Team Needs: Quarterbacks

With no CBA in place, the NFL offseason will be a crazy roll of the dice. Usually teams are able to fill certain needs before the draft, but that appears wholly unlikely this season. 

Teams will either try and fill as many needs as they can during the draft or simply draft the best players they can and then worry about filling holes once the CBA is worked out.

Franchise Quarterback (1st-2nd Round)
Cardinals- There might not be a team more in need of a QB than Arizona. Fielding a similar offense to that of 2009 minus Warner and Anquan Boldin, Arizona’s production really took a nose-dive. They drafted Max Hall and John Skelton last year, but while Skelton proved intriguing, neither showed enough to warrant naming them the proverbial “starter of the future.” I still think Arizona will lean towards a veteran QB to keep Fitzgerald happy and avoid the development period, but there will without a doubt be a new man under center in 2011.

Bengals- Carson Palmer continues to clamor that he wants out of Cincy and with Benson a free agent and Owens and Ochocino likely on their way out as well, it makes sense for the Bengals to blow the whole thing up and start over. Palmer hasn’t been the same QB the past few seasons after multiple injuries and is not ideally suited for a rebuilding team.  A quarterback in the top three rounds is extremely likely, perhaps even higher if the teams gives Ochocino the trade he wants.

Titans- Vince Young is no longer welcome in Tennessee and while the reports of Rusty Smith’s incredible offseason work ethic are heart warming, they don’t exactly stave off the calls for a new man running the Titan offense. What type of QB they bring in while depend on the system that Munchak wants to run, but with Johnson, Britt and possibly Moss, this could be a solid offense with a reliable QB.

Redskins– The Donovan McNabb experiment just never worked in Washington and whether it was his fault or Shannahan’s the veteran will not be under center next season. Rex Grossman is certainly no bet to revive his career and the Redskins have long been in love with Jake Locker’s talent. Add that all together and a quarterback selection early in the draft is likely.

Vikings- Even if Brett Favre decides to play the “will he or won’t he” game this offseason, I can’t see the Vikings being interested in tangoing with him. They have a talented, young offense with Rice, Harvin and Peterson and need a QB to fit with those dynamic playmakers. While Jackson has shown flashes at times, it’s clear nobody in Minnesota has faith in him as a starter.

Seahawks- Trading a second round pick for Charlie Whitehurst may prevent the Seahawks from drafting a QB early, but it shouldn’t, as Whitehurst showed no indication that he was an NFL starter during his few auditions last season. With Hasselbeck starting to near retirement age, Pete Carroll needs a quarterback to take over when the veteran inevitably calls it quits or help push him out the door.

49ers- Nobody is entirely sure what Harbaugh is going to do in San Fran, but Alex Smith has never really instilled much confidence that he is consistent enough to be an NFL starter. Harbaugh might be willing to give him a shot, but Smith doesn’t seem to be the ideal fit for the traditional, power offense that Harbaugh ran at Stanford.  It might be time for the 49ers to cut bait with the former #1 overall pick.

Bills- The Bills are in an interesting situation because while Ryan Fitzpatrick is certainly better suited to be an NFL back-up, he proved that he could be serviceable as a starter if need be. While that may put less pressure on Buffalo to rush out and grab a QB early on, nobody is fooled into believing that Fitzpatrick is the answer to Buffalo’s decade-long QB problem. With Brian Brohm showing no indication that he belongs on an NFL roster, a quarterback will be added at some point this offseason.

Back-up (3rd-6th Round)
Panthers- It’s too early to write off Clausen. Yes, his rookie year was terrible, but it’s not as if he had much talent around him to work with. He has enough intangibles to warrant another season of development before being dethroned by a rookie QB. Carolina could look to bring in a Mark Bulger-like stop-gap or draft a QB in the middle rounds to compete.

Dolphins– Consider me one of the few people that believe that Chad Henne has the tools to be a successful NFL starter. He and Brandon Marshall simply never got on the same page last year and Henne’s confidence took a beating after a rough stretch. The Dolphins will need another option in case it happens again, but Henne is too talented to simply write off.

Jets- Mark Brunell is ancient and Mark Sanchez still hasn’t decided if he wants to be an NFL star or not. There is no way that the Jets are moving on from him, but they need to have a solid back-up plan in case he gets interception-happy again.

Browns– I’m a Colt McCoy skeptic. He showed flashes in the win over the Patriots, but I think he was more impressive because of the low expectations that people had. He doesn’t possess and NFL arm and is small for the position. The Browns would be smart to bring in a guy that can push him and potentially take the reins if McCoy doesn’t show any growth. Delhomme and Seneca Wallace are just roster fodder at this point in their careers.

Ravens– This is contingent on Mark Bulger seeking a starter opportunity elsewhere, which I firmly believe he will do. If he leaves, the Ravens are left with nobody behind Flacco and while his starting position isn’t remotely in question, every QB needs a solid back-up.

Jaguars– The Jags have never seemed sold on Garrard as their starter, but he’s done a solid job throughout most of his career. I think it would be greedy of Jacksonville to look to replace him when they have holes in multiple places on their team, but they need a plan B.

Chiefs– When Brodie Croyle was forced to play last year, the results were far from satisfactory. While Matt Cassel has answered questions about his long-term viability as a starter, he needs somebody behind him in case of injury.

Eagles– Michael Vick’s resurgence was the story of the NFL last year, but he may have forced Kevin Kolb out in the process. If one of these other teams is willing to give Kolb a chance to start for them, the Eagles are going to need to find somebody who is game ready in case Vick gets hurt during a scramble as he is prone to.

Developmental (6th-7th Round)
Patriots– Brady is a star, Hoyer is not. Brady isn’t invincible and can’t be expected to play forever. The Patriots are going to need to start developing somebody behind him. As Aaron Rogers has proved, taking a few seasons to develop behind a future Hall of Famer can be very beneficial.

Colts– The Colts are in the same position as the Pats. Manning is getting up there in age and Curtis Painter has shown no indication that he can do anything other than hurt the team when he is forced to play. I’d love to see how a Manning protégé turns out.