."
Foles was once a Super Bowl hero, and despite things not working out in Jacksonville and Chicago, he could be due for one last crack at a starting job in 2022 in the right situation.
#4 - Case Keenum, Buffalo Bills
Case Keenum will always be someone worth considering for a starting job if there's no clear-cut option under center due to his 2017 run with the Minnesota Vikings -- replacing Sam Bradford and leading Minnesota to a 12-3 record -- and his college football greatness during his five-year career at Houston.
Keenum owns the NCAA passing records for both total yards and touchdowns, and was a First-Team All-American in 2009 as a Cougar. He was also a Conference USA MVP twice.
In the NFL, he's been mostly a journeyman outside of the one glorious season in 2017. But there's been enough glimpses of brilliance to continue offering Keenum chances to rekindle that glory.
#5 - Mike White, New York Jets
Mike White was waived from an active roster quite a number of times before he finally made his NFL debut in 2021.
The Dallas Cowboys cut White just once after he failed to compete in the 2019 preseason QB battle, but the New York Jets cut him a total of four times before he finally got onto the field against the New England Patriots in Week 7 of the 2021 NFL season.
His first start against the Cincinnati Bengals was historic, particularly in the way Jets.com writer Ethan Greenberg framed it:
"His first NFL start came in Week 7 in a win over the Bengals when he threw for 405 yards and 3 TDs while completing 82.2% of his passes (37 of 45), earning him AFC Offensive Player of the Week. He was the second quarterback in NFL history with, at least, 400 passing yards in his first start joining Cam Newton in 2011."
The rest of his rookie season was a struggle, so maybe he is another Matt Flynn reincarnated. That said, there's proof White could lead an offense. Spectacularly, at that.