Green Bay Packers: DeShone Kizer gives team project quarterback

The Green Bay Packers could use a veteran quarterback to put behind Aaron Rodgers as a safety net. DeShone Kizer is the furthest thing from that.

A lot of things became obvious during the 2017 NFL season. One of them was that the Green Bay Packers should have a backup veteran quarterback on the roster. Then if Aaron Rodgers suffers an injury, they’ll have someone who can keep the team afloat.

Another obvious revelation was that DeShone Kizer is a project at quarterback, and one that will take some time.

The Packers solution to their veteran backup quarterback problem was apparently to get Kizer. So they actually got younger and less NFL-starter-ready at the position, pretty stupid right?

Yes, it’s true that Kizer doesn’t solve the Packers problem of needing a veteran quarterback behind Rodgers. They seem content with Brett Hundley though, possibly hoping that he took in a lot during a rough 2017 season. What Green Bay did do though is replace Hundley on the “project” pedestal.

Kizer just turned 22 in January, while Hundley will turn 25 in June. He also had one zero-touchdown/three-interception game over 15 starts (the same as Hundley in 10 games). However, Hundley had more sub-100 passing yard games (2) than Kizer (1), despite playing five less games.

Now, this isn’t to pretend Kizer is fantastic, or even better than Hundley. He is, however, better for the future of the Packers. The biggest reason for this is the simple fact that Hundley has one year left in Green Bay. He’ll be 25 at the start of the next offseason, and it’s hard to imagine him opting to return to a guaranteed reserve role instead of going to a team where he can fight for a starting spot.

Enough about Hundley though, let’s talk about Kizer. Despite some miserable games (and being on a dreadful Browns team), Kizer did produce some impressive outings. He’s incredibly mobile with a cannon for an arm, but makes a lot of mental mistakes.

Mental mistakes are something that can be fixed with the right coaching though. You know, like maybe learning behind Aaron Rodgers for a few years?

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Kizer is under contract for three more years, and only set to make seven-figures in the final year of the deal. He’s a cheap arm to stash and hope he can learn.

Looking at the stats won’t get you excited for DeShone Kizer. He threw 11 touchdowns compared to a whopping 22 interceptions last season. During that time he showed flashes of brilliant potential though. At such a raw age, he can learn a lot from some like Rodgers. The Packers might not have gotten their veteran backup quarterback, but they found a new project.