The backup quarterback battle in the Green Bay Packers training camp hasn't been pretty. Second-year incumbent backup Sean Clifford and seventh-round rookie Michael Pratt have failed to convince anyone that they could keep the Packers competitive in the case Jordan Love goes down for a couple of games during the regular season.

And while it's usual for teams to suffer without their starting quarterback, some still survive if a decent option on the bench.

Free agency doesn't have great options, and the best one is Ryan Tannehill — who clearly regressed last year for the Tennessee Titans. And if general manager Brian Gutekunst wants to improve the position, he can potentially execute a trade to acquire someone else's third-stringer to be behind Love on the depth chart.

Therefore, let's evaluate three potential targets for the Packers who currently are on other teams' rosters.

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1) Taylor Heinicke, Atlanta Falcons

Heinicke signed a backup hopeful that he could start type of contract with the Falcons last year, when he was slated to compete with Desmond Ridder in Atlanta. But everything changed this offseason. The Falcons signed Kirk Cousins and drafted Michael Penix, which forced Heinicke to take a paycut from $5 million to $1.21 million. He has no shot at being the backup, unless Penix will be a third-stringer in year 1. For Atlanta, it would make sense to trade him for a late-round draft pick, and for Heinicke it would be good to have a real chance of being the immediate backup.

Heinicke is not a high-end quarterback, but he is a solid backup with the upside to start a couple of games, just like he did with the Washington Commanders. And for that price of a veteran minimum, the value is obvious.

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2) Trey Lance, Dallas Cowboys

It won't be easy for the Cowboys to trade Lance now, because they have already paid a $4.255 million roster bonus back in March. But that also makes Lance's deal more appealing for the Packers. If Green Bay executes it, the only financial cost would be the $1.055 million base salary.

Considering Lance's background and what the Cowboys paid to acquire him from the San Francisco 49ers in 2023 (a fourth-round pick), it would cost Green Bay a real draft pick to execute it, though. Maybe a fifth-round pick would get it done.

Trey Lance hasn't shown what everyone expected of him before the 2021 draft, but to be fair, he barely had any chances. Lance was a classic example of a player who needed time to develop, and Kyle Shanahan never had the necessary patience for it.

For the Packers, Lance could be a developmental backup with a much higher ceiling than Clifford and Pratt. At the same time, Matt LaFleur has Jordan Love's blueprint to take Lance to another level. Additionally, Lance could add an interesting rushing element to the offense if needed.

The problem is that Lance is in the last year of his rookie deal. So if the Packers have any long-term plans about him, they would need to figure a short- or mid-term contract out.

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3) Bailey Zappe, New England Patriots

Zappe was really bad last year, with six touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a 68.8 passer rating. But everything went sideways in New England with all their quarterbacks. In 2022, Zappe was relatively solid as a rookie, finishing the four games he appeared in, including two starts, with an 100.9 rating.

The Patriots signed Jacoby Brissett in free agency and drafted Drake Maye with the third overall pick (plus former Tennessee Vols Joe Milton in the sixth), so Zappe is obviously not a significant part of their long-term outlook. Packers GM Brian Gutekunst and Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf have a close relationship, since they worked together for years in Green Bay, which could facilitate a deal.

Zappe is slated to make $985k in 2024, which is the last year of his deal — he was cut and re-signed by the Patriots, so this is not his original rookie contract. After this season, he will be a restricted free agent.

Analyst offers intriguing insight about what the Packers could do at QB

Ryan Tannehill is still a free agent after five seasons with the Titans