What are the Packers' options at quarterback while Jordan Love recovers from his MCL injury

The Green Bay Packers received mixed news on Saturday . Quarterback Jordan Love was diagnosed with an MCL injury, which is expected to sideline him for three to six weeks — more likely, according to Tom Pelissero, something around the shorter timeframe. It’s positive considering that Love will be back in 2024, but it’s negative considering the Packers will need another starting quarterback for the next few weeks.

Let’s discuss what Green Bay can do at the most important position to keep afloat while Love recovers from the injury he suffered in the final minute of the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil.

Packer Way

This is the most likely scenario, where the Packers play Malik Willis, whom they acquired two weeks ago from the Tennessee Titans . He hasn’t played well in the NFL, and the two plays in which he appeared in São Paulo weren’t great either, but the Packers trusted him to back up Love from the get go.

In this case, the Packers would probably promote Sean Clifford to the active roster to be the backup. Meanwhile, they would have to sign another quarterback to give them depth. The addition to the practice squad could be a player like Jacob Eason or Alex McGough, who had been around Green Bay recently and are free agents.

This is the most Packer Way path. In 2013, they rolled with Seneca Wallace and then Scott Tolzien until Matt Flynn became available in free agency. Curiously enough, in that year the Packers had cut all backups right after training camp.

Pratt plan

Michael Pratt was waived by the Packers and cleared waivers, but he ended up signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ practice squad. Right now, the Packers could sign him off the Bucs’ PS, but the seventh-round rookie would have to be a member of the 53-man roster for at least three weeks.

In this case, Malik Willis would still be the starter. And if the Packers trust Sean Clifford more to be the backup, they could elevate Clifford from the PS for gameday and inactivate Pratt, who would only offer some depth with a higher ceiling.

Since we’re talking about signing players from other teams’ practice squads, Desmond Ridder is on the Arizona Cardinals’ PS. The Packers traded for Willis instead of acquiring Ridder, so we know who they prefer, but Ridder has been the better quarterback in the NFL comparing their numbers and overall performances. Willis might have a higher ceiling as a developmental quarterback, but Ridder would have a chance to play at a better level right away.

Ryan Tannehill

The quarterback market is thin at this point, what you would expect considering the nature of the position. But Tannehill might still make sense. He showed signs of regression in 2023, his last season for the Titans, but the biggest advantage is that what Tennessee ran as an offense, especially from 2019 to 2022, had similarities to what Matt LaFleur installed as the Titans offensive coordinator in 2018.

The schematic carryover is huge, because Tannehill would have six days to be ready to play against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Another advantage is that Tannehill knows the Colts well, as a former member of the AFC South.

That would allow the Packers to keep developing Malik Willis with more patience, while Tannehill offers a decent floor of competency at the quarterback position.

Trade for a veteran

The Packers have already spent real draft capital to find a backup. They drafted Clifford in the fifth and Pratt in the seventh, plus traded another seventh for Willis. So this is an unlikely scenario, especially considering what it would cost to get a player from another team under these circumstances and how little time the acquired player would have to prepare before the Colts game on Sunday.

The options could be players with a higher ceiling, like Jameis Winston from the Cleveland Browns, or veterans who have played under similar systems, like Taylor Heinicke from the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Packers tend to invest in the decisions they have already made, so playing Malik Willis is still the most likely scenario. But if things don’t go right against the Colts, general manager Brian Gutekunst might go in a different direction for the following games against the Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings.

Related: Packers avoid potential disaster with injury to QB Jordan Love