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Packers distribute backup quarterback reps ahead of Week 1
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Packers distribute backup quarterback reps ahead of Week 1

One of the biggest questions fans have about the Green Bay Packers this week is who will step into the game if something happens to star quarterback Jordan Love in the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil. Throughout the summer, the primary backup quarterback was Sean Clifford, who was able to keep that job after being tested by rookie draft pick Michael Pratt until the team traded Malik Willis to the Tennessee Titans around cutdowns.

Clifford, who has two camps of experience in the system, is now on the practice squad, while Willis, who is stepping into a new system, is on the 53-man roster. So you can understand the uncertainty about who is most ready to play live on Friday.

After practice on Sunday, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said that both quarterbacks got scout team reps in the opening practice of the week. LaFleur indicated that no decision has been made yet on which player will be the backup for Green Bay versus the Eagles, as their play in practice throughout the week will determine that.

Given how little Willis has practiced with the Packers, no one should fault the coaching staff for waiting to make a decision on the backup quarterback situation. Here’s an interesting subplot, though: If Green Bay does designate Clifford as a backup, which would mean he would be taken off the practice squad, Willis would be eligible to enter the game as the third quarterback, even if he is one of the Packers’ six inactive players on the 53-man roster based on the NFL’s third quarterback rule — but only if Clifford also gets injured and sits out the rest of the game.

Practice squad players can only be promoted to the game-day roster three times in a single season, so making Clifford an active player has consequences. These promotions reset during the postseason, so the team doesn’t have to factor the value of a third quarterback into their calculations for a playoff game, at least.