The Cleveland Browns have been busily wrapping up a negotiation with their newfound starting quarterback, Derek Anderson and it would appear that a new contract will become finalized at any time. The Browns are not willing to allow Anderson, a restricted free agent, to remain available with the free agency period about to commence (February 28th).

We all remember how the 2007 NFL Draft unfolded with former Notre Dame quarterback, Brady Quinn, falling from a supposed top five pick position. Selection after selection was made while the television cameras continued to zoom back in on Brady and his girlfriend for their reaction when someone else's name was announced.  He was eventually drafted as the 22nd selection when the Cleveland Browns packaged their 2007 2nd round pick and their 2008 first round pick and traded them to the Dallas Cowboys for their 2007 first round pick. I vividly recall the relief on Quinn's face as his favorite NFL team stepped up and made the deal. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off of the young man's back as he stepped around the curtain and walked out on the stage in front of the cheering draft day crowd assembled in New York's Music City Hall.

Cleveland followed the plan used by many NFL teams with a young quarterback and sat Brady during the 2007 season. Their opening day starter, another Ohio native, Charlie Frye, had a terrible game to start the season and was immediately shipped off to the Seattle Seahawks for a late round 2008 draft pick. This move left a basically unproven commodity, Oregon State's Derek Anderson, to take snaps while Brady Quinn waited in the wings... 

Then the logical progression was broken as Anderson clicked in the Browns offensive schemes and led the team to a 10 - 6 record. Although the team had fallen just short of the playoffs, it appears they have answered any NFL team's most pressing question... They now knew who their starting quarterback would be, and it wasn't Brady Quinn.

So here we are in late February, 2008, with the Brown's hammering out a new contract with Derek Anderson's agent while Brady Quinn contemplates his potential withering away as a high-priced back-up. Quinn and his agent understand that a two year hiatus is the normal amount of time given young quarterbacks in the NFL. It just takes that long for them to become comfortable with a new playbook and all the nuances involved in this suddenly faster and harder hitting brand of football. Quinn had resolved himself to this fact of a quarterback's life in the NFL. What wasn't anticipated was Anderson's success...

In a Cleveland Plain Dealer article published yesterday about the Anderson signing process, a single sentence speaks volumes about Brady Quinn's future: "If the team made a long-term commitment to Anderson, they'd risk Quinn's agent, Tom Condon, asking for a trade." With this in mind, it would seem that the Browns, a team with a suddenly prolific offense and a defense in need of new blood on all three levels (line, linebacker, and defensive back) might do well to sign Anderson and offer Quinn in trade prior to the 2008 NFL Draft. Two or three draft picks would go a long way toward putting a quick fix on their porous defense.

 

If this comes to pass, what teams might be interested in Quinn?

Here is a list of the NFL teams entering the 2008 Draft with a quarterback on their needs list (Listed in order of greatest need): Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, and the Chicago Bears all have a pressing need for a "franchise quarterback". The Dolphins, Falcons, and Ravens have pressing team needs throughout their rosters and might not be willing to devote a group of draft picks in a trade. Chicago, on the other hand, appears to be an excellent fit, especially with a Mid-West guy like Quinn. The problem there is the Bears penchant for penny-pinching. Would they step up and make a deal?

 

 

Teams with a lower level of quarterback need include: Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Minnesota Vikings. Of these teams the Vikings might harbor the greatest need as they appear to be ready to shelf their Tavares Jackson experiment and don't have much to fallback on. Carolina and Tampa both have older starting quarterbacks and should be interested in devoting assets to a young quarterback, while Kansas City continues to toy around with Damon Huard and Brodie Croyle.

 

 

Finally, there are teams looking for reliable back-up quarterbacks, but they don't fit the criteria here.

 

Do you think there would be much interest in Quinn? If so, which teams would be a good fit? Personally, I'd like to see the Bears step up and get it done...

 

Resource: 

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/sports/120349992040130.xml&coll=2&thispage=2