Throughout his NFL career, former Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor has been good in the backup role. After a rocking 2023 campaign with the New York Giants, Taylor left the Gmen for the other New York team, the Jets.
Making the jump to the AFC, he was brought in to be Aaron Rodgers' backup, and if you paid any attention to how the season went, you know that it was Rodgers' last season with the Jets. New York has moved on from him, but they still have Taylor, who is now tasked with backing up the former first-round bust Justin Fields.
With Fields in the fold, one NFL writer ranked the 32 backup QBs in the NFL, with Taylor, who has been more than servicable when thrown into action, ranked rather low.
Former Virginia Tech QB Tyrod Taylor draws low backup ranking
Look, rankings are what they are, rankings, and this early in the summer, with camps not yet ready to open for nearly another two months, you take them with a grain of salt. However, Taylor has been a long-time backup in the NFL, and Gilberto Manzano of SI ranked him 18th. Here is what he wrote about him,
"Taylor is a proven backup with ideal traits for the role. The 14-year veteran has 58 career starts and excels at protecting the football, with 68 career passing touchdowns compared to 29 interceptions. Taylor does tend to frustrate football fans due to his safe approach on the field, but coaches don’t mind as long as the offense runs efficiently."
Griping about a backup QB ranking might seem a little over the top, but let's not forget that wherever Taylor has gone and played, he's done well. He's done exactly what Manzaro said, he protects the ball and runs the offense efficiently, which is what NFL coaches want their backups to do.
Looking at the names ahead of Taylor on the list, and the case could be made that he probably should be higher. Fields has been a bust, and the Jets are hoping a change of scenery helps, and if it doesn't, Taylor will be ready to go when his name is called. A lower-half ranking on this list is too low.