McSorley, Huntley Likely to Battle for Main Backup QB Job

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens like the potential for their pair of young backup quarterbacks, Trace McSorley and Tyler Huntley.

With the release of Robert Griffin III this offseason, McSorley and Huntley could battle for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart behind Lamar Jackson.

“Honestly, based on what we saw this year with Trace and with Huntley, we were impressed," Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta said. "We think both guys have a legitimate chance to compete for that backup position. It doesn’t mean that we won’t go after a veteran quarterback, but we think both those guys have pretty bright futures, and we see a good competition this year.

"Let’s not forget that we had no preseason games last year, and those games are critical for young quarterbacks to play in."

McSorley, a sixth-round pick in the 2019 draft from Penn State, started the season as the No. 3 quarterback but shined once RG3 went down with a hamstring injury against the Steelers in Week 12. McSorley entered the game and threw the first touchdown pass of his career on a 70-yard strike to Hollywood Brown in the 19-14 loss.

However, McSorley also suffered a leg injury Week 14 against the Browns and did not play another snap. He finished the season completing three of 10 pass attempts for 90 yards with a touchdown. McSorley also ran for 17 yards on five carries.

Huntley, an undrafted rookie from Utah, took over the main backup when McSorley was injured, He flashed in his limited opportunities and played the entire fourth quarter in the divisional playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.

Huntley completed three of his five pass attempts for 15 yards and ran for another 23 yards on 10 carries.

"We are very optimistic that those guys, with a really, really good, normal offseason, with some preseason games, will have a chance to really flourish and be that guy for Lamar," DeCosta said. "We’re fortunate that we have two guys, so we really have three quarterbacks, and both of those two young guys are smart, they’re accurate passers, they’re athletic, they’re hungry.

"They’ve been successful college players, and when they’ve played, they’ve shown the ability to really be a backup quarterback in the NFL and help us.”