Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks.
An old football adage says a backup quarterback is one hit away from becoming the starter. The Seattle Seahawks found that out the hard way after starting quarterback, Russell Wilson dislocated his finger on Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald. RW3 needed surgery to repair the damage, and he will be out of action for at least a month.
The team turned to Wilson’s backup Geno Smith in the second half. Now it’s Smith’s team, and someone else is a hit away from leading the Seahawks. As of now, that job is open.
Considering the time frame, it’s unlikely the Seahawks trade for a quarterback and give up a draft pick to do it. If they did, former Washington State star Gardner Minshew II should be at the top of their list, followed by Sean Manion, who was in Seattle’s training camp this summer.
Two other veteran quarterbacks Nick Mullens (Cleveland), and Matt Barkley (Tennessee), who could help, are on practice squads, and so far, have been protected every week. It’s iffy whether or not their respective teams would let them walk for nothing.
Barkley was Carroll’s last quarterback at USC. Over eight seasons, he played in 19 games with 7 starts, completed 212 of 363 passes for 2,699 yards, with 11 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. Since 2018, Mullens had 16 starts, 4,714 passing yards, and 25 touchdowns against 22 picks, all for division rival San Francisco.
Here are our top five no-strings-attached candidates to be Seattle’s new number two. Warning: this isn’t a very impressive list.
This one might be a little sentimental given Jake Browning was a four year starter for the hometown Washington Huskies. Then again, there is something to be said for familiarity with playing conditions in the Pacific Northwest. For the record, Browning is UW’s all-time leader in passing yards (12,296) and touchdown passes (92).
He is currently on Cincinnati’s practice squad after spending two years with Minnesota in the same capacity. The Bengals have not protected him.
Beggars can’t be choosers. With quarterbacks dropping like flies on a zapper, Robert Griffin III will get some calls. At 32-years-old RGIII is a shell of the player who came into the league in 2012. Injuries have taken their toll and significantly decreased his effectiveness.
He spent the last three seasons backing up Lamar Jackson in Baltimore. In that time, he threw for 288 yards and a touchdown in 14 appearances. That’s a far cry from the 3,200 yards and 18 touchdowns he averaged during his first two NFL seasons.
Drafted by New England in 2018, Danny Etling has been with four organizations but has yet to see a regular-season snap. Last year Etling was the Seattle Seahawks’ third-string quarterback, which gives him some familiarity with the current personnel. Pete Carroll and John Schneider tend to favor players who have a history with the organization.
Going into Sunday’s game, former Oregon State signal-caller Jake Luton is third on the Seattle Seahawks depth chart. This is his first season with the Seahawks. In 2020, Jacksonville used a sixth-round pick on him.
As a rookie, he saw action in three games, completing 54.5 percent of his passes for 624 yards. The Jags benched Luton in favor of Mike Glennon after throwing six interceptions.
So far, the Seahawks haven’t shown him much love. He had to fight for a spot with veteran Sean Manion in camp for a spot on the team. After winning a job, the Seahawks cut him anyway to make room for defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche. Seattle re-signed Luton shortly after to the practice squad, where he’s been ever since.
This option can’t be very appealing to the Seahawks or their fans.
A former number one overall draft pick and NFL MVP (2015), Cam Newton is the best of the quarterback leftovers. He most recently played with New England in 2020. Newton was famously cut from Patriots training camp last month in favor of rookie Mac Jones.
Last year he went 7-8 as the Pats starter. He completed 242 of 368 for 2,657 yards with 8 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. As is his custom, Newton also picked up big yards on the ground, rushing for 592 yards and 12 more scores.
With the good also comes some bad. Newton comes with baggage, and generally, the Seahawks try to avoid drama. If it comes down to it, Carroll might have to make some compromises to bring in someone who could thrive in offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s system if called on.
Who do you think should backup Geno Smith for the next month or so. Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.