Jameis Winston Cleveland BrownsGetty Images

Deshaun Watson’s unfortunate Achilles’ injury ended his season last week. And for Zach Orr and the Ravens’ defensive staff, the shift in quarterbacks to Jameis Winston also ended most of the advance scouting they’d done on the Browns offense.

The No. 1 overall pick from the 2015 draft, Winston will make his starting debut for Cleveland (1-6) at home against Baltimore (5-2) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS). But Winston won’t be the only quarterback in action who didn’t start the season for his team. Later that afternoon, the No. 2 pick in that same draft, Marcus Mariota, could also make his starting debut for the Commanders, anointing Winston and Mariota the 43rd and 44th quarterbacks, respectively, to start an NFL game this season.

Elsewhere, Drake Maye will make his third start for the Patriots after observing for the first five weeks, and the Panthers will move last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Bryce Young, back into the starting lineup following the thumb injury to Andy Dalton. For New Orleans, fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler is expected to make his second straight start for the Saints, and in Las Vegas, Gardner Minshew returns to the starting lineup when the Raiders host the Chiefs.

Changes to starting quarterbacks aren’t just an NFL theme, either. In college football, Oklahoma’s rough start in the SEC means the return of Jackson Arnold for the Sooners after his replacement failed to find consistency. And OU’s old coach Lincoln Riley is, for the moment, flouting calls for Southern California’s backup, Jordan Maiava, to replace first-year starter Miller Moss, who has a Heisman Trophy winner’s shoes to fill.

It’s a common cliché that the most popular player on the football team is the backup quarterback. Or at least to the fans, that is. After all, the backup quarterback represents a struggling team’s savior who will inevitably lead the team to success and the promised land, or so it’s believed.

This Monday night will be Russell Wilson’s second consecutive start for the Steelers, providing Pittsburgh’s fans with the hope that he can build off Week 7’s successful debut. Recent backup quarterbacks in the NFL have come off the bench to ignite hope, but the question remains, is it sustainable? And what makes preparing for the backup so difficult for an opponent?

Last year, veteran Joe Flacco famously went from unemployed to Game 12 starter for the 7-4 Browns, sparking a late-season resurgence in Watson’s absence while leading the team to a 4-2 record and playoff berth. The season before, Baker Mayfield was traded midweek from the Panthers to the Los Angeles Rams and improbably led his team to victory over the Raiders that Sunday.

Both Flacco and Mayfield finished their teams’ final five regular-season games, finishing with respectable passer ratings of 90.2 and 86.4, respectively. Both players had good and bad outings, which is to be expected.

Preparing for a new quarterback is often a difficult proposition for an NFL team, particularly if that player has yet to see meaningful snaps. First, a team’s coaching staff typically breaks down the three most recent games played by its upcoming opponent, a tedious process that often requires late nights from quality-control coaches on each side of the ball. If a team is preparing for Lamar Jackson one week and Flacco the next, as an example, the defensive players must be coached to respect pass-rushing lanes very differently.

Looking for tendencies and common plays for which to prepare their own teams, coaches install unique game plans each week tailored to that opponent and their personnel. A caveat to the recent-game breakdown rule is that with enough games provided, a team would break down the games with personnel and schemes that best resemble the upcoming matchup. For instance, if you’re a heavy gap-scheme team then you may skip your opponent’s recent game vs a zone-heavy team.

From an offensive perspective, with each starting quarterback comes specific plays and pass concepts that are comfortable to him. If a quarterback does not like a certain personnel matchup or route combination against a particular coverage, the offensive staff will adjust and call plays that are perceived as favorable. Studying gamefilm reveals common plays or concepts that a play-caller likes, enabling coaches a preview of what’s to likely come. Thus, preparing for a quarterback off the bench throws a whole new wrinkle into defensive game planning.

In Wilson’s case last week, he hadn’t played one Steelers snap in either the preseason or regular season, eliminating the Jets’ opportunity to anticipate how Wilson would be utilized in Arthur Smith’s scheme. Adding to the murky projection, Week 7 was the first time anyone would see the 13-year veteran move around coming off an injury. Would Wilson be able to utilize his athleticism and legs at a high level to extend plays like we’ve seen for over a decade? Would his renowned deep ball be impacted by Father Time? Would Mike Tomlin and Smith let Russ cook with George Pickens?

This year, we have seen some early positive returns from backups thrust onto the field, notably by Green Bay’s Malik Willis, who filled in efficiently for the injured Jordan Love in Weeks 2-3, and Mason Rudolph, who led Tennessee to its only victory over Miami when Will Levis was injured. In Indianapolis, Flacco’s resilience once again reared itself while leading the Colts to a 2-1 record in Anthony Richardson’s absence.

Andy Dalton also achieved initial success coming off the bench for Carolina while throwing for three touchdowns and zero interceptions in the team’s lone victory against Las Vegas. However, in the subsequent four games (all losses), he’s thrown only four touchdowns compared to six interceptions. In Miami, the Dolphins are hoping Tua Tagovailoa’s return to the lineup will turn around their fortunes—as predicted by wideout Tyreek Hill on Wednesday—after struggling to a 1-3 record with three backup quarterbacks.

This brings us back to Wilson, the one-time Super Bowl winner now on his third team in four years. In March, Wilson signed with the quarterback-needy Steelers to a one-year, league-minimum salary with no obvious guarantees. The team also secured the playing rights to fellow quarterback Justin Fields and promoted a competition between the two.  

Unfortunately for Wilson, he suffered a calf injury during the team’s training-camp conditioning test, partly enabling Fields the opportunity to earn the starting position. After a lackluster 4-2 start, Tomlin last week controversially inserted Wilson into the starting lineup while relegating Fields to the backup role. After shaking off a bit of rust, Wilson performed well down the stretch while throwing for 264 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions in an impressive 37-15 win.

Now, with one game in the books and growing familiarity between Wilson and Pittsburgh’s coaching staff, will the 5-2 Steelers be able to continue that offensive spark on Monday Night Football (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC) against the Giants (2-5)? Or will New York, armed with 2024 game tape to study and evaluate, be better prepared than the Jets were to face Wilson?

Whatever the outcome, it’s likely only a matter of time before some Pittsburgh fans are clamoring for the most popular player on the roster to see the field again.


Discover more from Pro Football Post

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

By Dane Vandernat

Dane Vandernat spent 11 years (2009-19) with the Raiders, concluding his tenure as the team's director of pro personnel. He then served four years (2019-23) as the player personnel director for the NFLPA's Collegiate Bowl all-star game. An adjunct professor in sport management for the University of St. Mary, he owns a master's degree from the University of San Francisco and an undergraduate degree from Cal Poly Pomona.

Leave a Reply