NFL 2026 backup QB rankings: A look at the five best and worst signal callers

Football has a quarterback development problem from top to bottom, but in the NFL it is most glaring. There simply aren't 32 solid quarterbacks, let alone 64 (a starter and backup) for every team.

Injuries to a number of passers around the league like Jaxson Dart, Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams, Sam Darnold, Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. have made that abundantly clear. Why is the quarterback pipeline drying up to a degree from a developmental perspective? Today's youth sports culture has athletes specializing in one sport at younger and younger ages, which robs them of the ability to hone different skillsets and muscle groups across multiple sports while their bodies are physically and mentally developing. Coaches at every level of football are passing the buck on developing quarterbacks' football IQ, particularly in film study and X's and O's, because at the collegiate level, and in some cases the high school level, these coaches are just fighting to keep their top players on their rosters.

So what does that mean at the highest level in the NFL when it comes to quarterback depth? Let's take a look at both the five best and five worst backup quarterback situations around the…

Original source: https://www.cbssports.com/