2012 NFL Free Agents: 5 Quarterbacks Washington Redskins Should Target

Everyone assumes the Washington Redskins will use the 2012 NFL draft to pickup their next quarterback, but there will be many viable options in the free-agency market soon, and it would only be prudent for the Redskins to thoroughly explore all their choices there.

From the San Francisco 49ers' Alex Smith to the Green Bay Packers' Matt Flynn, there are a number of solid quarterbacks with NFL experience that are going to be up for grabs in the offseason. With the failure they experienced the last time they drafted a potential franchise QB (Jason Campbell), the Redskins might be better off going with a guy who has at least a few years under his belt.

Here are five quarterbacks who will be free agents in 2012 that the Washington Redskins should highly consider signing for next season.

Kyle Orton, Kansas City Chiefs

Kyle Orton was the quarterback of two AFC West teams this season, opening the season as the starter for the Denver Broncos then taking over the job for the Kansas City Chiefs once the Broncos cut him in favor of Tim Tebow and the Chiefs lost Matt Cassel and Tyler Palko to injury.

I think Orton is one of the most unfairly maligned quarterbacks in the league. His career statistics are comparable to Eli Manning's. And he has had success as a starter, namely with the Chicago Bears. He set a rookie record when he won 10 games starting for Chicago in 2005.

Orton perhaps does not look like the next franchise quarterback, but he could be. If nothing else, the Redskins can try him out next season, and if he disappoints, they can go after the quarterback they wanted to draft this year, the USC Trojans' Matt Barkley.

Chase Daniel, New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints have two quarterbacks that will be free agents at the end of the season, but I'm not even going to entertain the idea that Drew Brees will end up anywhere else.

Chase Daniel will be a restricted free agent, which means the Saints have the ability to match any offer and keep Daniel. However, if the Washington Redskins really wanted him, they could easily take him out of the Saints price range.

Daniel was undrafted and ironically once released by the Redskins, but the Saints like him, and he has slowly moved up over the years from their emergency quarterback to their backup.

This would be a risky choice for sure, but because he's unproven, Washington could get him very cheaply. Daniel was excellent in college, taking the Missouri Tigers to new heights (they were one game away from a BCS National Championship Game appearance) while being named the Tigers' first Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2007.

Playing behind Drew Brees for three years had to be an amazing learning experience for Daniel. He never really got a chance as a starter because of his height, but as Brees himself has proven, short guys can be NFL stars.

Alex Smith, San Francisco 49ers

After five years of disappointment, Alex Smith has finally lead the San Francisco 49ers to the playoffs. This season has also statistically been the best yet for Smith, who currently has a 90.1 passer rating with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions on the year. Coming into the season, Smith had 53 interceptions to only 51 touchdowns.

With his improvement, a number of teams may be competing for Smith in the offseason. The 49ers have yet to resign him, which means they may be uncertain of whether or not they want to commit to him as their long-term quarterback.

The Washington Redskins should certainly consider making a move for Smith. He is a seasoned veteran, and would be ready to take the field from game one, unlike most of the rookies they'd be looking at in the 2012 NFL draft.

Dennis Dixon, Pittsburgh Steelers

As the Denver Broncos have proven this year with Tim Tebow, an NFL team can succeed with a mostly running quarterback if they have a good offensive line, good defense and good running game.

The Washington Redskins have two of the three. They could use a premier running back, and they'd definitely need one if they picked up Dennis Dixon and he ended up winning the starting job.

Dixon has done well while filling in for Ben Roethlisberger over the past two years. He completed 18 of 26 passes for 236 yards as he led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a victory over the Atlanta Falcons last season.

In all honesty, Dixon is most likely a backup quarterback in the NFL. But like Chase Daniel, he could be a useful pickup for the Redskins to try out for a time while their newly drafted rookie gets acclimated.

Matt Flynn, Green Bay Packers

Despite the limited playing time he has seen in his four years as the Green Bay Packers backup, there is ample excitement about Matt Flynn throughout the league.

The expectation is that Flynn will get a starting job somewhere in the NFL. Most of this is due to his performance filling in last year against the New England Patriots. Facing the best team (by record) in the league, Flynn completed 24 of 37 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns.

In posting a 100.2 passer rating in his only career start, Flynn did enough to create a buzz. He's consequently considered by most to be the best free agent quarterback in the 2012 field. The Redskins would be smart to go after him hard.

If nothing else, playing behind Aaron Rodgers for four years must have been a unique and invaluable learning experience.