Packers Release Backup QB, Tightening Race Behind Jordan Love

The Green Bay Packers are cutting loose one of the three quarterbacks vying for the backup job behind new starter Jordan Love for the 2023 season.

According to the team’s official transaction wire for August 6, the Packers released 29-year-old quarterback Danny Etling from their 90-man roster on Sunday following their annual Family Night practice hosted at Lambeau Field the night before.

Etling spent about a week on the Packers’ practice squad during the 2021 season when Love was stuck on the reserve/COVID-19 list for Week 14’s game against Chicago. He then re-signed to their offseason roster for 2022 and earned the third quarterback spot — a practice-squad role — on their depth chart behind Aaron Rodgers and Love; though, he has still yet to play his first career snaps in a regular-season game.

Etling was the logical choice for the Packers to deduct from their four-man quarterback room. He was one of the oldest players on the team’s roster, having just turned 29 in late July, and has not managed to earn any meaningful playing time despite originally coming into the league in 2018 as a seventh-round pick for the New England Patriots.

With Elting gone, though, the Packers are down to just two options — fifth-round rookie Sean Clifford and USFL MVP Alex McGough — to back up Love on his maiden voyage as their starting quarterback, making their preseason progress more important than ever.

Sean Clifford vs. Alex McGough Becomes Key Battle

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has regularly emphasized throughout his tenure that it is difficult to get four quarterbacks the necessary amount of reps in training camp, so it should be a relief to him that he only needs to worry about repping three passers now. Still, the next three weeks could be challenging for him as he works to determine whether Clifford or McGough can be a serviceable backup for them in 2023.

The Packers’ three upcoming exhibition games will be a crucial part of the evaluation process, beginning with this week’s preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, August 11. While Love is expected to take a bigger share of the reps than Aaron Rodgers did in the past several preseasons, Clifford and McGough should each still have plenty of opportunity to show their command of the offense and compete in live-game situations for the right to claim the backup quarterback job.

If Clifford plays his cards right, he should have a leg up on McGough in the race. The Packers invested a fifth-round draft choice into him in April and would likely have to be massively disappointed in his preseason to consider leaving him off the 53-man roster. The question is whether Clifford has developed enough in his short time with the Packers to be counted on to step into the lineup if something happens with Love. He showed promise at Penn State, but he was far from a polished passing prospect.

The polish is where McGough could potentially create an opening for himself. Like Etling, he has never played a regular-season snap in the NFL despite coming into the league in the same 2018 draft class (also as a seventh-round pick), but he is coming off an impressive, MVP-winning season for the Birmingham Stallions of the USFL.

McGough finished with the most passing touchdowns (20) and third-most passing yards (2,104) in the USFL during the 2023 season and did so while throwing about 70 fewer passes than the two quarterbacks with more passing yards. He also carried the Stallions to a USFL title with his 307-yard, four-touchdown performances against the Pittsburgh Maulers in the championship game earlier this year.

If McGough can lean on his longer career and pick up the Packers offense faster than Clifford, he could make a case for himself to be named the primary backup instead.

Should Packers Consider Adding a True Vet Behind Love?

Of course, the Packers always have another option if letting Clifford and McGough duke it out does not yield the desired results: They could sign a proven veteran to the roster.

The Packers have a few options on the market that could warrant consideration if they feel the experience behind Love will be necessary in 2023. Carson Wentz, who started for the Washington Commanders in 2022, is likely the best option available in terms of age and experience, but Teddy Bridgewater, Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco also all remain unsigned and might each fit better into the Packers’ limited spending budget.

The Packers could also consider adding Nick Foles, more so because the 34-year-old could provide Love with an excellent mentor for his first season leading the offense. Love learned plenty from Rodgers over the past three seasons, but it could be beneficial for him to have a veteran in the room to help him navigate the inevitable adversities. Foles would also be an asset for Clifford, learning behind the scenes as a rookie.