It’s important to have a reliable backup quarterback and while the situation isn’t great for the Baltimore Ravens, it could be way worse.
Prior to this year, the Ravens had Robert Griffin III as their main backup but released him in January. They’re currently rolling with former Penn State standout Trace McSorley and former Utah signal-caller Tyler Huntley as their two backups.
While the Ravens are high on both guys, outsiders aren’t buying in. Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports wrote an article detailing every team’s backup quarterback situation and had the Ravens ranked No. 28.
Here’s what Benjamin had to say about McSorley, who he listed as the Ravens’ primary backup.
"“He’s capable of extending plays and picking up a few yards in the Ravens’ run-first offense tailored for Lamar Jackson, but throwing against NFL defenses is another thing entirely. Baltimore would have to double down even more on the ground.”"
While McSorley and Huntley are still unknowns at the NFL level, the Ravens aren’t in as bad of a situation as Benjamin seems to think they are. Both guys have looked good in OTAs and things could certainly be a lot worse behind Lamar Jackson.
The Ravens’ backup quarterback situation isn’t as bad as some might think it is.
It’s easy to look at the Ravens’ backup quarterbacks and think they’re not in a good spot considering how inexperienced both options are but that’s not necessarily the case.
Also, McSorley is listed as the sole backup in the article, but the competition is ongoing and Huntley has a good shot to be the backup when the season begins.
To this point, McSorley has only appeared in three NFL games, throwing for 90 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 18 yards during that time. Huntley rushed for 23 yards and passed for 15 yards through two games.
Jackson missed one game last year due to testing positive for COVID-19 and it didn’t go well for the Ravens, but it was McSorley’s first real glimpse of NFL action. As Benjamin noted, he proved to be more of a runner than a passer, but this is the game plan the Ravens offense lives by.
Obviously, the Ravens don’t want to see Jackson go down so hopefully, the backup quarterback situation doesn’t become an ‘issue,’ but I’d have to disagree with Benjamin here.
Things could be way worse for Baltimore when it comes to their backup quarterback.