13 backup quarterbacks who are better than the NFL's worst starter

Last year, I wrote this article about backup quarterbacks who were better than the NFL's worst starter, and it got...unwieldy. I was really, really low on Spencer Rattler and came up with 18 players who were worse than him. This year, I promised I'd be a bit more discerning. The battle for who the worst starting quarterback is feels a little higher-tier than it did last year, and the guy I ultimately landed on, Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, might be bad, but he's not as bad as the football world perceived Rattler to be at this time a year ago. (To be fair to Rattler, he definitely wound up playing above expectations, to the point where you might find his name below.)

So, how many backups are better than Watson? Well...that number is fluid since we still don't know what's going on with the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback battle. Here are 13 current backups so are better than him, and the loser of that Falcons battle would theoretically be No. 14.

Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland Browns

Yeah, let's just get this out of the way immediately. The Browns picked the wrong guy. I'm not a Shedeur Sanders truther or anything, but he showed enough in 2025 to have earned the right to start in 2026 on a team that's going nowhere regardless of who is under center.

I mean, just compare their preseason stats. Watson completed 59.3 percent of his pass attempts while Sanders was at 68.2 percent. Yes, Sanders threw two interceptions while Watson threw just one, but that alone shouldn't be the deciding factor here. Sanders should have been ahead of Watson entering camp, and nothing about the preseason should have changed that. Bad decision-making from this coaching staff.

Tyler Huntley, Baltimore Ravens

Tyler Huntley is one of the league's most underrated backups. Last season, he was pressed into starting for the Baltimore Ravens twice, winning both games and posting an absurd 77.6 percent completion rate.

Huntley has now started 16 games in his career, essentially giving us a full season of production if we combined these last five years of starts. In that span, he's only thrown 13 touchdowns, though he's added five more in the run game. He might not be an elite option, but his dual-threat ability and his 2025 improvements make him a better option than Watson.

Joe Flacco, Cincinnati Bengals

You know, this one is...borderline, but I'm still leaning in the direction of Joe Flacco when it comes down to it, though he is coming off a poor season, going 2-8 as a starter between the Browns and Bengals. His Browns stint was especially worrisome, as Flacco completed 58.1 percent of his passes with two touchdowns and six interceptions.

But he sneaks ahead of Watson in the "who is better" race off the strength of the second half of his season with Cincinnati. He wasn't winning games, but he threw 13 touchdowns with the team while also cutting down on his interceptions. He might not have been able to get the Bengals over the hump when it came to winning football games, but he played well enough that the Browns would have been happy if they'd gotten that version of him.

Davis Mills, Houston Texans

Alright, this one is probably borderline, but I just think it's funny to say that Davis Mills is better than Deshaun Watson, considering their history with the Houston Texans.

Talent-wise, Watson has the edge, but last season, Mills showed that he could game-manage a team in a way that I am almost positive Watson couldn't do at this point in his NFL career. Mills may have only completed 57.2 percent of his pass attempts, but he went 3-0 as a starter for the Texans. The last time Watson started and won three games in a season was in 2023. (Mills also should have come in to replace C.J. Stroud in Houston's playoff loss to the Patriots. I don't think he's better than Stroud, in a vacuum, but I do think he could have helped in a game where Stroud had dug himself into such a massive hole.)

Justin Fields, Kansas City Chiefs

Justin Fields has had a strange NFL career since being selected No. 11 overall by the Bears in 2021. The big knock on him early on was his accuracy, as he completed under 60 percent of his passes and threw more interceptions than touchdowns. In hi second year as a starter, he took advantage of his speed and rushed for over 1,000 yards.

Fields will likely always have some concerns with accuracy and turnovers, but if used right, he can be an interesting weapon, which is significantly more than you can say of Watson. Andy Reid will likely find ways to get him on the field in 2026, even with Patrick Mahomes healthy.

(This is where I bring in a digression: Taylen Green reminds me a bit of Fields in that the physical traits are there but he needs to refine some things. I don't think Green is as good as Watson — hence not mentioning him under an H2 header in this article — but I do think there's an argument that the Browns should have just started him this year and fully embraced the tank.)

Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas Raiders

Fernando Mendoza was selected No. 1 overall in this year's NFL Draft. Deshaun Watson would not be selected No. 1 overall if he'd been in this year's NFL Draft.

(Alright, that's definitely a reductive way of thinking about this. The real reason I have Mendoza ahead of Watson is simply that Mendoza is better than Watson. The only reason he isn't starting over Kirk Cousins — another quarterback who is better than Watson — is that the Raiders don't want to throw him into the frying pan immediately. During the preseason, Mendoza had ups and downs like any young quarterback has, but the ups were above the level of play that Watson brings, and with reps, Mendoza will be able to get some of those downs out of his game.)

Jameis Winston, New York Giants

2025 was a rough season for Jameis Winston, who completed just 56.1 percent of his passes in his two starts with the New York Giants. It was just another point in the long, strange march that's been his NFL career.

But compare Winston's 2024 numbers to Watson's which, it should be noted, came before Watson had a ruptured Achilles (and then a re-ruptured Achilles):

Watson was marginally more accurate, but threw touchdowns at almost half the rate Winston did. The only real issue for Winston was how often he was throwing interceptions. You could reasonably say 2024 Watson was just a bit better than 2024 Winston, but with Watson coming off this major injury, Winston pulls just a bit ahead.

Marcus Mariota, Washington Commanders

Marcus Mariota never lived up to expectations as the No. 2 overall pick, but he's carved out a solid role as a journeyman backup quarterback. Last season, the Washington Commanders were forced to start him eight times with Jayden Daniels hurt, and while the results weren't ideal — the team went 2-6 with Mariota under center — the Commanders are still probably happy to have Mariota in that role.

The Browns would be lucky to have him as well. Mariota would be the worst starting quarterback in the league if the Browns had him, but he'd be a slight step ahead of Watson because you can trust him in a game-manager mode more. Neither quarterback would end up winning many games, though.

Tyson Bagent, Chicago Bears

I'll be real here: I don't know if I fully "get" the Tyson Bagent thing. As a rookie, he played fine for the Chicago Bears, completing 65.7 percent of his passes with three touchdowns, though he did have a bit of a turnover problem, tossing six interceptions. Since then, though, he has thrown a total of six regular-season passes.

But the Bears front office seems very, very high on Bagent, and I trust that front office much more than I trust the Browns front office. Also, Bagent did play really well this preseason, completing 74.4 percent of his pass attempts with a team-high three touchdowns, so even if he has no real regular-season track record over the past two seasons, he's still shown some solid things when he's gotten exhibition opportunities.

Carson Wentz, Minnesota Vikings

First off, congrats to Carson Wentz, who will be on the same team for consecutive seasons for the first time since 2020. His journeyman journey around the NFL led him to the Minnesota Vikings last season, where he started five games.

Wentz was solid in those games, completing 65.1 percent of his passes and leading the team to a 2-3 record, which is solid when you consider he hadn't started multiple games in a season since 2022.

(Also, is J.J. McCarthy better than Watson? I want to say yes. I wish I could say yes. But after this preseason? Meh, I think if it came down to it, I'd rather start Watson. The fact that I'm saying that is a really bad sign for McCarthy's career.)

Kenny Pickett, Carolina Panthers

We don't have much data on Kenny Pickett since he busted with the Steelers, but he is 2-1 as a starter in the two seasons since, and he posted a solid 62.2 percent completion rate for the Raiders in 2025 before joining the Carolina Panthers this offseason.

His preseason numbers were really strong, as he completed 69.8 percent of his pass attempts and led Carolina with 339 passing yards. The former first-roun pick isn't an exciting player, but he's probably deserving of one more shot to compete for a starting job. Cleveland would have been a solid landing spot for him this offseason if the team didn't already have so many quarterbacks on the roster.

Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints

Ahh, here's Spencer Rattler. The guy I decided was the NFL's worst starter last season ended up playing decently, though his inability to win games combined with the fact that Tyler Shough started leading the New Orleans Saints to wins as soon as he took over does definitely seem like a mark against Rattler.

In the right spot, though, I think he'd be fine. Rattler is 1-13 as a starter in the NFL, but he also completed 67.7 percent of his pass attempts in 2025 while adding 18.6 rushing yards per game. There are NFL teams who should have aggressively tried to pry him out of New Orleans this offseason. Cleveland couldn't have been one based on roster construction, but it'd be better off if he was given a shot to quarterback the team in 2026.

Mac Jones, San Francisco 49ers

You can make a very strong argument after how he played for the San Francisco 49ers in 2025 that Mac Jones is the league's best backup quarterback at the moment. He was widely viewed as a trade candidate to a team that needed a quarterback this offseason, and there are a handful of teams — Cleveland included — who would start him without a second thought.

It's been a weird career for the former first-round pick, but his play in 2025 is evidence that he needs another chance to battle for a starting role. The 49ers made the playoffs because of Jones, who went 5-3 as the team's starting quarterback. He completed a career-best 69.6 percent of his passes and his 4.5 percent touchdown rate was also the best we've seen out of Jones

Some guys who just missed the cut

These are players who I stopped and thought "hmm, is he better than Watson," and I gave it some thought and ultimately decided the answer was "almost, but not quite."

Kyle Allen (Buffalo Bills), Kyle McCord (Miami Dolphins), Tommy DeVito (New England Patriots), Dillon Gabriel (Cleveland Browns), Mason Rudolph (Pittsburgh Steelers), Drew Allar (Pittsburgh Steelers), Mitchell Trubisky (Tennessee Titans), Sam Howell (Dallas Cowboys), Tanner McKee (Philadelphia Eagles), Ty Simpson (Los Angeles Rams) and Drew Lock (Seattle Seahawks).

The point of all this: the Browns have an awful quarterback situation, and a lot of guys would be better for them than what they currently have

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