Sean Clifford was a fine college quarterback at Penn State, but the NFL dream of his is probably not for long. It is his third year with the Green Bay Packers after being taken in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. While this is Jordan Love's team, Clifford finds himself as the team's third-stringer behind former Tennessee Titans third-round pick Malik Willis, who has looked the part since coming aboard.
All the while, there is another quarterback currently on the Packers roster who needs to start getting more attention. That would be an undrafted free agent out of Canada in rookie Taylor Elgersma. He was an All-Canadian performer for the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, winning USports' equivalent of the Heisman Trophy in the Hec Crighton Trophy last season. He can really run and throw the football.
Of course, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur found a way to downplay his showing vs. Indianapolis.
"Taylor, he likes contact, obviously. He wasn't about to slide. ... He's got to learn to be a little bit smarter in that regard. I think there were some really good moments that he had. ... I think for his first extended action, I thought there were some really good moments and then also some things you have to learn from. He's still getting used to the field dimensions out there."
Nevertheless, Elgersma outplayed both Willis and Clfford during the Packers' 23-19 preseason win over the Colts.
Packers HC Matt LaFleur on Taylor Elgersma:
— Jason B. Hirschhorn (@by_JBH) August 17, 2025
"Taylor, he likes contact, obviously. He wasn't about to slide. ... He's got to learn to be a little bit smarter in that regard. I think there were some really good moments that he had. ... I think for his first extended action, I…
While I am all for giving Willis the backup job, I am more intrigued by Elgersma's upside over Clifford.
Taylor Elgersma should be getting opportunities given to Sean Clifford
Although Elgersma enters the NFL at the ripe age of 23, are we all forgetting that Clifford played six years of college football before he turned pro? He just turned 27 years old. With a fully developed brain, he should probably know that he is not for long in the NFL moving forward, especially given that his overstated steady game in college has not exactly translated into the league. His time is almost up.
The other thing about Elgersma's game that I like more than Clifford's is that he is actually somewhat of a threat to run. I remember Clifford winning a lot of games playing for James Franklin at Penn State despite mostly being a statue in the pocket. He may have been able to beat out Will Levis in State College, but his former Titans teammate Willis is the one beating him out for the right to back up Love again.
Overall, Green Bay is only going to go as far as Love's growth as a passer takes them. Since LaFleur learned how to shrink in the game's biggest moments from the very best in the business at it in Kyle Shanahan, he will always hold the Packers back. That being said, this is a team with an incredibly high floor. Green Bay should make the playoffs once again going away, but this is not a Super Bowl team.
All the while, any new potential offensive spark with the Packers intrigues me from a national perspective.