Offseason Offload: Where Should This Offseason’s Top QB Targets Land?

Ahh, free agency.

One of the most exciting times of the year.

Okay, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch, but during the seemingly endless offseason where we are all trying to figure out what to do on Sunday without football, free agency is the next best thing.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, it’s no secret that the “jewels” of this offseason’s free agent QBs and trade targets are Mike Glennon, Jimmy Garappalo, Tyrod Taylor, Kirk Cousins and Tony Romo.

So who belongs where?

Mike Glennon

Mike Glennon is an interesting target. Glennon is physically gifted, standing at about 6’7, with the arm strength to match. Glennon seemed like he was going to be the Tampa Bay’s QB of the future some games and others he looked more or less like a game manager. An ideal situation for Glennon would be in a run-focused offense, allowing him to attack the defense in medium to long-range situations off the play action. Glennon has shown that he can be a competent leader of an offense and under the right tutelage could develop even further.

Ideal fit: San Francisco. Kyle Shanahan is a great offensive mind (excuse his mental breakdown in the super bowl) and his journey to rebuild the San Fran offense would be off to a great start pairing Glennon with the talented Carlos Hyde in the backfield.

Jimmy Garappalo

Yet another taunted Tom Brady backup. We’ve seen Ryan Mallett, Brian Hoyer and Matt Cassell all receive the “product of Belichick” tag. We’ve seen how they’ve all turned out, but Jimmy G might be the best of the Brady backup bunch. Garappalo had the Patriots offense running just as smooth as TB did after his triumphant return from his deflategate suspension. One could argue that Garappalo’s presence in the first few games was vital to the Pats’ eventual super bowl win. Who knows where they end up if they have a horrific start to the season?

But, like the other members of the BBB fraternity, you have to temper expectations with Jimmy G. Yes, he looks the part. Yes, he seems to be the playmaker that many teams are missing. However, his best bet is to go to a team with good pieces in place. Jimmy is in no place to be any team’s savior, but rather is best suited to be a piece of the puzzle.

Ideal fit: Chicago Bears. Garappalo has shown he has a fighting spirit. This young Bears squad is in need a competitive leader and a confident lead man to sling the ball around to talented pass catcher Alshon Jeffrey, intriguing talent Cam Meredith and the sure-handed vet Zach Miller. Throw in the NFL’s second-leading rusher in rookie pro-bowler Jordan Howard and things should be looking up in Chicago.

Tyrod Taylor

Tyrod Taylor has his limitations but is a lot better than the joke of an organization, the Buffalo Bills, have given him credit for. Taylor is a low-risk signing and in the right situation could be the consummate game manager with unique playmaking ability. He is a poor man’s Russell Wilson and if supported by a solid defense, he should do enough to win a good majority of games.

Ideal Fit: Denver Broncos. Trevor Siemian has a future but Denver would be foolish to not bring in a playmaker like Taylor. Add in the ferocious Denver defense and this team starts to have the feel of a contender again. Many would like to see Romo in Denver, but bringing in Taylor allows for Siemian to still compete and potentially keep his job. Good competition is always healthy and allows both players to learn and compete for seasons to come. Signing Romo will only slow down the development of Siemian and Paxton Lynch as well.

Kirk Cousins

For some reason, the Redskins don’t want to sign this man long term and I’m not sure why. Maybe this generation of football has been spoiled by this golden era of Quarterbacks, but Kirk Cousins is a good football player. At his best, Cousins can put up numbers with the best of them, but can also be prone to some ill-advised plays. Cousins often reminds me of an NFL version of Carmelo Anthony. Incredibly streaky, puts up great numbers but is missing one more player to really make his mark. The Redskins need to get Cousins a big, physical target on the outside to compliment Jordan Reed, Jamison Crowder, and Pierre Garcon. Desean Jackson and Kirk Cousins never seem to be on the same page. Josh Doctson is an interesting young player who could potentially be the missing piece in the Washington offense.

Ideal Fit: Washington will regret losing Cousins, so they will likely franchise tag him again. If Cousins does walk, he would be a steal for Kyle Shanahan in San Fran.

Tony Romo

Tony Romo is a great NFL Quarterback and is greatly underappreciated. Wherever Romo ends up he will prove to be the NFL Comeback Player of the Year (please don’t get hurt again).  There isn’t much left to be said about Romo. Good player, great competitor, can be that missing piece that a team needs to take that next step as he is in the last few years of his prime.

Ideal fit: Chicago Bears. Romo would be a perfect QB to lead this young team full of promising talent. Getting Romo along with a difference maker with the 3rd overall pick can change the fortunes of this franchise immediately as they groom a QB behind Romo.