Buccaneers Must Consider Veteran Free-Agent QBs in 2015 NFL Free Agency
As the NFL season wanes, many players are auditioning for a job, whether it's with their current team or another interested franchise.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers should be particularly interested in several quarterbacks around the league who might serve as the franchise's future starter.
Finding a starting quarterback is too important of a decision not to consider all of the available options.
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There will certainly be a sect of the Buccaneers fanbase that will think, "Hey, we currently own the No. 2 overall pick in the draft. Let's draft either Oregon's Marcus Mariota or Florida State's Jameis Winston. At least one of them will be available."
But it's not that easy.
While Mariota is generally considered an elite prospect, his readiness to play at the NFL level will be questioned. Winston's maturity continues to come into question after multiple off-the-field incidents. Plus, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner's play dipped this season compared to last year's historic campaign.
The MMQB.com's Peter King alluded to a changing of the guard when it comes to NFL decision-makers and their preference at the quarterback position:
"I just have this feeling we’re headed for a quarterback mini-revolution in 2015. It’s part RG3-rebelliousness, part dissatisfaction with the status quo of the Cutler/Newton/Kaepernick crowd, part not being sold on Marcus Mariota, part being deathly afraid in the current domestic violence climate of Jameis Winston—who is in a Florida State disciplinary hearing this week for suspicion of sexually assaulting a fellow FSU student—and part… well, just the feeling that we might be headed for a bit of a market correction in how the position is played.
More and more general managers I speak with are hesitant about putting their quarterback at the kind of risk so many mobile quarterbacks are in these days.
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These are legitimate concerns for each of the teams around the league. For the Buccaneers, who continue to struggle primarily due to the quarterback position, a more stable presence behind center may be a better option than a fresh-faced first-year player.
The Buccaneers' approach to this year's offseason potentially provided clues to the team's approach during next year's free agency and the draft.
During the 2013 campaign, Mike Glennon emerged as the top rookie quarterback. While there wasn't much to the class overall, Glennon still earned a chance to start again.
Instead, the Buccaneers quickly signed veteran quarterback Josh McCown to a two-year, $10 million contract during free agency.
Once McCown was signed, head coach Lovie Smith anointed him the team's starting quarterback, per ESPN.com news services:
"Every position there's competition. We have starting rotations. Gerald McCoy is at the top of the depth chart with our starting rotation and then you have to have a certain level of play for guys to stay that way. That's the way it's always been with me. There has to be a starting spot, a starting point, a starting person to go out there first and that would be Josh.
"
As general manager Jason Licht and his scouting department evaluate the quarterback prospects in next year's draft class, the question will be asked, "Are they capable of starting as a rookie?"
If the answer is no or the team feels it can't simply slide any of the prospects into the starting lineup at the onset of their career, it's likely the organization signs a veteran quarterback to provide "a starting point."
Clearly, McCown isn't the answer. Both he and Glennon have held the team back this season.
| Player | Starts | Completion % | Passing Yards | Touchdowns | Turnovers |
| Josh McCown | 7 | 59.2 | 1,540 | 7 | 10 |
| Mike Glennon | 5 | 57.6 | 1,417 | 10 | 6 |
Tampa Bay already has all the weapons it needs on offense with Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson at wide receiver plus Charles Sims and a revitalized Doug Martin at running back. Rookie tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins is yet another talented target growing into a bigger role.
With this much talent on offense—despite a struggling offensive line—these two quarterbacks should be playing better than they've shown.
"You look at every position and you evaluate every player on your team and see if you need to improve that position," Smith told ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas last April. "If we think we do need a lot of improvements in a lot of areas I think you do owe it to your fans—and not just our fans, but everybody who loves the Tampa Bay Buccaneers—to do that. That's what we've done. We're going to do the same thing in the draft."
If Smith remains true to his word, the Buccaneers will almost certainly bring in another quarterback or two to compete for the starting spot.
Four veteran options could potentially be available in free agency who could serve as a bridge for another rookie quarterback or even develop into the Buccaneers' long-term starter:
Brian Hoyer
Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine gave Hoyer one more chance by naming the sixth-year veteran the team's starting quarterback Wednesday, as first reported by Fox Sports.
But it's only a matter of time before Johnny Manziel, a first-round pick in May's draft, will be handed the reins of the franchise.
Manziel got his first taste of extended NFL play Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. The legend of "Johnny Football" grew when he led the Browns to a touchdown on his first series as the team's quarterback.
Despite declining play from Hoyer, the support he received to remain the starter is a testament to the leader he is within the Browns' locker room.
"I'm hopeful [the decision] went over well," Pettine said Wednesday, per the Canton Repository's Steve Doerschuk. "I spoke to some of [the team]. There were more positive about Brian than anything else."
However, Hoyer's agent, Joe Linta, told Bleacher Report there haven't been any discussions with the team about a contract extension since May. The Browns slow-played this process despite Hoyer helping them start the season 7-5 and into the thick of the playoff race.
At 29 years old, Hoyer is the oldest of the potential free-agents options listed here, but he's also proved to be the most successful leading a team over the past year.
Hoyer helped turn around one of the league's doormats. He could potentially do the same for the Buccaneers next season.
The question at this point in the process is whether Sanchez's recent success is the product of Chip Kelly's offensive system.
Sanchez failed spectacularly with the New York Jets before that organization allowed him to walk in free agency.
After reaching the AFC Championship Game in his first two seasons as a starter, Sanchez's play continued to deteriorate. It reached the point where he was going to be benched for rookie Geno Smith before an injury cost him the entirety of the 2013 season.
The USC product may have found a perfect match playing for Kelly. The uptempo system plays to Sanchez's strengths as a quarterback who excels when given simple reads to get the ball out of his hand quickly.
Sanchez was forced into the starting lineup when Nick Foles suffered a collarbone injury. In three of his four starts, the sixth-year pro threw for more than 300 yards.
As a former Top 5 pick and only 28 years old, Sanchez still has the type of upside that can intrigue a franchise. If the Buccaneers are serious about playing with more tempo in the future, Sanchez might be the perfect fit.
Sanchez's availability, though, will depend on the direction the Philadelphia Eagles eventually decide to go at quarterback. If Philadelphia re-signs Sanchez then this conversation could quickly turn toward potentially acquiring Foles.
Austin Davis
Like the Buccaneers, the St. Louis Rams are in an unenviable position at quarterback. They must also make a decision on which way they plan to proceed with a talented roster but a major hole behind center.
The Rams are still tied to former No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford for one more season. Due to numerous injuries over the past few seasons, the organization may feel it's necessary to move on and save the team nearly $13 million in cap space by releasing him.
Davis actually started the season as the team's third-string quarterback behind Bradford and veteran Shaun Hill. Once he was given the chance, the young signal-caller played relatively well. The Buccaneers got a firsthand account of Davis' play when he led the Rams to 19-17 victory over Tampa Bay in his first career start.
In his nine appearances, Davis completed 63.4 percent of his passes for 2,001 yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
However, it was the interceptions that eventually cost the second-year signal-caller his starting job. Four interceptions in his final two starts forced Rams offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to make a move, via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com.
"Austin has played really well for the most part. I think the big thing for us was the turnovers. It’s hard to win in this league when you’re turning the football over. We brought Shaun here to be the backup. Austin kind of kept the job because he was playing so well, but now that Austin’s struggling a little bit we just feel like Shaun’s a guy that’s played. Obviously, has the experience. He’s been in this situation before and will go out there do some things and give us just some energy and things like that.
"
A few growing pains should be expected from a first-time starter who is only 25 years old. But Davis certainly showed enough potential to warrant consideration for another team searching for a quarterback.
The one snag is the Southern Mississippi product is a restricted free agent. If the Rams place a first-round tender on Davis then his market will dry up as teams search for another option.
Of the quarterbacks mentioned, Locker is by far the most physically talented of the bunch.
Over the past two seasons, the former eighth overall pick in the 2011 draft has played well when he's on the field. Unfortunately, Locker can't seem to stay healthy. The University of Washington product has never played a full NFL season.
However, he's shown signs of strong development in his last 11 starts. Since the beginning of the 2013 campaign, Locker completed 59.6 percent of his passes for 2,220 yards, 12 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Locker is often overlooked as one of the most athletic quarterbacks in the NFL. While this might go against the grain regarding the type of quarterback the Buccaneers might prefer, Locker could bring an added dimension to the offense not seen with McCown or Glennon starting.
The numerous injuries will temper expectations for Locker, though. A team that eventually signs him might give him a trial run as a backup or short-term starter until he proves he can remain on the field and become the playmaker the Tennessee Titans envisioned when he was originally drafted.
Future Plans
Inconsistency at the quarterback position can doom a franchise from the start. The Buccaneers were a chic pick by the media to make a playoff run this season. Instead, the team is 2-10 and owns the second overall pick if the NFL draft were held today.
The play of McCown and Glennon has as much to do with the team's disappointing season as any other position.
Quarterback will undoubtedly be a priority for the organization during the offseason. The best plan of action may be to sign one of the aforementioned quarterbacks and hedge the team's bets by also selecting a talented signal-caller in the draft.
However, the search will start in free agency. The Buccaneers should have a few legitimate options to consider before investing heavily in an unproven talent from the collegiate ranks.
Salary information courtesy of Spotrac.com. Brent Sobleski covers the NFC South for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
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