The Green Bay Packers are looking to develop teenage quarterbacks, which is why they acquired Sean Clifford in the fifth round of the 2023 draft and Michael Pratt in the seventh round of the 2024 draft to give Matt LaFleur a pair of prospects he can prepare as backups to Jordan Love, the league’s highest-paid player.
But this summer in Green Bay has shown that there is potential danger in that plan, and that the Packers need to change course to get the 2024 season underway.
Asked about his backups after Saturday’s preseason finale, LaFleur acknowledged that the position had been plagued by inconsistency and that finding a better option on the waiver wire after final cuts was a real possibility. The quarterback’s chance to express confidence in Clifford and Pratt ended in a shower of doubt.
Unfortunately, Clifford has failed to make any progress in his second training camp, and Pratt isn’t yet ready to be a backup quarterback on a Super Bowl contender.
Even after a promising start to the preseason, the numbers show the Packers will likely have to release both quarterbacks, find a veteran to sign after final cuts and then return Clifford or Pratt to the practice squad.
Clifford completed 22 of 43 passes (51.2 percent) for 207 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He averaged 4.8 yards per attempt and had a passer rating of 62.8. According to Pro Football Focus, Clifford had zero “big throws” and two “interception-worthy plays.” He completed only 1 of 6 pass attempts for more than 20 yards in the air and was 3 of 12 for 34 yards and an interception on 17 dropback pressures. During camp practices, Clifford threw interception after interception. His comfort in the field disappeared and he became an interception machine.
Pratt completed 23 of 35 passes (65.7 percent) for 178 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He averaged 5.1 yards per attempt and had a passer rating of 75.7. Unlike Clifford, he had two “big passes” — a 23-yarder to Julian Hicks in the first game and an 18-yarder to Bo Melton in the finale. Like Clifford, he had two “interception-worthy plays,” including a terrible interception Saturday. Pratt completed just seven yards on seven pressured dropbacks, and more than a third of his passes — nine of 23 — came behind the line of scrimmage, inflating his pass percentage. Pratt completed just two passes of more than 10 yards through the air and had an average depth of target of just 5.2 yards. Even when Clifford struggled, Pratt never really threatened to pass him for the No. 2 spot and only briefly featured in the second-team attack in practice.
Releasing Clifford and Pratt would be risky, but the likelihood of both being placed on the reserve list is probably slim to none. In fact, there’s a good chance both won’t be placed on the practice squad and could be returned to the practice squad, where one (or both?) could continue to develop without being the only option if a minor injury — like a concussion, sprained ankle, or any other possible quarterback ailment — were to befall Love this season.
Now seems like the right time to change course.
Last year, the Packers were a teenage, rebuilding team in transition under Love, making Clifford a good development option behind the first-year starter, especially after an encouraging first summer on the job. This year, the Packers are a legitimate contender, with Love signing a $220 million contract extension, which increases the importance of a solid backup plan at quarterback and eliminates any concerns about the veteran backup threatening playing time.
At quarterback, the primary concern is often a season-ending or grave injury. In that scenario, the Packers’ season would have ended anyway. But even though Love played in all 17 regular-season games last season, minor injuries are common at quarterback. Only nine NFL quarterbacks started all 17 games last season. Love missing a few games is not only possible, but likely. And the Packers can’t have a short-term injury that could derail a promising season because their backup quarterback isn’t competent or ready to play in a regular-season game.
Teams across the NFL will trim their quarterback rosters Tuesday. Options will be available. While adding a modern quarterback less than two weeks before the regular season would be risky, bringing Clifford or Pratt back to the practice squad would provide insurance early in the season while a modern quarterback gains momentum. And the Packers wouldn’t abandon the idea of developing quarterbacks, they would just delay a scenario in which a still-developing quarterback would have to play significant snaps.
While the Packers could release both Clifford and Pratt on Tuesday, the more likely scenario is to keep one of them on hold for at least a day until they go through final cuts and see if a better option is available. If a better option isn’t found, it’s likely that Clifford or Pratt will be the only backups, with the other on the practice squad.
But finding a better option is certainly possible. The 2024 Packers are too good to risk the integrity of their season on a pair of backups who have shown they are not ready to hold down the fort at the game’s most vital position.
