The first reaction for Green Bay Packers fans when they see Madden ratings for quarterbacks is to think that Jordan Love should probably be a little higher. After all, the highest-paid quarterback in football is tied for 14th in the game, with a 81 rating.

But to be fair, it seems like EA Sports wants to see the same production for a longer period. It becomes clearer because Houston Texans’ CJ Stroud has the same rating.

But they are behind players like Tua Tagovailoa, Brock Purdy, Kirk Cousins, and Jared Goff, which is certainly a questionable outcome.

Either way, that’s up for debate.

However, the more useful takeaway from the ratings is not related to Love. It’s actually about the other quarterbacks on the Packers’ roster.

Backup battle

Over the last two years, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has drafted two quarterbacks on day 3. Last season, he took Sean Clifford in the fifth round. In 2024, the team selected Michael Pratt in the seventh.

Despite the difference in draft status and experience within the offensive system, Madden rated Pratt as the better quarterback, putting him above Clifford on the depth chart as the primary backup behind Love.

Michael Pratt has a 59 overall rating, which includes 81 in speed, 85 in jump, and 66 in arm strength. Sean Clifford has a 58 overall rating, including 87 in agility — the big issue for Clifford is his 59 arm strength.

“I think he’s a guy that he definitely is a tough, fearless thrower, and that to me is a prerequisite with the position,” head coach Matt LaFleur said of Pratt. “You’ve got to be able to stand in there and throw in muddy pockets, throw in the face of pressure, and I think he exhibited that. I think he’s a winner, so we were excited. We were kind of shocked that he was still there in the seventh.”

Tough camp

None of the Packers’ young quarterbacks has played particularly well in training camp. That’s probably why Green Bay decided to keep veteran Jacob Eason on the 90-man roster even with Jordan Love back from his hold-in after signing the contract extension.

Does it matter?

Ideally, the Packers would prefer to keep their young guys, because they are cheaper and have longer deals. But they are not secured to a roster spot.

In this sense, Madden ratings might matter more than you would think. It shows how the outside perception of the players, and Pratt is nationally perceived as a better prospect than Clifford.

This means that, at least in theory, Michael Pratt is less likely to clear waivers if the Packers decide to cut him before the regular season. Therefore, the optimal process is probably keeping Pratt, potentially waiving Clifford — and if he clears waivers, which seems a realistic outcome, Green Bay would have the possibility to sign him back to the practice squad.

If Clifford does get claimed, Eason would be an obvious practice squad candidate.

The Packers might very well decide to keep all three drafted quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, as Gutekunst has already taken this approach in the past (the last time was in 2020, when they had Aaron Rodgers, Tim Boyle, and a rookie Jordan Love). Still, it’s an intriguing secondary competition, and preseason games will give us a better understanding of where these young pieces are in their careers.