For the second straight season, Jarrett Stidham took over as his team’s starting quarterback for the final two games of the campaign in 2023.

Stidham had not thrown a pass this season when the Denver Broncos pulled Russell Wilson to give the former Auburn standout a look at quarterback.

By completing 40-of-66 passes for 496 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the two games, Stidham moved to fifth in NFL career passing yards among former Auburn players.

Stidham passed Pat Sullivan. But with 1,422 career passing yards, Stidham has a long way to go to catch the former Auburn player with the most NFL passing yards. Cam Newton sits atop the list with 32,382 passing yards.

The only other former Auburn player to throw a pass during the 2023 NFL season was a teammate of Stidham’s on the Plains. Tennessee Titans QB Malik Willis passed only five times this season. He started three games as a rookie in 2022, but 2023 second-round draft choice Will Levis supplanted Willis as the Titans’ backup before replacing Ryan Tannehill as Tennessee’s No. 1 quarterback this season.

The top 10 NFL passers among Auburn alumni (as measured by passing yards):

1. Cam Newton: 32,382 passing yards

Carolina Panthers 2011-19, 2021, New England Patriots 2020: Newton completed 2,682-of-4,474 passes with 194 touchdowns and 123 interceptions for an 85.2 passer rating. The first player picked in the 2011 NFL Draft, Newton holds the NFL record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 75.

2. Jason Campbell: 16,771 passing yards

Washington Redskins 2005-09, Oakland Raiders 2010-11, Chicago Bears 2012, Cleveland Browns 2013, Cincinnati Bengals 2014: Campbell completed 1,519-of-2,518 passes with 87 touchdowns and 60 interceptions for an 81.7 passer rating. Campbell was Washington’s starting quarterback for five seasons and Oakland’s for one season.

3. Dick Wood: 7,153 passing yards

Denver Broncos 1962, San Diego Chargers 1962, New York Jets 1963-64, Oakland Raiders 1965, Miami Dolphins 1966: The former Lanett High School standout completed 522-of-1,194 passes with 51 touchdowns and 71 interceptions for a 52.9 passer rating. Wood made a tour of the AFL, playing for five of the nine franchises in five seasons. He was the starter in his two seasons with the Jets.

4. Dieter Brock: 2,658 passing yards

Los Angeles Rams 1985: The former Jones Valley High School standout completed 218-of-365 passes with 16 touchdowns and 13 interceptions for an 82.0 passer rating. Brock’s experience at Auburn consisted of backing up Pat Sullivan before transferring to Jacksonville State. But he has more pro passing yards than any player on the list. He piled up 34,830 passing yards in the Canadian Football League. Brock got his NFL opportunity at age 34 and spent his only season in the league as the Rams’ starter.

5. Jarrett Stidham: 1,422 passing yards

New England Patriots 2019-21, Las Vegas Raiders 2022, Denver Broncos 2023: Stidham has completed 117-of-197 passes with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions for a 78.3 passer rating. He has played in 16 games, with four starts.

6. Pat Sullivan: 1,155 passing yards

Atlanta Falcons 1972-75: The 1971 Heisman Trophy winner and former John Carroll Catholic standout completed 93-of-220 passes with five touchdowns and 16 interceptions for a 36.5 passer rating. Sullivan started four games in the NFL.

7. Travis Tidwell: 493 passing yards

New York Giants 1950-51: The former Woodlawn High School standout completed 33-of-76 passes with five touchdowns and seven interceptions for a 48.8 passer rating. Tidwell was the seventh player picked in the 1950 NFL Draft, but his NFL career consisted of 14 games.

8. Malik Willis: 350 passing yards

Tennessee Titans 2022-23: Willis has completed 35-of-66 passes with no touchdowns and three interceptions for a 49.4 passer rating. Willis played two seasons at Liberty after spending two seasons as Stidham’s backup at Auburn. He has played in 11 NFL games, with three starts.

9. Monk Gafford: 265 passing yards

Miami Seahawks 1946, Brooklyn Dodgers 1946-48: The former Fort Deposit High School standout completed 18-of-44 passes with four touchdowns and four interceptions for a 53.7 passer rating. Auburn’s first 1,000-yard rusher, Gafford was a halfback and wingback in the pros. He led the All-American Football Conference in kickoff-return yards in 1948.

10. David Beverly: 129 passing yards

Houston Oilers 1974-75, Green Bay Packers 1975-80: Beverly completed 4-of-6 passes with no touchdowns and no interceptions for a passer rating of 109.7. Beverly had been a quarterback at Sweet Water High School, but he was a punter in the NFL, averaging 38.1 yards on 586 career punts. All his passes came from punt formation.

The ninth and 10th players of Auburn’s top 10 aren’t quarterbacks. Of the 23 former Auburn players who have thrown a pass in an NFL game, nine are considered quarterbacks.

The only former Auburn and NFL QB not on the top 10 chart is Dameyune Craig, who had 34 passing yards for the Panthers in a 2001 game against the Dolphins for his NFL output.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.