Green Bay Packers: Should Joe Callahan get a chance?
By Hunter Noll
The Green Bay Packers are out of the playoffs and have little to play for. Should quarterback Joe Callahan get a chance now that the stakes are lowered?
In Week 15, the Green Bay Packers saw their playoff hopes go out the window. With it, Aaron Rodgers was placed back on the Injured Reserve. This allowed the Packers to bring back quarterback Joe Callahan. Then, in Week 16, the Packers were shut out by the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday night.
While it seems almost common knowledge that Callahan will serve as merely the backup to Brett Hundley, should he get a chance to prove himself? There’s actually a pretty compelling case for him to get some snaps.
When Hundley has filled in for Rodgers, he’s been a mixed bag. At points, he flashed crazy potential that made him an interesting prospect in the first place. At other times though, the young quarterback looked lost, making poor mistakes and poor throws.
All-in-all though, he could be sought after in free agency. Even if he isn’t the hottest of commodities, Hundley should get a few offers to try and win a starting spot for a team. That’s something the Packers can’t promise him with Rodgers at the helm. Therefore, it’s likely that Hundley won’t be back in Green Bay next season. This leaves them with a hole at the second-string quarterback position.
With that in mind, now seems like the perfect time to see what Joe Callahan is made of. The Packers are already out of the playoffs. Due to that, they don’t need to worry about playing the guy that gives them the best chance to win. While fans will still want to see the team be competitive, they should also understand it’s time to evaluate talent.
Right now, Callahan is an unknown. Never having seen playing time in a regular season NFL game, it’s impossible to gauge what he’ll bring to a team. With this time, Green Bay can decipher whether he’s worthy of the number two spot or not. Then they can decide if they need to go out and get more help for the future.
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More importantly though, if Rodgers gets hurt in the future, the Packers need to have a plan. Throwing in a quarterback with zero experience never seems like the best move. Giving Joe Callahan some snaps these last two games is a smart move when considering the future of the franchise.