The NFL preseason offers players one last chance to show they belong on an NFL roster, but sometimes we get a different result, which is players showing why they actually don't belong on a roster.
The quarterbacks in this article did just that this preseason, playing poorly enough to either drop down the depth chart or potentially be heading for the waiver wire on roster cutdown day. These guys just couldn't muster up what they needed to muster to keep their spot on the depth chart.
Here are five quarterbacks whose preseason performances saw them drop down the depth chart. There could be a sixth here, which is whoever isn't named the Saints starting quarterback between Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough, but with that decision still up in the air, I'll hold off on including them. Suffice it to say, if the Saints had a veteran option, both guys would have landed here.
Anthony Richardson - Indianapolis Colts
We start with the obvious. The Colts had a quarterback battle between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones, and Daniel Jones won it.
Let's put this as simply as we can: a third-year quarterback who was drafted No. 4 overall should not lose a position battle to Daniel Jones.
But Richardson just failed to impress in the preseason. Even when he was solid against Green Bay — going 6-for-11 for 73 yards in limited action — it didn't matter, because Jones was better in that game.
To make matters worse, Jones and Richardson were both held out of the preseason finale. Riley Leonard got the start and threw for 189 yards and a touchdown. Is there a chance that the Colts might wind up preferring Leonard long-term over Richardson?
Bailey Zappe - Kansas City Chiefs
Bailey Zappe was probably never beating out Gardner Minshew for the Chiefs backup job, but any hopes he might do that evaporated in the preseason, and now if the Chiefs keep a third quarterback, it might not even be Zappe.
Chris Oladokun just offers more upside if KC wants a third guy on the roster. Zappe finished the team's third preseason game with the lowest passing yard total on the team, going 4-for-6 for 25 yards.
The most damning issue wasn't even the performance, though. It was the simple fact that in the 29-27 loss to the Bears, Oladokun was the No. 3 quarterback and Zappe was No. 4. Oladokun did lose a fumble in the game, but Zappe didn't do enough once he entered to pass him back on the depth chart.
Sean Clifford - Green Bay Packers
At this point, it'd be a shock if Sean Clifford's time in Green Bay wasn't over.
Needing a good showing to hold off Taylor Elgersma against the Seahawks in the team's final preseason game, Clifford instead was 6-for-9 for just 19 yards. Elgersma and Malik Willis both threw touchdowns
The Packers gave both players in the No. 3 quarterback battle a chance in the win, with the two alternating series after Willis left the game. Neither was super impressive, but with the third quarterback role in Green Bay likely to be on the practice squad rather than the active roster, holding on to Elgersma's upside simply makes more sense.
Shedeur Sanders - Cleveland Browns
I guess Shedeur Sanders didn't drop down the depth chart. He started the preseason as Cleveland's QB4 and ended it as Cleveland's QB4. There were hopes, though, that Sanders could be more than that, but those hopes were dashed in the team's final preseason game.
Sanders looked pretty good early in the preseason, but the production faded. He threw for 138 yards and two touchdowns in an impressive showing against the Panthers, but missed the second preseason game with an oblique injury.
The quarterback we saw once he returned for the third preseason game looked nothing like the guy we saw in the opener. While Dillon Gabriel shone in extended action, going 12-for-19 for 129 yards and a touchdown, Sanders was a non-factor, going 3-for-6 for 14 yards and getting sacked five times.
Five times.
Sanders lost 41 yards on sacks, which really played into the pre-draft concern that he held on to the ball too long. Any shot of opening the year higher than fourth on the depth chart is gone.
Kyle McCord - Philadelphia Eagles
With Tanner McKee dealing with a finger issue, it looked like rookie Kyle McCord had a good shot to earn the backup role for the Eagles. He played the full preseason game against the Jets.
But McCord had a pretty brutal showing, going 15-for-35 for 136 yards with an interception, and the Eagles responded by trading for Sam Howell on Sunday.
Howell has one full season as an NFL starter under his belt, leading the Commanders to a 4-13 record in 2023 and leading the NFL in pass attempts and interceptions.
Yep, a guy best known for leading the league in picks has replaced Kyle McCord. Not ideal!