Malik Willis left a hole in the Green Bay Packers quarterback depth chart after his departure. While Jordan Love is still undoubtedly the QB1 of the team, he will now be backed up by NFL veteran Tyrod Taylor.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported the move, though the contractual details haven’t been revealed yet. What is definitely true is that Taylor is coming into a QB2 capacity after being a starter in the second half of the season on the Jets.
Jordan Love is QB1, Tyrod Taylor is now QB2. However, that prompted them to release former Falcons QB1 in Desmond Ridder. Kyle McCord and Kyron Drones close the depth chart. Taylor should definitely be above Ridder in the quality department.
Is Tyrod Taylor a good replacement for Malik Willis?
Malik Willis was so good as Jordan Love’s backup that he earned a starting quarterback contract with the Miami Dolphins. Is Tyrod Taylor a good fit then? Taylor has started 62 games, so he is much more experienced than Willis in that department.
However, Taylor turns 37 before the season begins, and while somewhat mobile, Willis is much more explosive with his feet. He is a reliable backup to Jordan Love, but the playbook should be less physically-demanding with him than it was with Willis.
The Packers know they need a good backup
Some teams kind of disregard the QB2 matter, but the Packers know they can’t do that with Jordan Love. He’s missed time the last two seasons, and given that they are a playoff team, they can’t afford to throw away games if Love is not fit.
Hence, with Willis out, they now needed to ensure they had a solid backup in place. Tyrod Taylor is that. He is a reliable veteran capable of winning a couple of games if needed. The Packers were clever to sign him.
