Newly Released QB Gives Packers Another Backup Option

Everyone following the Green Bay Packers knows the backup quarterback job will be one of the position battles to watch this preseason.

Sean Clifford was relatively unchallenged in his rookie year, but GM Brian Gutekunst has made it clear he wants to see if the Penn State product will earn that gig again with more competition.

Though Green Bay has added one QB to the mix in seventh-round selection Michael Pratt, there's now another potential option available.

The Washington Commanders announced Tuesday that they decided to release quarterback Jake Fromm from their 90-man roster. With top pick Jayden Daniels taking over, plus new backup Marcus Mariota, Fromm was on the chopping block as a new regime took over.

Now, that puts an experienced signal-caller on the market -- the exact type that could up the ante in a training camp position battle.

Fromm was a fifth-round pick by the Buffalo Bills in 2020 after a decorated career at Georgia. He spent all of 2020 as a member of the QB room, but never heard his number called as Josh Allen ascended to stardom.

The ex-Bulldog stuck around in Buffalo as a practice squad member in 2021, but was signed by the New York Giants toward the end of the campaign as injuries piled up.

He'd go on to make his NFL debut with the Giants and start two games, though the results (0-2 record, 128 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs) were mostly forgettable. He did still show some dual-threat promise, however, with five rushes for 53 yards in the regular-season finale.

It's tough to hold much of those games against Fromm, who was an emergency fill-in on a New York team that ultimately finished 4-13. The experience of starting is the most valuable, as it's something neither Clifford nor Pratt have in the NFL.

Any hopeful contender can't afford to neglect its backup position. Even a couple of missed games from a top-end starter like Jordan Love could be a serious setback if the Packers don't have the right guy behind him.

That's why it's worth considering Fromm. He'd bring starting experience and at least turn up the heat on Clifford, who needs to prove he's the person to entrust with this offense if Love isn't on the field.

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