The NFL season is only two weeks old, and yet six teams have already dealt with injuries to their starting quarterbacks.
The Falcons were already without Michael Penix Jr. because of his recovery from an ACL injury when Tua Tagovailoa went down with a back injury just days before the opener. In Week 1, the Seahawks lost Sam Darnold to a glute injury and Vikings starter Kyler Murray suffered a concussion. Week 2 was even worse: The Commanders lost Jayden Daniels to another dislocated elbow (the same one he dislocated last season), the Bears watched Caleb Williams get carted off with a hamstring injury and then placed backup Tyler Bagent in the concussion protocol, and the Giants saw Jaxson Dart go down with a knee injury whose severity is still to be determined.
The spate of early injuries to quarterbacks has reinforced the value of experienced (and reliable) backups. The teams that have them have remained competitive; Seattle and Minnesota are both 2-0 with respective backups Drew Lock and Carson Wentz filling in.
But the teams that lack a solid No. 2 or any real depth at the position have paid a price. Just look at Atlanta, where third-stringer Cooper Rush was benched during a blowout loss to the Panthers after throwing his fourth pick of the season. He was replaced by Jack Strand -- who promptly threw a pick-six.
There's good news in store for a few teams. Penix will start for the Falcons on Thursday night and Tagovailoa is back to fully participating in practice. Darnold is expected to return to practice in some capacity this week for the Seahawks and Murray has been cleared from the concussion protocol in Minnesota.
But that leaves three teams who could potentially be in search of reinforcement.
Case Keenum is the only other quarterback on the Bears' active roster and, although he has 66 starts in his 14-year NFL career, he hasn't played a regular-season snap since December 2023.
In Washington, it remains unclear how much time Daniels might miss. X-rays of Daniels' elbow were negative for any fractures, but coach Dan Quinn declined to provide any details about the MRI results. Daniels will not start Sunday against the Seahawks, but how long he'll be out thereafter is unknown. In the meantime, the Commanders will turn to Marcus Mariota, just as they have the last two seasons when Daniels has dealt with injuries. The difference this time around: Washington doesn't have an experienced third-string QB like they did in Josh Johnson last year. The team's current No. 3 is seventh-round rookie Athan Kaliakmanis, a young player who showed some promise in preseason but is still quite green.
The Giants are in a similar if not worse position. Dart could be out for the rest of the season, a much worse outcome than what was originally expected. Jameis Winston is expected to take over as the starter, but he's the only other quarterback on the Giants' active roster. Jake Haener, a fourth-round pick by the Saints in 2023, is on the practice squad.
So who might be available to help?
Finding a quality backup quarterback at this point in the season is difficult, but there are a number of veterans and young QBs who could serve as extra insurance, if not more, for teams in need. From potential trade candidates to street free agents and practice squad players, here are some players who may be under consideration, either now or after the next prominent starter goes down.
Mac Jones
The sixth-year quarterback has seemingly found his groove in San Francisco as Brock Purdy's backup. After a standout rookie season with the Patriots in which he was named a Pro Bowl alternate, Jones cycled through multiple play callers and quickly regressed. He was traded to Jacksonville in 2024 and started seven of 10 games in relief of Trevor Lawrence. But it wasn't until he signed a two-year deal with the 49ers in 2025 that he really showed his worth as a reliable backup. He went 5-3 as a fill-in starter, recording a 69.6 completion percentage, averaging 7.4 yards per attempt and compiling a 97.4 passer rating -- all career bests. San Fran may want to hold onto him to spell Purdy, but it could also get a decent return from a desperate team for a player who is set to be a free agent after this season.
Jimmy Garoppolo
The 12-year veteran and two-time Super Bowl winner reportedly considered retirement in the offseason, but ultimately decided to keep his options open in the NFL. Garoppolo, 34, hasn't had any real playing time since the 2024 season, when he started the Rams' regular-season finale against the Seahawks, and he hasn't had any consistent playing time since the start of the 2023 season, with the Raiders. But he does have a 43-21 record as a starter, to go with a 67.4 career completion percentage and 97.7 passer rating.
Josh Johnson
Johnson, 40, is in his 19th season of professional football and still going, as a member of the Bengals' practice squad. He is the ultimate journeyman, playing for a record 14 NFL teams. Johnson was Washington's third-string quarterback last season until Daniels went down and he became the backup and then the starter late in the season when Mariota suffered a quad injury. His familiarity with offensive coordinator David Blough and Washington's other quarterbacks could make him a viable option if the Commanders seek outside reinforcement. But Johnson also has deep ties to Giants coach John Harbaugh (and his brother). Johnson had three stints with the Ravens when Harbaugh was their head coach, totaling seven games (one start) and completing 69.8 percent of his passes for 321 passing yards, two TDs, a pick and a 97.1 passer rating.
Will Levis
Levis signed to the Jets' practice squad on Tuesday, so should the Giants be interested in adding him to their active roster, he'd have a pretty easy move. But would they? The 2023 second-round pick by the Titans showed some promise when he took over for Ryan Tannehill as a rookie in 2023. But injuries and poor performances derailed his tenure in Tennessee. He was benched late in the 2024 season, when Giants quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan was Tennessee's head coach. Levis missed all of 2025 because of a shoulder injury and was released last month after losing the backup job to Mitchell Trubisky.
Anthony Richardson
Richardson never developed into the franchise quarterback the Colts hoped he'd be when they drafted him fourth overall in 2023. Injuries, performance issues and general readiness questions after he tapped out for a play during a narrow loss to the Texans in '24 put him on the outs with the organization. He lost his starting job to Daniel Jones, requested a trade and is now in the final year of his rookie contract (the Colts declined his fifth-year option). If Richardson is viewed as more of a developmental project, then a team in need of immediate help may be unlikely to trade for him. But never say never.
J.J. McCarthy
The same context holds for McCarthy, the Vikings' 2024 first-round pick. McCarthy missed the entirety of his rookie season because of a torn meniscus and was sidelined for seven games last season because of injuries. McCarthy fell to third string this season after the team signed Murray to start and re-signed Wentz as his backup. McCarthy has started only 10 games and has more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (11). But he's well-liked in the Harbaugh family. John Harbaugh's brother, Jim, once lauded McCarthy as the greatest quarterback in Michigan history.
Brandon Allen
The 10-year veteran has spent more than four seasons with Callahan: three in Cincinnati, when Callahan was the Bengals' coordinator; another in Tennessee, when Callahan was head coach, and this offseason with the Giants. Allen was among the roster cuts late last month.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
