A first for Ben Johnson at quarterback and more lessons from the 5 biggest NFL injuries
In practice facilities across the league this week, backup quarterbacks are taking snaps they didn't expect to take. Some are getting their first real chance at an NFL starting role. Others are preparing to hold a spot warm, knowing it might be weeks or months. Six teams are now working without their primary quarterback. The injuries have come fast—some catastrophic, some still unfolding. Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator, is calling plays for a starting QB for the first time in his career. The Giants are already looking ahead to the draft, resetting expectations after their starter went down. What's less obvious: backup quarterback depth across the league was already thin before these injuries hit. Most teams carry only two quarterbacks on active roster, which means any injury doesn't just sideline a starter—it forces immediate improvisation up and down the offense. The season's shape is being rewritten week by week.
