The Quarterback Carousel Has Robert Griffin III, Brock Osweiler, and Ryan Fitzpatrick Available for Four Teams

Robert Griffin III has been officially released. Both Brock Osweiler and Ryan Fitzpatrick are becoming free agents, free to negotiate with other teams as they also try to work on deals with the ones they played with last season.

That leaves those three at the center of any offseason quarterback carousel, after these other moves were made:

• Eagles re-signed Sam Bradford;
• Washington placed franchise tag on Kirk Cousins;
• San Francisco said they were keeping Colin Kaepernick (though we still could see a trade or a move on that front);

You also have the potential that teams could add depth, in situations like Kansas City (behind Alex Smith), Buffalo (Tyrod Taylor), Miami (Ryan Tannehill), and potential long-term replacements behind Tony Romo and Philip Rivers. However, it’s doubtful those teams would be in play if starter money is at stake.

That leaves just five teams, but I’m putting Cleveland in the “most likely to do something in the draft, and not in free agency” category. That leaves a reverse musical chair situation, with four teams for three quarterbacks. After the top three, it’s career backups like Chase Daniel as the next options.

Houston: Will the Texans go into another season with Brian Hoyer at QB? They’ve been conservative in pursuing a QB in the past. This could be a move for either Brock Osweiler or Robert Griffin III.

Denver: Osweiler would seem to be best-served by returning, but as I noted a month ago, maybe Denver would be better off pursuing Griffin (though Gary Kubiak’s relationship with Mike Shanahan may impact that).

New York Jets: This would appear to be Ryan Fitzpatrick, but with no deal done yet, they can go after Griffin or try to trade for someone like Kaepernick.

Los Angeles Rams: Will they want to upgrade? Jeff Fisher doesn’t strike as the sort to risk a rookie pick, so they could get in the running for a veteran addition.