Ranking best QBs available from 2025 NFL roster cuts: Former Giants, Ravens standouts among top 10 options

All 32 NFL teams are finalizing rosters in advance of the 2025 season, and that means plenty of shuffling at the game's most important position: quarterback. The Cleveland Browns got the ball rolling in a big way on Monday, one day ahead of the official 53-man roster cuts deadline, when they traded Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders. The move all but cleared the way for rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders to back up veteran Joe Flacco this year.

But Pickett's latest relocation was just the start of the flurry. A handful of others, including some fan favorites and even a former Pro Bowl selection, were among those released into the open market as part of league-wide cuts. Others teams figure to pick through free agency and the waiver wire to address their own last-minute needs under center.

Where should those needy teams -- and other interested parties -- look amid roster cuts? Here are some of the best quarterbacks available now that teams have reached the home stretch of finalizing lineups for the 2025 season:

12. Bailey Zappe

Status: Released | Last with: Kansas City Chiefs

Best known for once offering some zest as Mac Jones' replacement with the New England Patriots, he couldn't stick as the No. 3 behind Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew under Andy Reid. He could return to Kansas City on the practice squad, though.

11. John Wolford

Status: Released | Last with: Jacksonville Jaguars

Apart from Sean McVay, Wolford has bounced between the Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in recent years. But he showed fearlessness as McVay's emergency option back in 2020, starting in place of Goff at the peak of his Los Angeles Rams stint.

10. Hendon Hooker

Status: Released | Last with: Detroit Lions

The Lions handpicked the former Tennessee standout to be Jared Goff's long-term No. 2. But a college injury delayed his NFL start, and he struggled mightily to outplay journeyman Kyle Allen this preseason. It's hard to imagine he'll find a better setup than in Detroit, but maybe Dan Campbell is right: A change of scenery just might be right. He still has upside as a rhythm thrower.

9. Dorian Thompson-Robinson

Status: Released | Last with: Philadelphia Eagles

A one-time preseason stud, "DTR" failed to win the Eagles' No. 3 job after coming over in the first Kenny Pickett trade of the offseason. And Philadelphia is usually pretty keen on retaining developmental assets at the position. His mobility and starting experience (five games in his first two seasons with the Browns) at least make him a worthwhile project.

8. Kyle Trask

Status: Released | Last with: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

A second-round pick out of Florida back in 2021, the big man sat behind Tom Brady and Baker Mayfield for the first four years of his career. He managed just 11 passes during that span, struggling to convince team brass he ever deserved starting consideration. Still, his prototypical size and resumé of mentors could come in handy elsewhere.

NFL roster cuts tracker 2025: Players released by all 32 teams ahead of 53-man roster deadline

Jeff Kerr

7. Kyle McCord

Status: Released | Last with: Philadelphia Eagles

Again, the Eagles aren't quick to part with meaningful quarterback prospects, so McCord's uninspiring summer as a sixth-round rookie is a concern. Still, he's 22 years old, fresh out of Syracuse as a mercurial but confident pro-style passer. Someone will -- and should -- bite on the potential, even as a deep reserve or practice-squad project.

6. Brett Rypien

Status: Released | Last with: Minnesota Vikings

Coming off his sixth team in six NFL seasons, Rypien is a true journeyman, also struggling in whatever extended action he's gotten. But he's respected for his intangibles, hence his continued run of emergency pitstops. Perhaps best known for two stints as a Denver Broncos fill-in, he registers as a plug-and-play veteran for the bench.

5. Easton Stick

Status: Released | Last with: Atlanta Falcons

The NDSU product had a heavy preseason workload vying for Atlanta's backup job after four years behind Justin Herbert with the Los Angeles Chargers. He may stick around on the practice squad, especially depending on Kirk Cousins' future.

4. Desmond Ridder

Status: Released | Last with: Cincinnati Bengals

It wasn't long ago that the Atlanta Falcons literally gave Ridder an entire season as their potential quarterback of the future. The former third-rounder was quite streaky, but he had his moments, rushing for five scores in 2023. He was equally up and down as a Bengals hopeful this preseason, but still, it's hard to find a 25-year-old with his level of NFL experience.

3. C.J. Beathard

Status: Unsigned | Last with: Jacksonville Jaguars

The 31-year-old was on and off practice squads in 2024, making just one start over the last four years. But he was once a scrappy fill-in for Kyle Shanahan's San Francisco 49ers, throwing 18 scores across 19 game appearances in the Bay Area.

2. Tommy DeVito

Status: Released | Last with: New York Giants

A fan favorite for his rise to the starting job as an undrafted rookie in 2023, DeVito never settled in as the answer for a rebuilding Giants squad, but he displayed more big-play flair than counterparts like Daniel Jones. Injuries limited the splash in 2024, but as a Year 1 standout, he tossed eight scores to three picks in a 3-3 run as the fill-in. He would've stuck around in New York if the Giants hadn't overhauled their entire quarterback room, betting on first-rounder Jaxson Dart as the future.

1. Tyler Huntley

Status: Released | Last with: Cleveland Browns

Huntley's 2022 Pro Bowl nod is a bit misleading, considering he started just four games in place of an injured Lamar Jackson that year. But his composure did help the Baltimore Ravens reach the playoffs that season. He also briefly outplayed rookie Shedeur Sanders at the close of the Browns' preseason finale, leading a game-winning drive for Kevin Stefanski. Still just 27, he offers both experience and dual-threat ability, even if he's yet to prove capable of holding a full-time job.