Ravens: Tyler Huntley the early favorite for backup QB job

The Baltimore Ravens will enter the summer with a fierce competition for the backup quarterback job. And while there’s still a long way to go, the early favorite for the role might just be Tyler Huntley.

Huntley was one of a number of standouts during OTAs and, though his main competition, Trace McSorley, also played well, it was the former Utah star who impressed the most.

The Atheltic’s Jeff Zrebiec agreed with this notion calling Huntley “the favorite” for the backup quarterback job, based solely on each of their performances so far this spring.

Again, it’s still very early and this is a battle that will continue throughout the summer. But if the season were to start tomorrow, it’s likely that Huntley would get the nod.

Tyler Huntley could be the Ravens’ backup quarterback in 2021.

Signed as an undrafted free agent shortly following the 2020 NFL Draft, Huntley began last year on the Ravens’ practice squad which is where he would spend the majority of his rookie season.

He would find his way onto the active roster in December and even make a pair of appearances late in the season — first in place of an injured Lamar Jackson against Jacksonville and later in a blowout victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17.

But his most notable showcase came when he played the entire fourth quarter of the team’s Divisional Round playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills.

After Jackson was knocked out of the game with a concussion, Huntley was thrust into an impossible situation. And despite the circumstances being far from ideal, he held his own finishing 6-of-13 for 60 yards in the air while adding another 32 yards on the ground.

The Ravens like what they have in both Huntley and McSorley, so much so that they opted not to bring in a veteran backup to replace Robert Griffin III after the former Heisman Trophy winner was waived in the offseason.

Baltimore is confident that one of either Huntley or McSorley will be able to step up and claim the backup job this summer. And right now, that player appears to be Huntley.

The Ravens could very well keep three quarterbacks on the roster ensuring that both players remain with the team. But one of them will be designated the backup quarterback.

It’s still very early, but Tyler Huntley appears to have the edge right now.