Some time last season, it became obvious that Titans owner Bud Adams was going to have to pick between Young and 16-year head coach Jeff Fisher. He's apparently picked neither, cutting them both loose. Of the QBs available, VY the youngest, and has enjoyed the most recent success (a 26-13 record as a starter, including recording a 98 passer rating last year before being benched by Fisher).
Drawbacks: Young isn't an accurate, high-volume passer - he needs a solid O-line and a running game to support him. He's had off-the-field issues, both personal and criminal. These may have stemmed from his tumultuous relationship with his head coach. Young will require a strong support system and the unwavering support of coaches and fans to rebuild his confidence.
Where He Fits: While putting him on South Beach with Brandon Marshall might not sound like the best idea, The Dolphins offer Young the ideal team identity for his skill sets; a variety of receivers, an underrated tight end in Anthony Fasano, and plenty of protection up front. While the current buzz points towards Washington, that doesn't seem like a fit schematically, and the Skins may be too far away to commit more a large sum of money to another injury concern at QB.
The longer the lockout lasts, the more likely it becomes Orton remains in Denver. If he doesn't, however, he may write a third successful act in his brief career. In Josh McDaniels' pass-happy, no-running back offense, Orton put up Pro Bowl-fringe numbers before succumbing to injury. When healthy, he's an accurate, efficient passer - think of him as Chad Pennington with a more reliable deep ball.
Drawbacks: You could also think of him as Matt Schaub with a less reliable deep ball - Orton has never really shown up in a big game. His Bears and Broncos teams both narrowly missed the playoffs in 2008 and 2009. Also, the injuries.
Where he fits: It would require a reconfiguration of their offense, but Orton could restore some of the finesse to the Arizona passing attack, which seemed to be operating under the influence of alcohol during the 46.7% Completion Percentage Era of John Skelton. Minnesota also offers a variety of weapons, and Orton bears enough similarities to #12 overall pick Christian Ponder to have some educational value. Basically, this guy needs good players around him, and then he can lead you to 9 wins, if healthy.
We've all had the flashes - this guy just looks like a quarterback. He had the elite year. He had THE injury. He recovered and threw a lot of touchdowns and a lot of picks. He had another injury. He started slow some years. He got the Bengals to the playoffs twice. Nobody respects him. I look at Palmer and I see Vinny Testaverde - a guy hampered by injuries, bad management and an even worse team about to enter the second phase of his career. Vinny didn't throw more TDs than interceptions in a full season until he was 32. Palmer is a year younger, is clearly a leader, and just needs a release.
Drawbacks: Injuries and turnovers. He's had a lot of both.
Where He Fits: Palmer is the one guy on this list who doesn't have any true physical limitations in his game. He can throw in any weather, and has made due with subpar receivers (check out this doozy from last year). Which leads me to this crazy idea - Buffalo. Sure, he would come in as the back-up to his former back-up, Ryan Fitzpatrick, but Palmer seems more than ready to swallow some pride. The Bengals will likely want him out of the conference, however, so I see him as the next likely victim of the Dan Snyder Career Ravaging Machine.
Here's the capstone backhanded compliment McNabb: he's the greatest quarterback in the history of one of the NFL's 32 franchises, and not close to the worst one. We know he's not John Elway or Tom Brady, but can he be Phil Simms or Dan Fouts? Last year was McNabb's first fully healthy, fully awful year in the league. Was this just an early-30s hiccup like the one experienced by Brett Favre? Were the Redskins simply a terrible team AND a terrible fit? You can bet exactly one team will push their chips to the middle on the assumption McNabb has one more Randall Cunningham-style redemption left in his tank. He's lead young teams, he's lead high-powered offenses, and Lord knows he has something to prove.
Drawbacks: Cardiovascular endurance.
Where He Fits: San Francisco tried to make a go of it with Troy Smith, a terrible McNabb clone, so why not take a shot with the real thing? Minnesota seems to be a team about plummett off an age-induced cliff, so letting Christian Ponder wait a year while this last generation of Vikings makes a run at the title might make some sense.
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