Vince Young of the Tennessee Titans is leading the way of the backup quarterback carousel. He has won 6 out of 10 games he started this year. We also have a quarterback in Philadelphia, Jeff Garcia who also has a winning record of 2-1 since he became the starter of the Eagles. The NFL is only in week 14 and only 47 backup quarterbacks have played in games, the average for the last 5 years is 57.1 so far the starters are staying healthier. Most of the back ups who are starting this year will be projected starters for their team the following year, especially the four rookie quarterbacks for the Broncos (Jay Cutler), Cardinals (Matt Leinart), Cowboys (Tony Romo) and Titans (Young).
The 15 replacement quarterbacks who have started games have posted a record of 41-42 this year. Last season the combined mark for backups was 32-57, and the winning rate for backups over the past ten years was just around 40%. The question going into next season which of the backup quarterbacks who are now starting are going to be lost to free agency or stick with their team. It has become essential in the NFL to have a good backup quarterback, some backup quarterbacks are making above 3 million dollars a year to sit on the bench for a just in case. Look at Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs these two teams have backup quarterbacks that have kept them in the playoffs as the starters got healthy. Next year we will have many quarterbacks fighting for jobs, but look for the next competition to be at the second string quarterback job.