The Good, the Bad and the Browns: Breaking Down Every NFL Offseason QB Battle

The dynamics are constantly shifting at the NFL's most important position, largely because the league has 32 teams and fewer than 32 franchise-caliber quarterbacks.

Lucky franchises like the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers haven't had to worry much about the quarterback position for the last decade or so, while others have been swinging at as many pivots as possible in desperate bids to find their next Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, Tony Romo, Eli Manning, Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers. 

This year is particularly interesting. The defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos lost their top two quarterbacks, with Peyton Manning retiring and Brock Osweiler leaving in free agency. So they're swinging the bat again, despite the fact they'll still enter 2016 as a Super Bowl favorite. 

Meanwhile, two quarterback-starved teams—the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles—took tremendous gambles by selling their respective farms in order to move up and draft signal-callers first and second overall, respectively. They did so despite the fact they swapped supposed franchise quarterbacks Sam Bradford and Nick Foles just a year ago, and even though Bradford remains an Eagle (along with Chase Daniel) and Foles remains a Ram (along with Case Keenum). 

In addition to that, the New York Jets continue to play hardball in free-agency negotiations with veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, who led the team to 10 wins last season but remains unsigned. New York used a second-round pick on a quarterback (Penn State's Christian Hackenberg), while division rival Buffalo used a fourth-rounder on a quarterback (Ohio State's Cardale Jones) despite the fact incumbent starter Tyrod Taylor was a Pro Bowler in 2015. 

All in all, 15 quarterbacks were drafted while only one notable quarterback has retired, making for what should be a fascinating spring and summer as players jockey for positioning on several completely up-in-the-air quarterback depth charts. 

Let's break down the six major battles to watch. 

1. Denver Broncos: Raw first-round pick vs. charred first-round pick

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

It certainly doesn't feel as though the Broncos have two 20-something-year-old first-round picks to choose from under center. That's because 2009 No. 5 overall pick Mark Sanchez is widely considered a bust after flaming out with the Jets and failing to redeem himself with the Eagles, while 2016 No. 26 overall selection Paxton Lynch is considered more of a raw, developmental prospect and isn't expected to be ready to start from the get-go. 

By refusing to match the four-year, $72 million that the Texans offered Osweiler, the Broncos were banking on the notion that $18 million a year is too steep a price for a fifth-year quarterback with seven career starts and some obvious flaws. Instead, they're gambling on a strong defensive team being able to get back to the Super Bowl despite uncertainty at the game's key offensive position. 

Few would prefer Lynch and Sanchez to Manning and Osweiler, but the Broncos are saving a lot of money with the former duo. The idea here might be to let the 29-year-old Sanchez serve as a stopgap while Denver's coaching staff grooms Lynch for the long-term role. Ordinarily, that's not a strategy Super Bowl-caliber teams can afford to take, but the defensively dominant Broncos are far from ordinary.

After all, this team won the championship last season despite having the league's second-lowest team passer rating. If you can win a Super Bowl in the most pass-happy era in NFL history despite having four more interceptions than touchdown passes, you're special. 

Team	Rating	Result
Cleveland Browns	84.0	Lost 13 games
San Francisco 49ers	82.6	Lost 11 games
Baltimore Ravens	79.4	Lost 11 games
Indianapolis Colts	77.5	Missed playoffs
Dallas Cowboys	76.4	Lost 12 games
Denver Broncos	76.3	Won Super Bowl
St. Louis Rams	74.1	Lost nine games

That dynamic alone makes this interesting. But after Broncos general manager John Elway suggested Lynch could start early—"We think he's going to be ready quicker than a lot of people think," he told Denver Sports 760 (via Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith)—it appears as though we could be in for a legitimate preseason competition between one guy trying to shock the world and another guy trying to remind said world that he still exists. 

Rarely do elite teams have to deal with competition at the quarterback position. This is sure to be fun. 

What to expect: Sanchez is getting another shot because he has the necessary talent and has been passable during several short stretches in his career. He actually posted 90-plus passer ratings in five of his 10 starts with Philadelphia in 2014 and 2015, and he played well in the preseason both years. That should be enough to hold off Lynch, but don't be surprised if the 22-year-old Memphis product also shines in the preseason.

Eventually, Sanchez will hit a rut and Lynch will get a shot. Both will likely start multiple games, and both will likely struggle. Regardless, Denver will likely contend anyway. 

2. New York Jets: A bunch of guys 

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Meanwhile, there are zero first-round picks on the quarterback depth chart for the Jets, who still have yet to re-sign Fitzpatrick and have three young second- to fourth-round pivots in their stable. The whole thing epitomizes quantity over quality, but it's not necessarily a bad strategy because Gang Green simply needs one of those three to pan out. 

Yes, this whole thing is essentially a crapshoot. But at least New York has been given a chance to roll the dice three times.

Now we'll find out if 2013 second-round pick Geno Smith can finally emerge, jaw intact, and become the star many expected he'd become when he left West Virginia. Or if 2015 fourth-rounder Bryce Petty can pull a Kirk Cousins out of the middle rounds. Or if 2016 second-round selection Christian Hackenberg, who made a habit of missing broad sides of barns during his statistically infuriating final two years at Penn State, can live up to his sky-high potential. 

Statistically, there's almost no chance all three pan out, little chance two of the three succeed and even fairly discouraging odds that one becomes a reliable and consistent starter. And even if that happens, it could take time. Petty faces an uphill battle for reps, and Hackenberg's accuracy issues will likely prevent him from winning the job outright in August, which means the Jets might be forced to re-sign Fitzpatrick if Smith can't grab the reins. 

Quarterback	Good news	Bad news
1. Geno Smith	Finished 2014 strong	Hardly played in 2015
2. Ryan Fitzpatrick	Won 10 games in 2015	Isn't actually on the team
3. Christian Hackenberg	Looks like a potential stud	Stats indicate otherwise
4. Bryce Petty	62 TD, 10 INT in college	0 TD, 0 INT in the NFL

General manager Mike Maccagnan doesn't appear to be willing to cave and pay Fitzpatrick big money right now. The Jets want to see how things pan out with Smith, Hackenberg and Petty, and the 33-year-old journeyman probably peaked while still failing to get a talented team to the playoffs last season.

Fitzpatrick's options are limited right now anyway, so why do anything? If it becomes apparent in August that they need a veteran stopgap and he's still available, great. The price might be lower then anyway. But right now, the Jets are smartly focusing on their three homegrown quarterbacks, all of whom are aged 25 or younger. 

What to expect: All three (or four) quarterbacks should have a shot, but unless Smith struggles mightily or gets hurt, this should be his job in September. That was supposed to be the case last year before a teammate broke his jaw during a locker room altercation. Though 2015 was a lost season for the 25-year-old, he actually completed 65 percent of his passes, threw six touchdowns to two interceptions and posted a 105.3 passer rating in his last four starts of the 2014 season.

If he's healthy, Smith will enter camp with a clear edge over Hackenberg and Petty, and he should do enough in the preseason to give Maccagnan an excuse to delete Fitzpatrick's number from his cellphone. Expect the 25-year-old to start throughout the 2016 campaign, just as Fitzpatrick did in 2015. Beyond that, though, it's anyone's guess. 

3. Philadelphia Eagles: Quarterback cliche math

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Conventional wisdom dictates that if you have two starting-caliber quarterbacks, you have no quarterbacks. So maybe the Eagles are onto something by employing not one, not two, but three potential starting quarterbacks. That's the way they're paying veterans Sam Bradford ($17.5 million a year) and Chase Daniel ($7 million a year) as well as rookie No. 2 overall pick Carson Wentz ($6.7 million a year), anyway.

Since they don't appear to be willing to trade the now-disgruntled Bradford and Wentz cost them two first-round picks, a second-round pick, a third-round pick and a fourth-round pick, it's clear they have extremely high hopes for multiple quarterbacks on the roster. 

Team	QBs	Cash
1. Philadelphia Eagles	4	$43.7 million
2. Baltimore Ravens	3	$31.0 million
3. New England Patriots	3	$29.7 million
4. San Diego Chargers	4	$24.0 million

Wentz is considered a bit of a project out of North Dakota State, which is why it does make some sense for the relatively talented Eagles to hope Bradford can man the ship and keep the team competitive until the 23-year-old projected quarterback of the future is ready. 

That's a steep price to pay for a stopgap, especially with Daniel—who new head coach Doug Pederson hand-picked—also on board. But hey, it's not your money. The salary cap is rising faster than Amy Schumer's Q Score, and the quarterback position is rather important. So who can blame the Eagles for loading up under center? 

What to expect: They simply sacrificed too much for Wentz to sit on the bench beyond 2016, but don't be surprised if the increasingly impatient Eagles give Daniel a shot as soon as Bradford begins struggling.

Maybe Bradford will pick up where he left off in 2015—he completed 68 percent of his passes, threw 10 touchdowns to four interceptions and had a 97.0 rating in his last seven games—and maintain that. But the former No. 1 overall pick has been both fragile and inconsistent for most of his career, so don't be surprised if Daniel makes some starts.

Unless the Eagles' season goes down the drain quickly, however, Wentz figures to stay on the bench.

4. Cleveland Browns: The drive for 25

David Dermer/Associated Press

The Browns now have five quarterbacks on their roster, and if either free-agent addition Robert Griffin III or rookie third-round pick Cody Kessler wins the starting job, they'll be using their 25th starting quarterback since 1999. No other team in football has used 20 starters during that stretch. 

But while Griffin is the most famous and highest-paid quarterback on the depth chart, Browns executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown told Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot following the draft that he "would not want to sleep on" Kessler as a potential starter. There's also veteran Josh McCown, who—this is not a joke—is the highest-rated passer in Browns history, as well as undrafted young scrubs Austin Davis and Connor Shaw. 

Quarterback	Good news	Bad news
1. Robert Griffin III	2012 Offensive ROY	2012 was four years ago
2. Josh McCown	Half-decent starter in '15	Is about to turn 37
3. Cody Kessler	Three-year Pac-12 starter	Lacks size, big-play prowess
4. Austin Davis	85.1 rating in 2014	66.2 rating in 2015
5. Connor Shaw	Four QBs ahead of him	Four heartbeats from starting

You'd think there'd be a pecking order in place, with Griffin and McCown at the top, Kessler as the third option and long-term project, and Davis and Shaw serving as camp arms. But with this new Browns regime, anything is possible. 

Under the tutelage of Brown and chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta, the front office has already been a model of unpredictability thus far in the 2016 offseason. It let a quartet of strong free agents walk, traded away the No. 2 pick and selected a ridiculous 14 players in the draft.

However, there's a good chance Cleveland's next franchise quarterback still isn't on the roster. Griffin busted in Washington and faces major questions regarding his pocket presence and decision-making. McCown will turn 37 in July and lost seven of eight starts for the Browns last season. Many considered the Kessler pick to be a reach, as the USC product lacks the physical traits you look for in a franchise pivot and has "career backup" written all over him.

With so many players with various degrees of experience and so much to prove, this might be a long and weird battle. Which, frankly, is befitting of a team like the Browns. 

What to expect: Well, nothing less than something long and weird. I covered Griffin closely during the first three years of his career. He's deeply flawed, physically and mentally. He won't win this job easily, and yet anyone else winning it would spawn controversy. 

5. San Francisco 49ers: Your reminder that Blaine Gabbert is still a thing

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Yeah, that Blaine Gabbert. He not only remains in the NFL, but has an outside shot at a Week 1 starting job, which is a tremendous indictment on second-read-challenged Colin Kaepernick. Joining those two on the quarterback depth chart are journeyman Thaddeus Lewis and sixth-round rookie Jeff Driskel, neither of whom are expected to compete with Gabbert and Kaepernick. 

However, it is amazing that this is even a two-man battle. 

Kaepernick's future looked so bright in 2012 and 2013, but the 28-year-old former second-round pick has clearly regressed in recent years. His rate-based numbers have plummeted in three consecutive seasons, and he'll now be trying to play catch-up as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery. What's more, he's well-aware that the team considered trading him earlier this year. 

Season	Comp.%	YPA	Rating
2012	62.4	8.3	98.3
2013	58.4	7.7	91.6
2014	60.5	7.0	86.4
2015	59.0	6.6	78.5

Chip Kelly is far from perfect, but the new 49ers head coach was certainly a quarterback whisperer with Bradford, Foles and Sanchez in Philly. The fact that the offensive mastermind has gotten so much out of his pivots could make this competition between two former blue-chip quarterbacks just a little more interesting. Still, we're talking about a quarterback battle involving Blaine freakin' Gabbert. The man has a career passer rating of 71.9 and a career completion percentage of 55.8. 

What to expect: Gabbert might actually retain the starting job that he stole from Kaepernick last season, as tight end Garrett Celek noted recently—per the San Jose Mercury News' Cam Inman—that the former first-round pick has been "taking control" with Kaepernick still out. Eventually, though, he'll pull one too many Blaine Gabberts and we'll see Kaepernick, who will likely prove once and for all that he isn't the answer either. See you at the top of the 2017 draft, San Francisco. 

6. Los Angeles Rams: Question is whether and/or for how long the inevitable will be delayed

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

So long as all of top pick Jared Goff's bones and muscles remain fully intact between now and Sept. 12, there's no way in hell the Rams start anybody but the NFL-ready Pac-12 product right away. In fact, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher has already declared "the goal" is for Goff to face the 49ers in Week 1.

Based on Fisher's comments, it doesn't seem as though there's much of a competition here. But since the rookie hasn't officially earned it yet, it's worth pointing out that Foles and Keenum remain on the depth chart along with 2015 third-round pick Sean Mannion. 

Year	Quarterback	First start
2016	Jared Goff	?
2015	Jameis Winston	Week 1, rookie season
2012	Andrew Luck	Week 1, rookie season
2011	Cam Newton	Week 1, rookie season
2010	Sam Bradford	Week 1, rookie season

Keenum probably isn't a threat and Mannion has thrown just seven NFL passes, but Foles has shocked the world before, which explains why the 2012 third-round pick is due to make $13.25 million in 2015. If he fails to win the starting job and remains on the roster while Bradford wins the starting job in Philly, Foles will undoubtedly become the highest-paid backup quarterback in football.

Three years ago, Foles did post the third-highest single-season passer rating in NFL history. So if he gets hot or Goff experiences more growing pains than expected, the Rams might be forced to let this "battle" play out through Labor Day.  

What to expect: Goff might not win the job on paper, but he'll be crowned the starter anyway. Because life isn't fair, even when you're an NFL quarterback. 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012.

Follow @Brad_Gagnon