The Latest Updates on NFL's QB Carousel This Offseason

An NFL offseason oftentimes has a carnival-like atmosphere, with players and coaches moving from one team to another at breakneck speed.

There’s not only a carousel here but a roller coaster as well.

It’s a good time to get up to date on a few quarterback situations around the league that are surrounded by some questions, be it short or long term. Some will be looking to improve the position at the end of the month in the NFL draft, adding even more intrigue to their respective pictures.  

Buffalo Bills

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An afterthought of sorts during last summer’s competition involving Matt Cassel and EJ Manuel, it was Tyrod Taylor who won the quarterback job. The 26-year-old signal-caller started 14 games and forged an 8-6 record. He threw for 3,035 yards and 20 scores compared to only six interceptions.

Taylor’s 99.4 passer rating was tied for seventh in the league. It was a promising start with a new team for the young quarterback, who attempted 35 passes the previous four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens.

Last week, Bills general manager Doug Whaley was asked about Taylor’s future with the franchise. “We want him to be (in Buffalo long term), he wants to be, and time will tell,” said Whaley to NFL Network (via Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports). "But we're excited about what he did last year—he went 8-6 as a starter. There is a lot of excitement around our football team...”

Taylor’s agent, Adisa P. Bakari, tells anyone who will listen that the Bills failed to reach the postseason in 2015 for a few reasons. Taylor was not one of them.

Perhaps a second straight season of solid play will be enough to initiate deeper discussions. In any case, the Bills don’t appear to be in any kind of a hurry. Unless the discussion is in regard to ending their 16-year playoff drought.

Cleveland Browns

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When he takes the field in Week 1 of the 2016, Robert Griffin III will become RG XXV.

The 2012 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year with the Washington Redskins is apparently the latest answer behind center for the Cleveland Browns. He would become the club’s 25th different starting signal-caller since 1999 if he gets the nod on opening weekend.

The second overall pick in the NFL draft four years ago did not play at all this past season. But Griffin is excited about the possibilities with a new team and his head coach Hue Jackson.

“The way he approaches the game, the way he approaches every day, I think the team can kind of feel that,” said Griffin to Andrew Gribble of ClevelandBrowns.com. “Just the way he talks to you, just his expectations of this team, and those are all things that we keep in house, but it is just a good vibe to be around. Every day you wake up wanting to come to work even more.”

"More" is the operative word when it comes to quarterbacks and the Browns. They currently have five on the roster, including three (Josh McCown, Austin Davis and Connor Shaw) who have started for the team in the past. What the depth chart will look like this fall is anyone’s guess, especially if the franchise opts to use the second overall pick in this month’s draft on the position.

A good start for Jackson and the team would have Griffin or any of these players start 16 games this season. No Cleveland signal-caller has done that since Tim Couch in 2001.

Denver Broncos

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The defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos are hoping they get the playoff version of Mark Sanchez.

General manager John Elway orchestrated a deal in March for the former first-round pick of the New York Jets. This followed the retirement of Peyton Manning and the free-agent defection of Brock Osweiler to the Houston Texans.

Consider these career numbers: The 29-year-old Sanchez has played in 75 regular-season games with the Jets and Philadelphia Eagles. He’s thrown 86 touchdown passes and committed 108 turnovers (84 interceptions and 24 lost fumbles).

In six playoff appearances with New York, he’s been a different performer. He owns a 4-2 record as a starter and thrown for nine scores while coughing up the ball only four times.

According to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com, it’s looking more and more likely that Sanchez will open the season for the Broncos. There is still a chance the club could deal for San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick, but there’s a lot of work to be done on that front financially.

Remember, this was a Denver team that won a championship despite committing 31 turnovers during the regular season.

Houston Texans

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This is less about the $72 million man and more about the quarterback he’s succeeding with the Houston Texans.

Brock Osweiler couldn’t be in better hands when it comes to head coach Bill O’Brien. He’s led the club to a combined 18-14 record and won a division title despite using seven quarterbacks—including six different starters. The coach's leadership has seen those players combine for almost twice as many touchdown passes (49) as interceptions (25).

Of course, that doesn’t include Brian Hoyer’s five-turnover implosion in the 2015 AFC Wild Card Round. He’s all but gone this year, especially after the Texans re-inked Brandon Weeden to a new two-year deal this month. Tom Savage and B.J. Daniels remain on the roster as well.

In eight appearances (seven starts) with the Denver Broncos in 2015, Osweiler threw for 1,967 yards and 10 scores with only six interceptions. Those numbers are about to take a huge jump under O'Brien's tutelage.

Los Angeles Rams

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Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has been told that Rams quarterback Nick Foles, the supposed answer at the position for the club last offseason, will likely not be with the team this fall.

Benched for Case Keenum late in 2015, the former Philadelphia Eagles Pro Bowler completed just 56.4 percent of his passes this past season, throwing seven touchdown passes and committing 12 turnovers in 11 outings. The 27-year-old performer could very well be traded to another club for a second straight year.

Keenum played in six games in 2015, and while his numbers were slightly better than Foles' (four touchdown passes, three turnovers), it should not prevent general manager Les Snead from taking a long look at quarterback in the first round of the draft.

That is unless the club feels 2015 third-round pick Sean Mannion is the immediate answer.

New York Jets

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Is it inevitable that Ryan Fitzpatrick winds up back with the New York Jets in 2016?

It’s hard to believe the journeyman signal-caller would want to be anywhere else, given his play this past season, as well as his rapport with offensive coordinator Chan Gailey.

The unsigned free agent and the Jets continue to struggle to get a deal done. But despite the reports that the team has been looking to save a little money at the expense of the quarterback, check out Rich Cimini of ESPN.com: "The Jets' offer to Fitzpatrick isn't based on cap space; it's based on what they feel he's worth. Obviously, Fitzpatrick feels differently. From what I understand, the offer is better than the $7 million-to-$8 million that is being reported, which means the low-ball perception isn't quite accurate."

Fitzpatrick amassed career highs with 3,905 passing yards and 31 scores through the air—the latter also a Jets’ franchise record. He’s done his best work with Gailey as either his head coach (Bills) or offensive coordinator.

To date, Geno Smith has not proved capable of getting the job done at quarterback. Bryce Petty is an unknown commodity.

Unfortunately for both parties, the waiting game continues for the Green and White.

Philadelphia Eagles

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Last month, after the Philadelphia Eagles added a free-agent signal-caller to their roster, Doug Pederson made something perfectly clear.

“Chase Daniel is coming in as a backup,” said the Birds’ new sideline leader, per Aaron Kasinitz of PennLive.com. That was in reference to those connecting the dots between the quarterback and the coach and the duo’s days together in Kansas City.

After all, the Eagles had recently re-upped with quarterback Sam Bradford to the tune of two years, $35 million. Still, Kasinitz reported that Pederson would like to “foster an environment of competition on his team.”

“Iron sharpens iron,” said the new head coach, “and the quarterback position is no different.”

Daniel’s ties with Pederson give him more than a fighting chance to unseat Bradford, who missed two games with the Birds in 2015 and a total of 27 contests the past three seasons with both the Rams and Eagles.

San Francisco 49ers

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Colin Kaepernick is still a member of the San Francisco 49ers.

So is Blaine Gabbert. As are Thaddeus Lewis, who suited up for Chip Kelly with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015, and Dylan Thompson.

Per Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com, it doesn’t appear that the quarterback who led the Niners to Super Bowl XLVII is going anywhere soon. The much-discussed deal between the team and the Denver Broncos has yet to be finalized. Meanwhile, the NFL draft is rapidly approaching, and with the seventh overall pick, it’s a distinct possibility that general manager Trent Baalke could opt for a young signal-caller.

There may be no worse quarterback situation in the league at the moment than in San Francisco. The franchise appears to be in complete limbo at the moment. Things can change in a hurry in this league, but the uncertainty at the position for the club is a bit unnerving.

Unless otherwise noted, all player and team statistics come from Pro-Football-Reference and ESPN.com. All player ratings courtesy of Pro Football Focus. All 2016 contract terms and 2016 transactions are courtesy of Spotrac.