One of the most overlooked positions in the NFL can sometimes turn into the most important one, should an injury pop up. That position is the backup quarterback spot. Throughout the course of history, we have seen teams completely fall apart because their starting quarterback goes out with an injury.
The only notable team where the backup quarterback managed to carry a team were the Philadelphia Eagles back in 2017, when Nick Foles took over for Carson Wentz after tearing his ACL. Foles would eventually help the Eagles win the Super Bowl over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
There is no denying that the Buffalo Bills have the best quarterback in the league in Josh Allen. After him though, the quarterback room is not strong whatsoever. It's the biggest issue on the roster that doesn't get talked about enough simply because of how great Allen is.
Bills have a mess with backup QB position heading into 2026
Kyle Allen was brought back to Buffalo on a two-year deal, but if the offense ever had to operate through him in a meaningful game, the Bills would completely change for worse. A journeyman throughout his career, Allen is now in his second stint with the Bills. He has also played for the Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders, Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Detroit Lions.
In his only season where he played in meaningful games (2019), Allen threw for 3,322 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions in 13 games and his QB rating was at 38.2.
Then you have Shane Buechele, who has been nothing more than a practice squad player for the Bills. He played his first NFL game last season, but it was with the Kansas City Chiefs in a game where he threw for 88 yards, completed only 50% of his throws, and was sacked 5 times in a 14-12 loss against the Las Vegas Raiders. If this setup behind Josh Allen doesn't scare you, it should.
Bills should explore bringing in more backup QB competition
Luckily, Grant Gordon from NFL.com came up with a potential solution that Bills fans may not have been aware of. Gordon recently picked best fits for some of the top remaining free agents, and the Bills were listed as a potential option for QB Jimmy Garoppolo. In addition, the Rams and Patriots were also listed for him.
Garoppolo was in the AFC East to start out his career, when he was drafted by the New England Patriots. Many people thought that he was going to be the one to take over for Tom Brady as he started to approach the end of his career. Instead, Garoppolo was eventually traded away to the San Francisco 49ers where he was their starter for a couple of years.
He then joined Josh McDaniels in Las Vegas as the replacement for Derek Carr, but that was a huge mess. Since then, he has been in the Los Angeles Rams’ quarterback room but is now a current free agent.
Garoppolo has the experience of success, and he knows or thing or two about being part of a Super Bowl winning team. In addition, he’s also been in a Super Bowl himself as the starter for the 49ers. Granted, that feels like forever go.
Even though Garoppolo may not be a huge upgrade in the quarterback room behind Josh Allen, he is a better option than rolling with Kyle Allen and Shane Buechele as the backups.
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