With Week 3 of the NFL preseason complete for all but four teams, depth charts are beginning to form. When it comes to the quarterback position, most teams know who will be starting Week 1 of the regular season, but backup and third-string competitions run through the very end of the preseason. Every throw matters for those competing for 53-man roster spots.
Not all of these quarterbacks played in Week 3, but for various reasons, they should either be placed lower on the depth chart, traded, or cut outright due to how the final preseason games played out. Let's dive in.
Will Howard, Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the most interesting quarterback rooms in the NFL, as it isn't elite, but it is rather deep. Aaron Rodgers might not be his MVP self anymore, but he's the unquestioned starter. Mason Rudolph is the clear-cut backup. Drew Allar, as a third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, isn't going anywhere. Will Howard won a National Championship at Ohio State before being drafted by Pittsburgh in 2025, and he's shown some flashes.
All four of these guys should be on NFL rosters, but can all four really be on the same roster? There are only 53 roster spots to go around — does it really make sense for Pittsburgh to devote four of them to quarterbacks when, in an ideal world, only one of those quarterbacks will see any sort of meaningful game action?
The pecking order is clear. Rodgers is the starter, Rudolph is the game-experienced backup, and Allar is the developmental option. That leaves Howard as the odd man out, and it's not like he's helped his cause much either, with three interceptions and shaky play in his last four quarters of preseason action.
Tyrod Taylor, Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers brought Tyrod Taylor in on a one-year deal to be Jordan Love's backup quarterback, and he's been QB2 on the depth chart all along, but does this really make sense? Between Taylor and Kyle McCord, Taylor is certainly the more experienced and safer option, but does he give the Packers their best chance to win among their backup options in 2026?
McCord has excelled in the preseason, going 46-for-70 (65.7 percent completion percentage) for 446 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions overall. He played all of Friday's game and dominated, going 22-for-35 for 226 yards and four touchdowns. He's been great, and while Taylor hasn't played much, does he have what McCord has shown in him?
I mean, Taylor is now 37 years old and he didn't play particularly well last season. Sure, being on the Jets isn't going to help anybody, but it's not like he's as mobile as he used to be. It's hard to pick the youngster with no regular-season NFL experience in McCord, but it does feel like he has more upside at this point than Taylor.
Stetson Bennett IV, Los Angeles Rams
Stetson Bennett IV has not been bad this preseason, as he's completed over 62 percent of his throws, and the fact that he did not appear in Week 3 suggests that he has the Los Angeles Rams' backup job wrapped up. Should that really be the case, considering how well Ty Simpson has played?
Simpson completed 18 of his 23 passing attempts for 119 yards and a touchdown on Thursday against the Chargers. He ends his first preseason having completed 78.3 percent of his passes for 382 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. He's looked as good as any quarterback this preseason.
The Rams are presumably happy with Bennett (he gave them no reason not to be this preseason), but Simpson sure looks NFL-ready. He played so well that, while Bennett won't be cut, if the Rams got an offer that's too good to pass on for him, trading him and elevating Simpson to QB2 would make a lot of sense.
Cade Klubnik, New York Jets
Cade Klubnik has had every opportunity this preseason to be Geno Smith's backup on the New York Jets, but he completed 21 of 34 passes for 190 yards overall, with no touchdowns and one interception. He went 6-for-13 for 59 yards and an interception in Friday's preseason finale for the Jets.
Compared to Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook, Klubnik played well enough to be QB2. Should that really be the barometer, though? Look, Klubnik was selected in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Jets. Does it really make sense to gift a fourth-round pick the backup job, especially when he didn't even play that well?
Keeping Klubnik around as the QB3 in hopes of him developing into a career backup is fine, but in no way did he suggest that he's ready to be in the backup role right now. If Smith were to suffer an injury, Klubnik would not look ready to be his replacement. The Jets ought to find someone who is, and that player likely isn't in the organization right now.
Andy Dalton, Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles traded for Andy Dalton this offseason, expecting him to be Jalen Hurts' backup, but he did not play well at all during the preseason. The veteran completed 18 of his 35 pass attempts (51.4 percent) for 168 yards and a touchdown. He had his best game on Friday, going 12-for-18 for 104 yards and a touchdown. I'd even argue that he outplayed Tanner McKee. The problem is McKee has had the better preseason overall.
McKee went 34-for-54 overall (63 percent completion percentage) for 263 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. He played better, is more familiar with the organization, and is younger with more upside than the 38-year-old Dalton. Why not keep McKee around?
Dalton made things more interesting by playing well on Friday, but it feels like that showing came too little too late. The Eagles should probably field offers for both quarterbacks, but at the end of the day, it feels like McKee gives them a better chance to win now and in the future than Dalton as the backup.
Sam Howell, Dallas Cowboys
Much like Dalton, Sam Howell saved his best for last on Friday, going 12-for-18 for 155 yards and two touchdowns. He certainly outplayed the individual he's competing with for the Dallas Cowboys' backup job, Joe Milton III. The problem, though, is that while both quarterbacks played well in the preseason, not only did Milton look a little better, but he also has more upside.
Milton's accuracy can elude him at times, and we even saw that on Friday, but it's clear that he has done enough to earn the backup job, even with Howell looking good in the preseason finale. Is it possible that the Cowboys carry both of them? Sure. Should Howell be on the team if the Cowboys only carry two quarterbacks? Definitely not.
J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
All eyes have been on J.J. McCarthy ever since the Minnesota Vikings named Kyler Murray their starting quarterback, and it's safe to say he did not have a preseason to remember. McCarthy completed just 52.9 percent of his passes for 115 yards this preseason, and he sat out Friday's game with an ankle injury. Fortunately, the injury doesn't appear to be serious, but McCarthy sitting out felt like an attempt to ensure he doesn't suffer a serious ailment that could've taken a trade off the table.
It feels abundantly clear that Murray is the starter and Carson Wentz, a veteran who has outplayed him all summer, will be his backup. Now, the Vikings could keep McCarthy around as their QB3, but what good would that do? Why do that when they can almost certainly get something for him on the trade market?
It's never fun to cut bait with a top 10 selection before his rookie contract even expires, but all involved would benefit from McCarthy getting a change of scenery at this point.
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