Who is Michael Pratt, Packers’ reserve QB? Will he be Jordan Love’s replacement this season?
With the battle for the Packers’ backup quarterback spot in full swing, we’re taking a look at one of the team’s options for the coveted spot: Michael Pratt.
![With the battle for the Packers’ backup quarterback spot in full swing, we’re taking a look at one of the team’s options for the coveted spot: Michael Pratt.](https://img.asmedia.epimg.net/resizer/v2/N4LCU2UHE6OX6IJCN7BHOHQGPI.jpg?auth=f90d0694a4ad3253fdfd7235a5c67244eb897bea2c55c476925466b40bf16de8&width=360&height=203&smart=true)
The Green Bay Packers have got themselves a starting quarterback in the form of Jordan Love, but where the team’s backup QB is concerned, there is now an intense fight for the spot between Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt ahead of the start of the 2024-25 NFL season.
Introducing Michael Pratt
As a seventh-round selection with the no. 245 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Michael Pratt didn’t exactly turn heads. That’s not to say the Tulane product didn’t have a solid college career as evidenced by the fact that he passed for 1,806 passing yards and 20 touchdown passes in his freshman year, while also rushing for 229 yards and eight touchdowns. He did even better as a sophomore, completing 57.6% of his passes for 2,381 yards and 21 touchdowns with eight interceptions. to that end, it was no surprise that he entered his junior season on the watchlist for the Maxwell Award.
Of course, that’s all in the past, and what matters here and now is the present where the Boca Raton-born signal caller finds himself in a fight for the backup quarterback spot for the Green Bay Packers. That said, if you ask Pratt himself, he insists he just wants to improve so that he can be part of the roster.”I think every week, every day, every rep, you kind of just get better and feel more comfortable. I think kind of being in that game setting and operating, there’s things that people don’t even think about. Working the huddle, working the clock,” Pratt said. “All those things are factors that are involved that you don’t even think about. Just kind of being in that position and going through the motions with it, and operating just definitely gives you a little bit more confidence because you’ve been in that moment before.”
That brings us back to the aforementioned fight with teammate and fellow quarterback Clifford Michael who also has his eyes on the backup spot. Surprisingly, there doesn’t appear to be any rivalry between the two players according to Pratt who stated quite the opposite. “He [Clifford] said from the very beginning of when I got here that it’s not me vs. him or him vs. me. It’s him and I vs. everyone else,” Pratt said. “I think that’s just kind of the mentality we’ve had is pushing each other to make each other better, and I think that’s what we’ve been doing. ...I think we’ve both been elevating every single day and ultimately, I don’t think that’s what we’re concerned about. We’re concerned about how we can help this team, how we can help the locker room, how we can help Jordan, and so, that’s the biggest emphasis right now.”
So, will Pratt play this Sunday when the Packers take on the Denver Broncos in Colorado? With Jordan Love officially sidelined, there is no doubt that we will see Pratt in action for the Packers this Sunday and that’s before we even account for the 22-year-old’s performances so far. Consider for a moment that Pratt was impressive in the Packers preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns, passing 119 yards while completing 53% of his passing attempts. It’s also worth noting that Clifford has been one of the three quarterbacks who has conceded the most interceptions during practice sessions, something that only strengthens Pratt’s case. Nonetheless, we can only wait and watch. Packers vs Broncos kicks off at 9:00 p.m. ET. Don’t miss it.