Packers Implored to Add Pro Bowl QB as Backup to Jordan Love

Training camp is a month away and the Green Bay Packers still have a glaring hole on the roster at the game’s most important position.

By all accounts, Jordan Love is going to be a solid NFL starter. He hasn’t played much, but he looked good when he saw the field in 2022 during pressurized second-half minutes against one of the league’s best teams in the Philadelphia Eagles. But even if Love is everything the franchise is hoping for, and more, he’s still a first-year starter in a violent game. The Packers need a legitimate backup plan if Love gets hurt or struggles mightily and as of now, they don’t have one.

Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report on Wednesday, June 28, suggested that Green Bay take a hard look at veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater as an insurance policy behind Love as part of a talented offense that is also one of the NFL’s youngest.

There are a lot of unknowns with Love and one of them is how well he will hold up against an NFL schedule. He’s only attempted 83 passes and taken three sacks in three years on the roster.

There are two notable veteran quarterbacks with starting experience still on the market in Teddy Bridgewater and Carson Wentz. … Bridgewater was a fine secondary option behind Tua Tagovailoa and kept the Miami Dolphins‘ offense afloat in his absence last season. The 30-year-old could do the same thing for the Packers and ease the burden on Love to remain healthy for the team to be competitive.

Green Bay Doesn’t Have a Backup QB Anywhere Near Teddy Bridgewater’s Level

GettyFree agent quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is a fit as the backup to Jordan Love with the Green Bay Packers in 2023.

As of Thursday, Danny Etling and fifth-round rookie Sean Clifford were the only two quarterbacks on Green Bay’s depth chart behind Love.

Ballentine pointed out that Etling is five-year veteran with time served on seven different rosters or practice squads, but his failure to stick with any of those teams doesn’t bode well for the Packers if Love is forced to miss significant time for whatever reason.

Clifford will turn 25 years old in July. Perhaps that makes him a more reliable rookie than some other signal-callers would be. However, he still hasn’t thrown an NFL pass well into his mid-20s and there is probably good reason for that — another mark against the group Green Bay has assembled at the position.

Backup QB Like Teddy Bridgewater Crucial to Winning Goals for Packers

GettyQuarterback Teddy Bridgewater, formerly of the Miami Dolphins, warms up prior to an AFC Wild Card playoff game against the Buffalo Bills in January 2023.

Bridgewater is far and away a more competent and experienced selection than either Etling or Clifford heading into the 2023 season, though Clifford could eventually end up a better long-term solution depending on how his professional career develops.

During his nine-year tenure in the NFL, Bridgewater has appeared in 78 games and amassed a win/loss record of 33-32 as a starter. The QB has tallied 15,120 passing yards, 75 touchdowns and 47 interceptions with five teams over the course of his career, per Pro Football Reference. Bridgewater earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2015 as a member of the Minnesota Vikings.

How seriously the Packers are taking their chances to win the NFC North Division and make a postseason run this year remains to be seen, though outwardly key figures in the franchise are projecting both as goals. If that is how the organization truly views its 2023 roster, than adding a viable backup like Bridgewater behind Love is absolutely imperative.