If you’ve thought to yourself while watching the start of the 2026 NFL season, “Wow, there have been a lot of injuries to quarterbacks,” you certainly wouldn’t be wrong. We’re only two weeks into the current campaign, and we’ve already seen six teams forced to turn to their backups.
The Falcons began the year with Cooper Rush under center after Tua Tagovailoa hurt his back in the lead-up to their season opener, and the Seahawks and Vikings turned to Drew Lock and Carson Wentz, respectively, when Sam Darnold (glute) and Kyler Murray (concussion) went down in Week 1. Then, this past weekend, the Bears and Commanders handed the keys over to Tyson Bagent and Marcus Mariota after Caleb Williams (hamstring) and Jayden Daniels (elbow) sustained injuries on Sunday. Closing out the unfortunate barrage of injuries was the Giants, who went with Jameis Winston to close out their eventual loss to the Rams on Monday night after Jaxson Dart left the game with what’s now been deemed a potentially season-ending knee injury.
RELATED: Why the Jaxson Dart and Jayden Daniels Injuries Could Completely Upend the NFL
Needless to say, NFL team doctors will be working overtime in the quarterback rooms this week—and while Kyler Murray is set to return for Minnesota and Michael Penix Jr. is back for the Falcons, four teams are expected to start their backups in Week 3 as they look to weather the storm.
Here’s a ranked look at all four, as well as a list of the best free-agent options, should teams look to add another body at quarterback.
Ranking the four NFL backup quarterbacks set to start in Week 3
4. Jameis Winston, New York Giants
Winston is both a fan favorite and a team favorite. The 32-year-old was named to the Giants’ leadership council before the 2026 season and wears a “C” on his game jersey despite being Dart’s backup. He’s also known to give quite the pregame speech.
That said, Winston struggled in relief against the Rams on Monday, completing just 41% of his passes for 111 yards and an interception. He was also sacked twice, posted a passer rating of 37.7 and led New York to just six points. They’ll need a better performance this Sunday against the Titans if they want to log their second win of the season, especially given the sudden severity of Dart’s injury.
3. Tyson Bagent/Case Keenum, Chicago Bears
The Bears are lucky. Not only was Williams’s injury Sunday afternoon only a hamstring (after it looked like it could have been far worse), but they also have a quality backup in Bagent. The 26-year-old former undrafted free agent out of Division II Shepherd signed a two-year, $10 million extension with the club in August 2025, and seems to have a fan in coach Ben Johnson—who said this offseason that he believes Bagent is one of the best 32 quarterbacks in the NFL.
Unfortunately, Bagent sustained a concussion in Chicago’s loss to the Vikings on Sunday and is in the NFL’s concussion protocol. The Bears will face the Eagles in Philadelphia on Monday night and if Bagent can’t go, it’ll likely be Case Keenum under center. Keenum, 38, has played four eight different teams since entering the NFL in 2012, but hasn’t appeared in a game since ’22.
The uncertainty lands the Chicago duo at No. 3 on the list.
2. Marcus Mariota, Washington Commanders
Mariota started eight games for the Commanders in 2025 while Daniels dealt with multiple injuries, leading the team to just a 2–6 record while completing 61.2% of his passes for 1,695 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
The No. 2 pick in the 2015 draft, Mariota was known for his mobility coming out of college after rushing for 29 touchdowns over three seasons at Oregon and winning the Heisman Trophy in ’14. That said, he’s now 32, and has scored just twice on the ground since his last full season as a starter with the Falcons in 2022.
Mariota played well on Sunday, going 11-of-16 for 111 yards and a touchdown with a passer rating of 109.1 in Washington’s 37–20 loss to the Cowboys. He’ll now face a daunting Seahawks defense in Week 3.
1. Drew Lock, Seattle Seahawks
Lock started his first game as a Seahawk since 2023 on Sunday in place of Darnold, and shined. The 29-year-old led Seattle to a 31–7 win over the Cardinals while throwing for 235 yards and three touchdowns—all to reigning Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
JSN WITH THE 82-YARD TD!
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) September 20, 2026
(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/K0os8TGrDu
A second-round pick of the Broncos in 2019, Lock is in his second stint with the Seahawks and finally looks comfortable playing quarterback at the NFL level. He’s now helped the Seahawks to a 2–0 start in their Super Bowl title defense, and will once again be under center this coming Sunday when they face off against Mariota and the Commanders in Washington.
The best free-agent quarterbacks available
Brandon Allen
Brandon Allen is a 10-year NFL veteran who has spent time with the Jaguars, Rams, Broncos, Bengals, 49ers and Titans since being drafted by Jacksonville in 2016. He’s started 10 games in his career, going 2–8 while throwing 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
While the raw numbers aren’t great, Allen has spent the majority of his career playing for coaches in the McVay Verse, making him an easy fit for any team running the West Coast–adjacent system.
Jake Browning
Jake Browning knows a thing or two about coming into an NFL game on a moment’s notice. After failing to log a regular-season snap across his first four seasons in the league, the University of Washington product was thrust into action for the Bengals in both 2023 and ’25 when Joe Burrow went down with injuries.
Browning went 4–6 as a starter across both seasons, accounted for 22 total touchdowns and was just one win shy of leading Cincinnati to the playoffs in 2023. He spent the 2026 offseason with the Buccaneers this past spring and summer, but was released during final roster cuts.
Jimmy Garoppolo
Jimmy Garoppolo spent the past two seasons with the Rams, backing up 2025 NFL MVP Matthew Stafford. He made just one spot start in ’24, a Week 18 loss to the Seahawks, and has since mulled retirement—though it was reported in early August that he was open to playing in ’26.
A second-round draft pick of the Patriots in 2014, Garoppolo has played in offenses called by some of the best play-callers the league has seen in Josh McDaniels, Kyle Shanahan and McVay. He could be a steady presence for a team looking for depth.
Bailey Zappe
Speaking of Patriots draft picks, Bailey Zappe was released from the Jets’ practice squad on Tuesday in favor of Will Levis, and is now free to sign with any team.
Zappe, 27, started eight games for New England across the 2022 and ’23 seasons, going 4–4 while throwing 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He then made one start for the Browns in 2024—a loss to the Ravens in which he became the 40th starting quarterback for Cleveland since 1999. Zappe also logged stints on the Chiefs’ practice squad in 2024 and ’25.
