Baltimore Ravens fans have been too familiar with backup quarterback Tyler Huntley over the years. He is 3-6 as a starter if you include the playoffs, which means he has played about half of a season over that two-year span.
While the wins have not come, he has developed a reputation as a quality backup. However, he has just five career touchdowns and seven interceptions. After the fumble in the playoffs last season, he may enter the year on a warmer seat than some fans want to admit.
3. Baltimore Ravens multiple backup quarterback options.
In most years it was assumed that Huntley would win the backup job, at least since Robert Griffin left town. However, this year, there is at least some form of competition. The Ravens signed Josh Johnson, the first sign that something may be up between Huntley and the Ravens. Johnson is a journeyman, meaning he could be in and out before September.
Or, this could mean that they wanted somebody with years of experience who they knew they could trust to step in and win the backup job. At least they know that Johnson should be able to push Huntley. Still, even after Johnson is Anthony Brown. An injury to Huntley had Brown starting last year.
While it did not go well, he was more of a project anyway and may have more physical tools in his arm than Huntley. So, the Ravens have a reason to keep both Johnson and Brown. If they both stay, the odd man out is Huntley. If Huntley stays, it means that he beat out Johnson clean, or it could mean that they gave up on Brown and are keeping Johnson as the third instead. Still, Huntley is certainly not as safe as before.
2. Baltimore Ravens can save salary cap space
It is not a lot, but the Baltimore Ravens have to consider every penny now that they want to put together the best roster around Lamar Jackson, while Jackson is high on their salary cap. So, with that said, if the team could save a few pennies by moving on from Tyler Huntley, that may be the best case for both sides.
Tyler Huntley will cost $2.63M against the salary cap. Josh Johnson will be $1.1M against the cap, and Anthony Brown will be $870K. So, if they keep Johnson and Huntley, it will be $3.74M against the cap. Meanwhile, if they keep Johnson and Brown, it would be slightly under $2M.
Huntley and Brown would be about $3.5M. So, the cheapest combination by far would be the combination of Brown and Johnson. Yes, it is only about $2M in savings, but that can add up in the long term. The question is how much better Huntley is than Johnson. If the two are close, the decision gets even easier.
1. Does Tyler Huntley fit what Todd Monken wants?
It has to be interesting to note that once the Baltimore Ravens added a new offensive coordinator, they now have a veteran pushing Huntley in training camp. It could be the playoff loss, and it could be his recent play that not only has the organization souring but also the new offensive coordinator.
One thing we know about Monken is that he wants to throw the ball and he wants to spread things out and push the ball down the field. That is not the system that Hunltey has ever played in, and it does not fit his skill set. To be fair, it is not like Johnson and Brown fit like a glove.
However, Johnson is more familiar with the scheme than Huntley and has been in more pass-centric offenses. Brown is more physically talented at pushing the ball down the field, and there is more to unpack with him. In both cases, you could see Monken drawn to their skills over Huntley.
This is essentially the icing on top. If it is close, the team is going to choose to move on from Huntley, and Monken may be just the person to ensure that it is close. Of course, he will not purposefully have Huntley lose, but if the offense is going to make him look bad and make the others look good, it is easy to see them creeping up on him, and the couple of million in cap space may get enticing.