Matt Chatham: Backup Quarterbacks Act As Insurance Policies For NFL Teams

Is Jimmy Garoppolo more important to the New England Patriots than, say, Brandon LaFell?

Former NFL linebacker Matt Chatham might say yes.

While it sounds crazy to think a backup quarterback with 27 pass attempts to his name could be more vital than a starting wide receiver, it makes more sense when you think of a backup QB like an insurance policy. If LaFell goes down with an injury, there are plenty of other guys who can catch passes. But if the Patriots lose Tom Brady, there’s only Jimmy G.

“You’re smart to invest in your backup quarterback for similar reasons that you’re smart to buy insurance on your home, your car, and your life,” Chatham wrote in his latest FootballByFootball.com column. “The protection doesn’t become a boom or a bust if you never have to cash in on the policy — that’s not how insurance works in life or in football.

“The quality of the policy is the quality of the policy. You’d be a moo-ron not to carry a ready and significant one at the quarterback position in today’s game.”

The tricky part, Chatham says, is deciding how much to spend on a backup, in terms of money and draft picks. Spend too much or use a draft pick too early on a player who rarely sees the field, then you’re probably going to have holes elsewhere in your roster and wasted talent on your bench.

“You never want to be the poorly insured house on the block,” Chatham wrote. “But you also don’t want to be the house in Connecticut carrying volcano insurance.”