The Week 5 Replacement List! The list has doubled from last week where only three backups saw time on the field
6. Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints
Hill is only credited with throwing one pass at qb, but saw more meaningful time on the field rushing three times for 13 yards. He also was on the field at WR for a few snaps but didn’t make a catch.
The endgame with Hill still is a bit of a mystery as the Saints use him as a swiss army knife more than any one position, yet Hill doesn’t stand out at any of them.
Stats: 0/1, 0, 0, 0
Next week: Likely to be more of the same where he’s used as either a decoy or a utility weapon.
5. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Hurts has nearly cracked this list a few times as he’s been brought onto the field in similar situations as Taysom Hill has. Hurts has come in the game a few times but only used as a runner, and it wasn’t until this weekend where he officially attempted a pass in the NFL.
His one pass was a success, gaining a first down and making it look like there could be many more to come. It’s far too early to determine what his status will be though.
Stats: 1/1, 18, 0, 0
Next week: The Eagles are in a strange place right now at 1-3-1. Ordinarily, this would be a great time for them to consider making a switch at quarterback to let the rookie get some snaps. But since the Eagles are only a game out of first place in the lackluster NFC East, the Eagles are likely to stick with Carson Wentz. But if they don’t start picking up wins, Hurts will be getting a call.
4. Matt Barkley, Buffalo Bills
Barkley saw limited action late Tuesday night as the Bills were just trying to get out of the game without anymore injuries. Starter Josh Allen was benched in the fourth quarter and Barkley oversaw the final drive of the game. Outside of nearly throwing an interception on his first attempt, Barkley had little of interest to talk about.
Stats: 3/5, 22, 0, 0
Next week: Barkley will only be getting time if a similar collapse happens.
3. Alex Smith, Washington Football Team
The one feelgood story of 2020. Alex Smith, two years removed from a gruesome leg injury that most thought was career ending, returned to action for the now-Washington Football Team and oversaw action after starter Kyle Allen – who was only named starter after Dwayne Haskins was demoted to third string – left the game with a potential concussion. Smith took over from then on and looked rusty as hell. Not a surprise since he hadn’t played in two years, had over a dozen surgeries, and nearly lost his leg due to infection.
Yet coach Ron Rivera stuck with Smith even after Allen was medically cleared to return. The game was never in doubt and maybe Rivera just wanted Smith to get some reps and shake some of the dust off. Either way it wasn’t a spectacular performance, but under the circumstances it was truly phenomenal to see.
Stats: 9/17, 37, 0, 0
Next week: Washington remains a mess so maybe Alex Smith will see some time. Kyle Allen didn’t look impressive before having to leave the game so who knows?
2. CJ Beathard, San Francisco 49ers
The second straight week that Beathard has made this list and that’s not a good sign for the 49ers. No team should have back-to-back appearances on here unless it’s under the most dire of circumstances.
Starter Jimmy Garoppolo looked absolutely terrible in his comeback performance against Miami. Multiple first half interceptions and a fumble put the 49ers down 30-7 at the half. Coach Kyle Shanahan said that he pulled Jimmy G in order to “protect him,” which is possibly true but if he’s at risk then he probably shouldn’t be out there anyway. Either way this position continues to be an issue for the 49ers as three different qbs have played significant time now and none have looked great.
Beathard did throw the lone TD of the game for the 49ers but it came too late to be helpful and his other 2nd half drives bogged down.
Stats: 9/18, 94, 1, 0
Next week: The 49ers face the Rams and while Jimmy G will likely be the starter, there could be more trouble ahead.
1. Andy Dalton, Dallas Cowboys
If Alex Smith was the feel good story of the day this late game saw the most down beat story of the day as Dallas starter Dak Prescott left the game – and likely the season – with a vicious leg injury. An injury so bad that Dak was crying, owner Jerry Jones was crying, and even some of the opposing New York Giants looked upset as it happened.
Dalton took over late in a close game and played fairly well putting up strong numbers and even rushing for a TD to tie the game up. Dalton even took Dallas on a game winning drive in the 4th quarter.
Stats: 9/11, 111, 0, 0
Next week: There’s little doubt that Dalton is the quarterback for the foreseeable future. The question is at what level can Dalton realistically play? He’s only been with the team for a few months and has had no significant first string reps until this coming week. Dallas leads the division at 2-3 and the rest of 2020 now rests on Dalton’s shoulders.
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