Fernando Mendoza Tops 2026 NFL Backup QB Rankings — SkimNews
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- Sam Darnold's injury (Seahawks vs. Patriots) and Kyler Murray's concussion (vs. Packers) in Week 1 forced Drew Lock and Carson Wentz into starting duty; both backups won, with Lock posting a 79.9 QBR in Seattle's 13-10 victory and Wentz finishing at 58.9 in Minnesota's comeback over Green Bay.
- Fernando Mendoza tops the backup QB rankings as the Raiders' No. 1 overall draft pick, despite never taking a regular-season snap—the article frames him as having the highest upside of any QB on the list and compares his trajectory to Drake Maye's two years ago.
- Marcus Mariota ranks No. 2 after posting a 50.4 QBR across eight starts for Washington last season and re-signing on a one-year, $7 million deal; his 57.4 QBR since 2022 is cited as elite backup production.
- Mac Jones lands at No. 3 after recording a 62.7 QBR and a plus-3% completion percentage over expected filling in for Brock Purdy across eight games last season—starter-level numbers the article largely attributes to Kyle Shanahan's system.
- Spencer Rattler ranks No. 4, with a 50.8 QBR (up from 37.1 in 2024) and a 9% off-target rate (down from 20%) across seven starts, with the article noting he could compete for a starting job elsewhere within a year or two.
- Carson Wentz is ranked 15th despite the Week 1 win; his recent track record remains mixed (43.7 QBR since 2022 and a minus-2% completion percentage over expected), with Minnesota valuing his willingness to chuck it to Justin Jefferson.
- Joe Flacco at age 41 ranks 14th as a viable Bengals backup, having thrown for 470 yards and four touchdowns against the Bears and 342 yards with three scores versus the Steelers last season—'he can even put up big numbers at times,' the article notes.
Why it matters: The article's own data undercuts the QB-centric framing: 'the defense likely carried the winners more than anything else' when Lock and Wentz won Week 1. Teams leaning on QB2 insurance without defensive infrastructure remain exposed, and Mendoza topping the list without a regular-season snap means the top of the rankings is built on projection—while grizzled 41-year-old Flacco shows the position still rewards veterans.
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