The Green Bay Packers may be looking to add to the quarterback position in this year’s draft, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t excited about what Sean Clifford can bring to the table in Year 2 as the team’s backup.
“I’m super excited about Sean,” said Matt LaFleur at the NFL Owners Meetings. “I saw the growth in practice and the way he was able to compete against our defense.”
Last preseason, Clifford completed 72 percent of his 57 pass attempts at 6.9 yards per attempt with one touchdown to two interceptions. He then had a 37-yard completion to Bo Melton in the regular season late against Minnesota in Week 17.
Beyond the stats, what Clifford showed was a quarterback who wasn’t afraid to push the ball or make tight-window throws. As LaFleur pointed out, Clifford was resilient, with an example of this being in the preseason Cincinnati game, when he threw an interception then followed that up with a touchdown drive on the next possession–unphased by what had happened previously.
“I just saw so much growth throughout the course of the season,” added LaFleur. “He just continued to get better and better and better. He’d make some throws in practice that you didn’t always know he was capable of that. There’s a reason why he started so many games at Penn State, and he’s played at a high level.”
Clifford, a fifth-round pick by the Packers in 2023, had nearly 1,600 dropbacks during his time at Penn State. With a relatively inexperienced quarterback room last season, Clifford’s experience, albeit at the college level, was an important factor in the Packers’ drafting him, as was his fit in the locker room, along with the athleticism and play-style that he brings to the position.
“I thought there were some flashes in the preseason when he got his opportunities to go in there,” LaFleur said, “where he showed some resiliency. Those are things you can’t necessarily coach. Just that resiliency. He’s a competitive dude, and I expect him to take a jump in Year 2 of our system.”
However, at the NFL Scouting Combine last month, GM Brian Gutekunst said that he was looking forward to getting back to drafting and developing quarterbacks.
Naturally, this could be taken as Clifford might be on the hot seat when it comes to that backup quarterback role. And I’m sure, to a degree, Gutekunst’s intention is to bring in someone who can push him and elevate the competition. That competition element is something Gutekunst has referenced multiple times this offseason and wants it across every position group.
While all of that may be true, my thought is that the drafting and developing of the quarterback position is more so an organizational philosophy that, as Gutekunst mentioned, is something they’ve gotten away from in recent years, more so than the team thinking that they need an upgrade over Clifford.
This approach goes well beyond Gutekunst’s tenure as general manager, as I’m sure everyone recalls, before Aaron Rodgers’ first season as a starter, Ted Thompson drafted Brian Brohm in the second round and Matt Flynn in the seventh round.
“I’d love to continue to bring in quarterbacks,” said Gutekunst vis Packer Central, “not only for the competition but for the development of them. Because I do think it takes time. It takes time, any player, but a quarterback particularly in a comfort zone of what he’s doing where you can really see his talent come out. I think Sean hit that pretty early compared to most, but I think that’s important you give that player the time to get there.”
Depending on where the Packers select a quarterback in the draft, chances are Clifford is going to have the upper hand in that competition. That doesn’t mean the incoming quarterback won’t be better at some point or can’t compete for the backup job, but Clifford has a full year in the NFL and in LaFleur’s system–he’s going to be in an advantageous situation in that regard.
Over the last three seasons, Gutekunst has been very willing to churn the back end of the quarterback depth chart. In 2021, Kurt Benkert was the third quarterback. In 2022, it was Danny Etling, and last season, it was Alex McGough.
As Gutekunst said, development, especially at this position, takes time. By spending another draft pick on a quarterback while having Jordan Love and Sean Clifford, that rookie will have that valuable time to grow into the position. And if he challenges Clifford right away and proves to be the better player, then that’s a bonus.
Regardless of the positional outlook, at what is considered to be the most important position in all of sports, it would be foolish to not be continuously developing that talent pipeline. That’s the approach Gutekunst wants to take, but it doesn’t mean there isn’t a belief that Clifford can be a good backup option behind Love.
“He’s absolutely proven he can be a No. 2, and maybe more than that,” Gutekunst said. “Sean did a great job in his first year. I thought you guys saw it. The exciting thing about Sean is he played a lot of football in college, had a lot of experience. His play style, his aggressiveness, you guys saw in preseason his ability to play in the fire and overcome anything that’s going on in the game was pretty unique for a young guy. So, we’re very excited about Sean and where he’s headed.”
