The Green Bay Packers’ release of backup quarterback Danny Etling earlier this week made it clear that 2023 fifth-round draft pick Sean Clifford is THE backup to first-year started Jordan Love this coming season. A preliminary depth chart from the team, listing Clifford as the backup, confirmed this reality.
So far, the former Penn State field leader as been accounting well for himself in practices. Actually, he’s been drawing attention for how well he’s been doing in relation to Love.
The Packers raised some eyebrows when they drafted Clifford, but it wasn’t all that much of a surprise that the team would want at least some insurance at quarterback, behind Love. It WAS a bit of a surprise when they went with youth over a more veteran presence at that key backup spot.
The scouting reports on Clifford, however, offered the possibility of a best of both worlds scenario in drafting him. The 25-year-old ex-Nittany Lion, who passed for 10,661 career yards at Penn State with 86 career touchdown passes, is heavy with intangibles, recognized as a well-regarded, poised, confident, and fearless field leader who was a four-time team captain. He also proved himself to be a durable field presence, playing in 51 of 59 games in five seasons, not counting his 2017 redshirt season. Coming into the NFL with six years of college football experience makes this young man a comparatively old soul when stacked up against other league rookies.
There are some legitimate doubts when it comes to Clifford’s NFL starter-level arm strength and long-range accuracy, but none of that has been an issue thus far. As of right now, he’s performing at a level above what many would expect from a fifth-round quarterback selection. He’s also been saying all the right things, reassessing his focus and growing along with much more demanding NFL expectations.
In a recent Sports Illustrated interview, Clifford spoke about his growth during this Green Pay Packers training camp.
“I hate to be cliché about it,” Clifford said. “But it’s really one of those things that, in this lifestyle, I feel like you always have to be so focused on the now because if you pass up and start looking ahead, you’ll start skipping on little details that you’ll miss and it’ll make you less of a player.
“I feel like earlier in my career at Penn State, I looked forward to the NFL too much sometimes and it came to bite me. I don’t think about a week, two weeks from now. I’m thinking about what, ‘Did I do in this practice to get better for tomorrow’s walk-through practice?’ And that walk-through practice will take me through the practice against the Bengals. Those little ebbs and flows of that, that’s generally what I focus on.”
Time will tell where Sean Clifford’s journey takes him. As of right now, though, he’s firmly in the spot right behind Jordan Love.
