Where Does Packers’ Tyrod Taylor Rank Among NFL Backup QBs?

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love certainly is not an injury-prone passer. But he hasn’t been impervious to pain, either.

After starting every game during his debut season of 2023, Love missed two full games due to a knee injury and significant chunks of two others. Last season, a concussion cost him about a game-and-half.

The Packers were in good hands with Malik Willis. In such good hands that Willis parlayed 89 passing attempts the past two seasons into a three-year, $67.5 million starting opportunity with the Dolphins.

Will they be in good hands again?

The recent addition of veteran Tyrod Taylor should help.

The Packers signed Taylor last month. While he might not be as good as Willis, he should be better than Desmond Ridder, who had been slated for backup duty.

In Sports Illustrated’s ranking of the league’s backup quarterbacks, Taylor is 16th. Going into last season, Willis was ninth.

“Taylor is the perfect median for backup quarterbacks,” SI’s Gilberto Manzano explained. “He’s not a gunslinger, but his coaches love how he prioritizes playing under structure and protecting the football. There’s not much coaches hate more than a chaotic backup not sticking to the plays called. The mild-mannered Taylor never threw more than six interceptions in the three seasons he started for the Bills between 2015 and ’17.”

Green Bay Packers quarterbacks Tyrod Taylor (6) and Jordan Love (10) throw passes during practice on Wednesday, May 26. | Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Taylor was a sixth-round pick by the Ravens in 2011. He is entering his 16th season in the NFL and will bring a wealth of experience with his 100 career games including 62 starts. All of that experience should be an asset for Love, whether it’s in the meeting room on Wednesday or between series on Sunday.

“We’re each other’s eyes when we’re not on the field, whether it’s looking for certain things while he’s on the field that he may not be able to see before he gets the tablet in his hands,” Taylor said during a break in OTAs on Wednesday.

“Just keeping the communication as open as possible. Some people love more talkers on the sideline. Some people want things to be quiet. It’s about learning one another. It’s our first opportunity working alongside, so we’ll get comfortable within that space. Right now, it’s about just attacking the offseason with a critical eye, being very critical of ourselves first and foremost, but also coaching each other throughout drills and what we see on tape.”

Last season with the woeful Jets, he completed 59.7 percent of his passes with five touchdowns, five interceptions and a 72.9 passer rating.

In NFL history, his 1.8 interception percentage is tied with Tom Brady, among others, for the fourth-lowest.

“While he’s a cautious quarterback, he usually gives his team a chance to win because he rarely goes away from the guardrails,” Manzano wrote.

While Taylor might not have the juice of the in-his-prime Willis, his experience should be a major asset. He is No. 25 on our ongoing list of the team’s most important players.

“True vet,” said safety Xavier McKinney, who was teammates with Taylor with the Giants in 2023. “He’s a guy that’s going to be prepared every single time, no matter the day, no matter what’s going on. He’s always going to be that voice you need in the locker room, that older voice to kind of, that true vet voice, to be able to give us words of encouragement, everything, and, obviously, he can go in there and ball, too.

“I’ve been around him for some time now and I understand how he works, and when you think about veteran guys, like he’s a true vet guy. I was just talking to somebody on the sideline today, I’m like, damn, he just got in not too long ago, but you would have thought he been here for the last two years. That goes to show how smart he is and how much he’s been able to see around the league, coming in and being ready.”

Taylor won a Super Bowl with the Ravens. With the Packers, he sees a contending team that has a chance to climb the mountain, as well.

“Obviously, being in the AFC for a majority of my career, I haven’t faced Green Bay as much, but always know each and every year they’re right at it,” he said. “They’re a play or a series away from ending up in the big games.

“This team has a lot of talent. It’s one of the things that brought to my attention just throughout free agency, just the talent within this locker room and how close they’ve been. Hopefully, I can add some level of expertise or being able to help in any way, help us achieve what we all want to.”

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