GREEN BAY, Wis. — It's no secret that the Green Bay Packers are in the market for a backup quarterback.
Their free-agent options are few and far between, trade candidates can prove to be too costly for a team with limited draft capital, and the in-house options of Kyle McCord and Desmond Ridder aren't exactly inspiring.
The Packers will likely look to the draft to fortify the position behind Jordan Love, the same way Malik Willis has done for the last two years. Willis departed in free agency, ultimately signing a three-year deal with the Miami Dolphins to become their starting quarterback. General manager Brian Gutekunst and his personnel department have already begun to do their homework, hosting Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton on a top-30 visit this week.
The visit took place on Tuesday, April 7, according to a story uploaded to Morton's Instagram account.
At 6'2" and 221 pounds, Morton possesses the ideal size that teams would look for in a quarterback. He wasn't invited to the Senior Bowl, but he did participate in the East-West Shrine Bowl. Morton was one of 15 quarterbacks to earn invitations to the NFL Scouting Combine, but he wasn't able to conduct any on-field agility testing due to the hairline fracture in his right fibula he suffered in Texas Tech's playoff loss to Oregon. He's spent the last few months healing and recuperating to the point that he was able to showcase his talents for NFL scouts at Texas Tech's pro day a couple of weeks ago.
Behren Morton celebrates after the Red Raiders defeated the West Virginia Mountaineers on Nov. 29. (Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
"It was good being back healthy," Morton told The Daily Toreader. "I really haven't been able to do much leading up to this. Still, at the combine, my leg was still banged up. Didn't get to test there. So the biggest thing for me was just to get back healthy."
Morton has served as a three-year starter in his five seasons with the Red Raiders. He redshirted his freshman season with the school before being thrust into a starting role as a sophomore following injuries to Tyler Shough and Donovan Smith. It marked the first of two instances where Morton was called upon to replace Shough, who is the current starting quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. Across four starts in Shough's stead, Morton completed just south of 57 percent of his passes for 1,117 yards, seven touchdowns, and six interceptions.
The following season, Morton replaced Shough for a second time after the Red Raiders' starter sustained a season-ending fractured fibula. That job would belong to Morton for the remainder of his collegiate career.
In 34 games, Morton threw for 7,872 yards, 64 touchdowns, and just 22 interceptions. He completed a career-high 66 percent of his passes as a senior, throwing 22 touchdowns and tying a single-season low with six interceptions.
Durability could ultimately be a concern at the next level for Morton. He played through a painful AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder during his first year as Texas Tech's starter, but would ultimately return to play in the Independence Bowl late in the season. He earned offensive MVP honors for his performance in the game after throwing for 259 yards and three touchdowns.
Behren Morton played through a hairline fracture in his right fibula in Texas Tech's playoff loss to Oregon. (Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
The following year, Morton sustained a second shoulder injury -- this time, to his non-throwing shoulder. He played through the injury, once again exhibiting the kind of toughness that could land you on the radar for NFL teams. While the Red Raiders were selected to play in the Liberty Bowl, Morton didn't participate, instead opting for season-ending shoulder surgery.
In his final season with the Red Raiders, Morton never truly had a clean bill of health. While he played in 12 games and did so well enough to land Texas Tech in the College Football Playoff for the first time in the program's history, he sustained multiple injuries. He hyperextended his knee in the season opener against Arkansas Pine-Bluff, left a game against Utah with an apparent head injury, and left another against Kansas with a lower-leg injury that tests would indicate was a hairline fibula fracture.
Morton missed the Red Raiders' next two games, but would return and finish the season, all the way through their eventual playoff loss to Oregon.
At Texas Tech's pro day, Morton ran the 40-yard dash in 4.89 seconds, and his hands measured in at 9.5 inches.
Zachary Jacobson is the Editor-in-Chief of Packer Report. He is entering his 12th season covering theGreen Bay Packers. He is a member of thePro Football Writers of America. Follow him on Twitter@zacobson or contact him via email atitszachariahj@gmail.com