NFL Analysis
9/9/24
6 min read
Best Free Agent, Trade Options for Green Bay Packers After Jordan Love Injury
The Green Bay Packers are facing an impossible situation.
Jordan Love suffered a sprained MCL in the team's Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil last Friday. The star quarterback is expected to miss three to six weeks, according to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero.
Backup quarterback Malik Willis is expected to start in Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts. The Packers traded for the former Tennessee Titans QB at the tail end of the preseason, shipping off a seventh-round pick for their newest backup.
The Packers desperately need competent quarterback play to stay in contention for a playoff spot. Green Bay is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, but a Week 2 loss would put the team at 0-2 and in a massive hole to try and get back into postseason contention.
If the Packers aren't sold on Willis as a short-term starter, the team could pursue a few other viable quarterback options.
Packers QB Options
Desmond Ridder, Arizona Cardinals
It's been a brutal start to his career for former first-round quarterback Desmond Ridder. However, he might have better luck with a change of scenery and another opportunity to play for a few games.
Ridder was released by the Arizona Cardinals just a few months after they traded for him from the Atlanta Falcons. He was brought back onto the practice squad, meaning any NFL team could sign him onto their active roster.
While he hasn't been the most effective quarterback, Ridder has shown flashes at time. Arguably his best performance came in a 21-19 win over the Houston Texans last season where he completed 75 percent of his passes for 329 yards and a touchdown while running in another score.
During his college days at Cincinnati, Ridder showed good mental processing and the ability to throw within the structure. He had enough positive traits as a prospect that Matt LaFleur could work around those strengths to run a functional offense for a few weeks until Love is healthy.
PJ Walker, Free Agent
If the Packers want a more seasoned veteran with starting experience, PJ Walker is one of the more interesting free-agent quarterbacks on the market.
Walker is a spring league success story, having gone undrafted out of Temple before eventually landing with the pre-COVID XFL's Houston Roughnecks. He went 5-0 as a starter in the XFL's previous iteration before reuniting with his former college coach, Matt Rhule, with the Carolina Panthers.
At 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, Walker is on the smaller end for NFL quarterbacks. However, he has some legitimate starting experience, appearing in 21 games with a 5-4 record as a starter.
However, the box score numbers aren't pretty for Walker. He has a career NFL passer rating of 60.0 with six touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Some of that is due to the lack of talent around him, but he's also been careless with the ball at times.
Still, given how few former starters are available on the free agent market, Walker could at least be a stopgap QB option that will try to make plays and win the Packers a game or two.
Tyler Huntley, Baltimore Ravens
Tyler Huntley is one of the most unlikely Pro Bowlers in NFL history, but he's still a serviceable backup quarterback just sitting on the Baltimore Ravens practice squad.
Huntley was an established college starter at Utah, where he started 33 games for the Utes with a 23-10 record, 62 total touchdowns, and just 20 interceptions. He went undrafted before landing with the Ravens, where he became a decent fill-in during games where Lamar Jackson was unable to play.
Although he's only gone 3-6 as a starter in the NFL, Huntley has put up some decent numbers as a pro. He's thrown for nearly 2,000 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing a respectable 64.6 percent of his passes.
It's Huntley's rushing ability that could make him an intriguing fill-in quarterback for the Packers. He's rushed for 509 yards and three scores with 4.4 yards per carry on the ground. That dual-threat ability could open up the playbook for the Packers and make their offense a little less predictable over the next few weeks.
What About Ryan Tannehill?
There have been conflicting reports about whether or not the Packers have reached out to former Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill. However, a move for the established veteran QB doesn't make much sense.
Despite Matt LaFleur being an offensive coordinator for the Titans, he had never crossed paths with Tannehill, who arrived the year after the Packers head coach left. The two do not have any kind of previous relationship or connection, which means Tannehill would need as much time as the other quarterbacks previously mentioned to get comfortable with the playbook.
Tannehill is also reportedly waiting for the "perfect opportunity" to take another NFL contract. A one-year deal to be a starter for a handful of games in Green Bay probably isn't the ideal situation he's waiting for.
There's also the potential tension between Tannehill and Malik Willis. The Titans drafted Willis to be the eventual successor to Tannehill, and the veteran QB publicly stated that he didn't feel as if he had to be a mentor for the former Liberty star.
Despite his previous level of play, Tannehill is a 36-year-old veteran who has seen significant regression, and may not be the best option for the Packers during their time without Jordan Love.
