NFL Free Agency: Why Vince Young as Tim Tebow's Backup Could Work

When you look at the Denver Broncos' pressing needs heading into the offseason, one of the most glaring ones when it comes to a depth perspective is, of course, the quarterback position.

Tim Tebow enters the offseason as the incumbent starter, and there is no doubt that when the Broncos open up the 2012 season in September Tebow will be taking snaps under center (barring injury_.

The question isn't who will be Denver's starting quarterback come 2012, the question is who will back up Tebow? Who will the Broncos find to provide Tebow and the Denver organization with a safety blanket? Where will they find this backup quarterback?

One of the options of finding a backup quarterback is through the draft, where there will be many young quarterbacks available in the late rounds for the Broncos to choose from.

Brandon Weeden of Oklahoma State is a perfect example of one of those players. A player who will turn 29 during the season, Weeden is actually older than Tebow and would likely show a maturity at the NFL level most rookie quarterbacks don't attain until several years into their NFL careers.

If not through the draft or via trade, the last, and most likely scenario, is free agency. Of the plausible free-agent quarterbacks available that could be signed by Denver, the one that most pops out is none other than Vince Young.

Why do I say Young is the best option at backup quarterback for the Broncos entering the 2012 season?

First of all, let's look at the other free-agent quarterbacks that could be signed by the Broncos as free agents.

David Garrard is one of them, and he's not a bad quarterback. However, he's 33 years old, went through an entire season without playing football and is constantly bothered by recurring injuries.

Dennis Dixon is another, and in his short experience in the NFL, he's proved to be a decent quarterback. However, he still has very limited experience in the NFL and nobody knows what to expect out of Dixon if Tebow were to struggle, or himself get injured, thus pressing Dixon into long-term starting duty.

Donovan McNabb is an option, as are guys like Charlie Batch, Byron Leftwich, David Carr, Dan Orlovsky and Kyle Boller.

I think you get the point.

Young is the perfect fit for this team because his resume matches the Broncos' needs.

He is a quarterback who was a starter in this league for the first five years of his career. He was one of the winningest quarterbacks in the league as a starter. He was the Offensive Rookie of the Year, he led the Titans to the playoffs and he has proved to be a clutch quarterback when need be.

Did I mention he likely won't garner much interest in free agency as a starter?

After having a season in which he made three starts in place of an injured Michael Vick, Young threw for four touchdowns and nine interceptions while garnering a 60.8 quarterback rating.

Young had arguably one very good game, in which he defeated the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants on a clutch drive in the fourth quarter that took up nearly the entire quarter, culminating in an Eagles win in his first start in place of Vick.

The point is this: Young is not a threat to dethrone Tebow as starting quarterback in training camp. He is not somebody who has a lot of leverage at this point in his career to be a starter after a dismal 2011 season, repeated off-the-field incidents with his coach and dealings with his own personal problems.

He will be 29 years old this year and, barring some sort of Randall Cunningham career-like resurgence, he likely has seen the best years of his career pass him by.

That doesn't mean he's not a good quarterback and can't be a quality stop-gap starter for the rest of his career.

Although Young is a righty and Tebow is a lefty, both are similar quarterbacks in that they are two of the best threats to run the football at the quarterback position and aren't exactly the most accurate duo. If the Broncos can somehow manage to sign Young to even a one-year deal, it would go a long way towards making Bronco fans feel comfortable when looking at the quarterback depth chart.

Hell, knowing Tebow's style of play, you never know if Tebow will miss a game or two.

In the end, wouldn't it be beneficial for Young to shine when called upon in Denver, unlike he did in Philadelphia?

It benefits the Broncos in that they need a veteran presence at quarterback with serious experience playing in the NFL who isn't a threat to take away Tebow's starting job (barring injury or some extremely terrible play). It would also benefit Young in that it gives him yet another chance at redeeming himself and reviving a once bright career.