GM Brian Gutekunst has said in the past the 3rd QB rule is a factor in the postseason
This offseason, after quarterback Michael Pratt was selected in the seventh round of the draft, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst was asked whether the team would be willing to keep three quarterbacks on its 53-man roster. At the time, Gutekunst stated that keeping multiple backup quarterbacks on the team wasn’t particularly valuable until the postseason due to the NFL’s third quarterback rule.
Ultimately, Gutekunst released both Pratt and Sean Clifford, a 2023 draft pick, in favor of Malik Willis, who the team traded for around the cutdown deadline in the summer. Clifford returned to the Packers’ practice squad while Pratt caught on with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he still remains a player on the practice squad.
But now, postseason preparation has started, meaning that the third quarterback rule could be a factor again. Had both starter Jordan Love and Willis gone down against the Chicago Bears last week, the Packers certainly would have liked to have another option at quarterback to throw out there, but the stakes weren’t high — as the result of the game didn’t impact Green Bay’s playoff situation due to the Washington Commanders’ come from behind win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
Now, though, losing Love and Willis, who are both banged up going into this week, could mean elimination.
According to the NFL’s third quarterback rule, clubs are able to dress a third quarterback who can come into the game if and only if two quarterbacks are injured before the third quarterback sees action, even if that third quarterback is ruled inactive for the game. That means that as long as Clifford is on the 53-man roster or is called up from the practice squad this week, he would have the chance to play against the Philadelphia Eagles, but only if Love and Willis are injured during the game.
With two open roster spots on the 53-man roster, don’t be surprised if one of those jobs goes to Clifford. If not, Clifford will likely be elevated from the practice squad by the Saturday deadline, even if the team isn’t planning on making him active for the game.
So no matter what Love’s and Willis’ participation looks like this week, try not to overreact to a Clifford promotion this week. Gutekunst has already said that using the NFL’s third quarterback protection was enticing to him, at least for postseason play, in the past. Try not to panic when you see Clifford in the news this week.