by Russ Bliss


Quarterbacks free agent signings as of March 19, 2012


*-Matt Flynn was signed by the Seahawks. While Pete Carroll says it will be an open competition between Flynn and Tarvaris Jackson, it's not likely to be a competition for long as Flynn should easily beat out Jackson. Flynn is not a slam dunk as a top 15 fantasy QB in Seattle, but he does offer the upside of the unknown quantity and it will be interesting to see where he places on fantasy football player rankings once we get into the summer.  

*-Kyle Orton was signed by Dallas to be the new backup to Tony Romo. A good move by the Cowboys as they needed to bring someone in to replace the aging Jon Kitna who was of enough quality to give the team confidence if anything were to happen to Romo.

*-Chad Henne was signed by Jacksonville and will compete with Blaine Gabbert for the starting job for the Jaguars. Henne has had his share of struggles, but he's also experienced success as well and maybe a change of scenery will re-energize him and get his once promising career back on track. Jacksonville represents a real chance for Henne to start as Gabbert looked overwhelmed much of last season. While the Jaguars continue to stand by Gabbert, if he doesn't show marked improvement this season they were smart to get someone of Henne's capabilities to have as a fall back option.

*-Jason Campbell was signed by the Chicago Bears to be the competent backup to Jay Cutler. Campbell has had his chances to be a starter and while he hasn't been horrible, he hasn't proven himself capable of being reliable. At least in Chicago Campbell is a huge upgrade at the backup QB position after what the Bears experienced when Cutler went down to injury in 2011.

*-Josh McCown was re-signed by the Bears to compete for a roster spot as the #3 QB with Nathan Enderle. McCown acquitted himself pretty well finishing out the 2011 season when Chicago finally gave up on Caleb Hanie. McCown though is only a stop gap type of QB who has never flourished when given a chance. He gets to compete with Enderle as Enderle was supported by former offensive coordinator Mike Martz (who is no longer there in Chicago).

*-Dan Orlovsky was signed by Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers must not expect Josh Johnson to be back so getting Orlovsky to be the backup to Josh Freeman was a smart move. Orlovsky isn't great, but he's a gritty player who has shown flashes of being very capable.

*-Sage Rosenfels was re-signed by Minnesota. It's not expected that Rosenfels will really "compete" with Christian Ponder for the starting job, but he may if Ponder doesn't show improvement. A couple of years ago Rosenfels was widely regarded as being a QB who was on the verge of becoming a quality starter in the NFL but it never developed. Last season a reported "blood illness" prevented him from being able to play and it remains to be seen if that has really cleared up. While there's an outside chance he may compete for the starting job, most likely he's going to be a veteran sounding board for Ponder.

*-Brady Quinn was signed by the Chiefs to backup Matt Cassel. Quinn has proven to be a very mediocre QB at best throughout his time in the NFL and he poses no real competition for Matt Cassel. It's even debatable whether Quinn is much of an upgrade over the horrific Tyler Palko from last year.

*-Drew Stanton was signed by the Jets to be the backup to Mark Sanchez. Stanton has shown flashes of skills but is no threat to Sanchez's starting job. He is a sizeable upgrade though from former backup QB Mark Brunell.

*-Shaun Hill re-signed with the Lions to be the backup to Matt Stafford. Hill could have gone somewhere else to compete for a starting job, but chooses instead to stay with Detroit. Hill is one of the better backup QB's in the league and has been good when called upon in Detroit in prior seasons when Stafford has gone done. 2011 was the first time Stafford stayed healthy but a quality backup to him is good insurance and Hill is a known commodity for the Lions.

*-Charlie Whitehurst signed with San Diego to be the backup to Phillip Rivers. After two miserable seasons in Seattle, Whitehurst returns to the Chargers. Whitehurst was clearly a disappointment as a spot starter for the Seahawks and the Chargers needed someone who could replace Billy Volek. His knowledge of the offense in San Diego from his time there previously is the only reason I can think of as to why they brought him back as he isn't starting QB quality.  

*-Chris Redman was re-signed by Atlanta. Redman has been the backup to Matt Ryan since Ryan was drafted by the Falcons and he remains a known quantity for the team as he has proven capable of playing well enough within their system.

*-Derek Anderson was re-signed by Carolina. The Panthers just hope that, like in 2011, nothing happens that makes Cam Newton come off the field. Anderson's not a very good QB, but he is experienced.