NFL Free Agents 2011: 5 Teams in the Running for Vince Young

Ladies and gentlemen, it's almost official: The Vince Young era in Tennessee will soon be over.

According to multiple reports, the Titans will release Young on Thursday after failing to find a trade partner willing to part with anything in return for the quarrelsome quarterback.

I know; I'm shocked, saddened and heartbroken, too.

The cut will bring to an end what had been a rather frustrating five-year relationship between the former Texas Longhorn and the franchise that chose him third overall in the 2006 NFL Draft. Young was the 2006 Offensive Rookie of the Year and twice earned Pro Bowl selections while with the Titans, though he may be better remembered for the multiple benchings he earned from former head coach Jeff Fisher.

The news of Young's imminent split with Tennessee became all but final once the team announced the signing of veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. The Titans essentially brought in Hasselbeck to serve as a stop-gap under center and as a mentor to Jake Locker, the eighth-overall pick in this year's draft and the Titans' quarterback of the future.

As disastrous a demise as befell Young's once promising career, he will likely find a home somewhere around the NFL with a team willing to take a chance on his talent and temper, though most likely as a backup of some sort.

With that in mind, let's take a quick look around the league to see where Vince Young might land and what his prospects with each of those teams would be.

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are still expected to pry Kevin Kolb from Philadelphia but could still use some experienced depth behind him.

If you're coach Ken Whisenhunt and your only options right now if Kolb gets hurt are John Skelton and Derek Anderson, then Vince Young seems like a perfectly safe option to bring on board, just in case.

Kolb will likely come under heavy fire from opposing defenses with the Cards' offensive line in flux. The retirement of Alan Faneca and the possible departures of Deuce Lutui and Lyle Sendlein to free agency will not be easy to compensate for, at least not right away.

That situation figures to put Kolb in harm's way early and often. Should such an unfortunate situation come to pass, Whisenhunt would have the luxury of turning to a guy in Young who not only is capable of escaping the pocket and throwing on the run, but has had considerable success in the past doing so. 

Philadelphia Eagles

Assuming the Philadelphia Eagles succeed in their attempt to offload Kevin Kolb to the Cards, they would still have a gaping hole on their depth chart behind Michael Vick to address.

Who better to fill that void than Vince Young? Certainly, Mike Kafka isn't a serious candidate to do so, unless Andy Reid is expecting some sort of dramatic "metamorphosis" from the guy.

Young would fit in rather perfectly as Vick's backup in a sort of win-win for both sides. For Young, it would allow him to learn from a quarterback who has figured out over the years how to funnel his improvisational talents into being a pocket passer. For the Eagles, the fact that Young's game is notably similar to Vick's makes the transition that much easier should Vick succumb to any significant harm on the field.

Not to mention, it wouldn't be the first time Reid took a chance on a mobile quarterback with a troubled past...

Washington Redskins

Like the Eagles, the Washington Redskins will soon have a need to fill at quarterback if they trade away Donovan McNabb, their own former Philly footballer.

That is, unless Mike Shanahan really believes that some combination of Rex Grossman and John Beck under center will be able to get the job done this year.

Vince Young wouldn't necessarily be the sure-fire starter from Day One, but he would most likely have the opportunity to compete for the position given the incumbent competition (or lack thereof).

And for Shanahan's sake, the 'Skins wouldn't have to sacrifice any draft picks to bring Young on board. 

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins had attempted to install a "Wildcat" component to their offense, wherein the running back would operate as a quarterback and vice versa, but had little success doing so in recent years.

However, the past failures of Pat White in that position might be something of a blessing for Vince Young in south Florida.

Of course, White was considered something of a poor man's Young, so what better way for Miami to resurrect its dreams of a pro-style option offense than by bringing Young on board?

Frankly, Tony Sparano's squad could use all the help they can get on offense after finishing at or near the bottom of the NFL in just about every offensive statistical category last season.

Furthermore, with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams gone to free agency, the Fins will be without any quality experience at tailback. Handing the ball off to Young to pass or run on every down would take of that problem...right?

Right? 

Houston Texans

From a poetic standpoint, no team would be a better fit for Vince Young than the Houston Texans.

First and foremost, signing in Houston would be something of a homecoming for Young. He first rose to prominence in the world of football as a prep phenom at Madison High School in Houston, where he was a U.S. Army All-American and the Parade National Player of the Year. Thus, playing with the Texans would bring Young closer to his home and his glory days as a quarterback in high school and in college at Texas.

Perhaps that bit of comfort is just what Young needs to get his head right and his career back on the straight and narrow.

Speaking of comfort, Young wouldn't likely have much, if any, shot at starting over first-stringer Matt Schaub, but he would find himself in the familiar position of having to outperform Matt Leinart for something of dire importance. In 2006, that meant putting on a dazzling performance to defeat Leinart's USC Trojans in the Rose Bowl for the national championship.

In 2011, that would mean once again pushing Leinart aside for a slightly-less-glamorous job as the third-string quarterback in Houston behind Schaub and Dan Orlovsky.