When Jordan Love gets the start in Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season he’ll be just the third quarterback since 1992 to start in Week 1 for the Packers. So who will be holding the clipboard while he’s playing against the Chicago Bears?
On Thursday, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur announced his quarterback depth chart. Rookie fifth-round pick Sean Clifford has been named the backup for this coming season.
“I think it’s safe to say Sean is our No. 2 quarterback,” LaFleur said, via PackersWire. “A lot of it is just his mental makeup. You saw it in the Cincinnati game in terms of his ability to rebound. The game’s not too big for him.”
Clifford was a four-year starter at Penn State, going 32-14 and becoming the Nittany Lions’ all-time leading passer. But he was seen as a fringe NFL prospect and wound up going 149th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
With Clifford being named the backup, journeyman quarterback Alex McGough will either be QB3 or potentially released during final roster cuts.
Not that there was much of a question, but Packers coach Matt LaFleur names rookie Sean Clifford as Jordan Love’s backup: “I think it’s safe to say Sean’s our No. 2 quarterback.”
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) August 24, 2023
The Green Bay Packers have had many backup quarterbacks since Brett Favre was named the Packers’ starter back in 1992. Favre’s list of backup quarterbacks alone includes several future Super Bowl winners, three Heisman Trophy winners and multiple first-round picks from other teams.
That trend didn’t exactly continue during Aaron Rodgers’ decade-plus as the Packers’ starter, but a new era in Green Bay can bring some old traditions back.
Will Sean Clifford receive any playing time this season?