NFL: Any Quarterbacks Still Out There?

Now that the Baltimore Ravens have signed veteran quarterback Matt Schaub to back up Joe Flacco (the details according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com), the question should be asked…

Are there any other veteran signal-callers out there worth adding to a team’s roster this offseason?

As has been acknowledged, teams these days do not really rely on free agency to land a starting quarterback. You either find one in the NFL draft or trade for one…or both.

Sep 21, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Matt Cassel (16) against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of a game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

This offseason, we saw the Buffalo Bills make a deal with the Minnesota Vikings for veteran Matt Cassel. The well-traveled signal-caller will challenge former first-round pick EJ Manuel for the starting job for Rex Ryan’s squad.

The New York Jets have two-year pro Geno Smith. But there is a new sheriff in town with head coach Todd Bowles and the team dealt for journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick to push the young quarterback.

Then there is the case of the Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams, who swapped a few picks along with quarterbacks Nick Foles and Sam Bradford, respectively.

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This offseason’s exceptions to the imaginary rule are the Cleveland Browns and the Houston Texans, who ironically have quarterback Brian Hoyer in common. The six-year quarterback started 13 games for the Browns this past season but this was a franchise that also made quarterback Johnny Manziel a first-round pick last May. Rather than stick around, he opted to take the free-agent highway to Houston, where he will compete with Ryan Mallett for the starting job this summer.

Back to the Browns, who seem to be a mess once again on the offensive side of the football. While Manziel is in the process of getting his life back together, Cleveland opted to sign veteran Josh McCown, who was one and done in Tampa Bay this past season and released by the club. The Browns also opted to bring back Thaddeus Lewis, who found his way onto the Texans’ roster at the end of 2014 when quarterback injuries became an epidemic.

As for the Buccaneers, we all believe we know what they are going to do on April 30.

Nov 24, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; New York Jets quarterback Michael Vick (1) is sacked by Buffalo Bills defensive end Mario Williams (94) during the first half at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

So exactly who is still out there on the unrestricted free-agent market in terms of quarterbacks? There is Michael Vick, the first overall pick way back in 2001 that would spend this past season with the New York Jets. He played in 10 games, made three starts, completed just 52.9 percent of his passes for 604 yards and three scores.

Of course, he was also picked off twice, lost two of his five fumbles and was sacked 19 times.

Ouch!

Sep 21, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jason Campbell (17) against the Tennessee Titans at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 33-7. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

There is 10-year pro Jason Campbell, who backed up Andy Dalton in Cincinnati this past season. He did get a chance to play briefly this past season, completing 11-of-19 throws for 74 yards with one lost fumble. He remains available as well.

Matt Flynn saw some mop-up duty this past season in place of NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers. And keep in mind that the previous year he not only started four games for the Packers (when Rodgers was injured) and one contest for the Oakland Raiders.

There is also Tarvaris Jackson and Jordan Palmer, who saw extremely limited action with the Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans, respectively, in 2014. Like the other aforementioned quarterbacks, they are looking for work as well.

Yes, it is safe to say that there are very slim pickings when it comes to finding an experienced quarterback on the open market. However, do not be surprised if a few of these signal-callers find a job somewhere, perhaps with their last employer. But if a team does not have at least one quarterback on their roster they can feel good about, it had better hope it is getting ready to strike gold in this year’s draft.

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