One of the most interesting stories going into the offseason for the Green Bay Packers is who will back up Aaron Rodgers. Should it be Hundley or Kizer?
When Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone for the second time in his NFL career, the Green Bay Packers coaching staff looked to their three-year project, Brett Hundley, to take the reins and lead this team with Rodgers on the sidelines.
The hope was Hundley could give the Packers a couple of wins, keep the team in playoff contention, and sit back at watch Rodgers work his late-season magic once again en route to another playoff appearance.
Despite Hundley getting a couple of wins, and keeping the Packers in playoff contention, the team needed to win three games in a row to even have a chance at a playoff spot. During the stretch of a couple months as the starter, Hundley looked awful.
Insert former Cleveland Browns quarterback, DeShone Kizer. The Packers traded for Kizer this past offseason. It was a move that scratched heads, especially because the team traded away their best cornerback from last season.
However, with the performances that Hundley put up during the 2017 season, the move was actually quite interesting. It allowed for some competition at the backup quarterback spot. With Hundley struggling, some competition may be good for him.
So who should be the backup quarterback heading into the 2018 season?
The case for Kizer
The front office, including head coach Mike McCarthy, was high on Kizer going into the 2016 draft. The team almost drafted the Notre Dame prodigy with the 33rd pick that year.
An interesting name in play at No. 33 for the #Packers: #NotreDame QB DeShone Kizer. GB is getting trade calls, but could stick and pick.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 28, 2017
Many fans would have been shocked to see this actually happen. The secondary had huge holes to fill. Why would the Packers need a quarterback? Why did the Green Bay Packers take Aaron Rodgers in the first round of the 2005 draft when they had Brett Favre?
The Packers ended up taking Kevin King with the 33rd pick. It’s a move that will help the young secondary become elite once again.
Back to Kizer, he has always been a target for the Packers. When his team, the Browns, met the Packers late in the 2017 season, the front office was able to get a good look at Kizer in an NFL environment.
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He put up one of his best performances of the season. If not for a costly interception in overtime, the Browns may have beaten the Packers and ended their winless season.
Overall, Kizer has the coaching staff and front office behind him. Not to say Hundley doesn’t but he didn’t impress during his performances when he had the chance in 2017.
The case for Hundley
When the Green Bay Packers drafted Brett Hundley in the fifth round of the 2015 draft, some thought it was a match made in heaven. He had the athleticism but he lacked in “basic quarterbacking skills.” Coming to Green Bay meant he could learn under one of the best quarterbacks of all time, Aaron Rodgers.
As stated earlier, when it was his time to shine, he floundered. While no one expected him to put up “Aaron Rodgers” like numbers, the stats he did put up some games were just awful.
Against one of the worst pass defenses in 2017, Hundley managed to put up 84 yards passing with an interception, per Pro Football Reference. To make it worse, that was in the comfort of Lambeau Field.
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Not all of his games were like that though. In a game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, a consistent playoff team, he had the game of his career. He torched the Steelers defense for 245 passing yards, three touchdowns, and the best passer rating of his career, a 134.3 mark.
Time may be what Hundley needs. He’s shown that he can be a starting quarterback in the NFL. He just needs to be more consistent.