1. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: Well, it’s not all bad in Kansas City; they had six players selected to the Pro Bowl, an odd ratio considering they only won two games. But it shows it’s not all bust in Kansas City. Matt Cassel as quarterback didn’t solve their problem, and neither did Brady Quinn. Chiefs quarterbacks ranked last in the NFL in passing yards per game and 31st in quarterback rating according to NFL.com. The quarterbacks combined to throw twenty interceptions this season, which is only one behind the Arizona Cardinals for most in the league. Not only did the Chief’s quarterbacks throw a lot of interceptions, they just couldn’t find the end zone. They threw only 8 touchdowns (one every other game) for the entire season. Ouch!
2. ARIZONA CARDINALS: Like the Chiefs, the Cardinals are in desperate need of a quarterback. They went through four quarterbacks last season, and none of them performed well. The Cardinals started out winning their first 4 games, but went on to finish 1-11 after that. They have talent, especially at wide receiver, with Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd. They could be a dangerous combination with a good quarterback! The Cardinals led the league with 21 interceptions, and were 31st in the league with only 11 touchdowns thrown. Of the Cardinals quarterbacks, only Kevin Kolb was drafted before the 5th round (2nd); John Skelton (5th round); Ryan Lindley (6th round); and Brian Hoder (undrafted) were all picked as back-ups. I think they will have better luck finding one in this year’s draft rather than finding a good veteran on the market.
3. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: Quarterback Chad Henne showed some promise this season, but he isn’t the long-term answer in Jacksonville. Blaine Gabbert played in 10 games last season, and underperformed. Although he only had 6 interceptions in his second season, he didn’t do much through the air. With wide receiver Justin Blackmon showing some promising signs, they need a quarterback that can get him the ball more. The quarterbacks had a 74.7 pass rating, putting them 28th in the league. They should take a quarterback in the 1st or 2nd round and start building for the future. Having to play without Maurice Jones-Drew most of the season most certainly didn’t help, especially Gabbert.
4. CLEVELAND BROWNS: Last year the Browns drafted Brandon Wheeden in the 1st round. However, he is 29 years old, and wasn’t all that impressive last season. Although they had a 3 game winning streak, it was against weak competition: Kansas City, Oakland and Pittsburgh with their 3rd string quarterback. By the end of the season, Weeden was injured, so Colt McCoy, Thad Lewis, and Josh Johnson all made appearances for the Browns. New coach Rob Chudzinski will have to decide whether Weeden or McCoy is the future. McCoy shows promise, while Wheeden is very sporadic, not hitting receivers consistently. He completed just 57.4% of his passes. If he were younger, the Browns might consider giving him more time.