NFL sends out “Emergency Third Quarterback” Q&A

The NFL is notoriously reactive, rarely proactive. The biggest reactionary move from the 2022 season was sparked by the NFC Championship, which saw the contest between the 49ers and Eagles become borderline unwatchable after San Francisco lost both of its game-day quarterbacks to injury.And so the NFL reacted, but not with a meaningful fix. The league brought back the emergency third quarterback rule. As written, the rule creates no real incentive to use it.The problem with the resurrected rule flows from the fact that, to be dressed as an extra player on game day, the third quarterback must be on the 53-man roster. This requires teams to use an official roster spot on a third quarterback. It has not moved the needle. Last year, before the return of the third quarterback rule, 12 teams had three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. This year, 13 have three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster.Most teams, then, will roll the dice on going with two quarterbacks. It's a safe bet. How often are both quarterbacks injured in the same game? Besides, for most teams, the third-string quarterback is the third-string quarterback for a reason. If he ever has to play in a given game, the cause is...