The Green Bay Packers — and the other 31 NFL teams — are eight days away from final roster cuts day, when the initial 53-man rosters are put in place. There are always questions about bubble players, potential practice squaders, and special teamers.

But the Packers are going through a situation like they hadn't in over a decade. The backup quarterback situation has been concerning, and there aren't many avenues left to get better at this point.

After a disappointing performance, especially by backup Sean Clifford, against the Denver Broncos on Sunday night, head coach Matt LaFleur admitted the performance was suboptimal, even though the entire offense is responsible for what they put on the field.

"The production kind of speaks for it, but it wasn't just on them," LaFleur said. "It's everybody, it's all eleven. We gotta block better upfront, we gotta finish runs better, we had a couple drops. So I think it's just collectively all eleven gotta be better for us to have any success offensively."

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The Packers drafted Sean Clifford in the fifth round last year because they had no backup options and the cap situation was stressed with Aaron Rodgers' dead money and the result of three years of overspending. This year, general manager Brian Gutekunst drafted Michael Pratt in the seventh round to be a developmental quarterback.

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Situation

There's that classic Tom Moore's quote about giving reps or not to backup quarterbacks and how the Indianapolis Colts would go without Peyton Manning. And that's the harsh reality for most NFL teams — if your starter goes down, your season is most likely done. That's probably what would happen for the Packers in the case Jordan Love can't play for an extended period of time.

That being said, if there's any short-term injury, a competent backup quarterback could put the team in a viable position to win a game or two, which could decide the Packers' playoff fate until Love returns.

At this point, it's impossible to say that any of the backups, Clifford or Pratt, would be able to do so. Pratt has the higher ceiling and is perceived as the better prospect, even though Clifford was the higher draft pick. The former fifth-rounder has the experience on his side, since he's in year 2 in Matt LaFleur's system.

Maybe, the Packers decide to keep both on the 53-man roster to keep competing. Perhaps, they keep one and try to squeeze the other on the practice squad. But there are still options, and after Sunday night's disaster, Gutekunst and LaFleur could at least consider them.

It wouldn't be completely unprecedented. In 2013, the Packers released Vince Young, Graham Harrell, and BJ Coleman right after training camp, bringing in Seneca Wallace as the backup and Scott Tolzien to the practice squad — that plan didn't go well, though. When Aaron Rodgers got hurt, Wallace also got injured in his first start. Tolzien struggled, and the Packers salvaged their season by bringing back Matt Flynn, who had just been released by the Buffalo Bills.

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Free agency

Former Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans starter Ryan Tannehill is undoubtedly the best available option in free agency. Even though he's 36 and showed signs of decline last season, he is a competent quarterback who knows the system. Tannehill was acquired by the Titans in 2019 and played under Arthur Smith in Tennessee right after LaFleur had implemented his offense there.

The market still has other options, too, like Matt Barkley, Trevor Siemian, and Brian Hoyer, but it's hard to imagine any of them really moving the needle for Green Bay.

Trade market

We talked last week about some trade options. The most attractive one is Trey Lance, who could realistically be acquired by a fifth-round pick from the Dallas Cowboys. He never developed like the San Francisco 49ers expected, and maybe he never will because teams won't give him the time and reps to get better like a drafter would. But he is an athletic freak, who could be used as a running weapon, and has a strong arm.

Third-stringers like Taylor Heinicke and Bailey Zappe could easily be acquired for a late-round pick as well and they have starting experience in the league. They are not high-level options, but both have a higher floor than what the Packers have right now.

Cuts/waiver wire

The last option is the most affordable, but least safe. If a player like Heinicke, Zappe, or another alternative around the league gets cut after the preseason finale, the Packers could add a quarterback between the final roster cuts and the week 1 game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil.

This is a difficult scenario, because the quarterback wouldn't have practice time to learn the system — unless it's a former Packer like Tim Boyle, who's with the Houston Texans now and will probably get released. In that case, Green Bay would probably have to keep Clifford or Pratt as the QB2 to start the season, until the new option gets acclimated within the offense.

It's not the ideal situation for such an important position for the Packers. The hope is that Jordan Love will stay healthy. Then, that Michael Pratt can develop into a viable backup. Beyond that, it's unrealistic to expect a high-end scenario in Green Bay's quarterback room.

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