Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

- Written by Marc Caviglia

Take a quick look at the 2010 Free Agents Quarterbacks and you will notice the list isn’t full of front line options. There are a few unrestricted free agent (UFA) that could be appealing to a team in need of veteran leadership but don’t expect any of these signal callers to get much buzz when teams are allowed to offer contracts to free agents on March 5.

::2010 Age is as of September 1, 2010::

Chad Pennington | Miami Dolphins | FA Type: UFA | 2010 Age: 34.3

Among NFL free agent quarterbacks, Pennington will demand the most interest on the open market. Pennington, an unrestricted free agent (UFA), will enter the 2010 season at the age of 34 and he doesn’t have many throws left in his noodle arm; however, his ability to manage a game could be appealing to a team that relies on a smash-mouth football and defense to win games. Throughout his 10 year career, Pennington has used an abundance of high percentage throws to take care of the football. His 66.1 completion percentage is first in the NFL among all quarterbacks who have thrown enough passes to qualify and his 90.1 passer rating ranks 12th overall.

Teams looking to employ Pennington to compete for a starting job, or be a mentor to a young quarterback, will have to make sure he is healthy enough to produce. In 2009, a torn shoulder capsule on his throwing arm forced the veteran into the surgery room and cut his season short after just three games. This marked the third time (2005-twice, 2009) in four years that Pennington went under the knife to repair his shoulder.

Proven signal callers, who know how to win, usually have no problem finding a new home in the NFL and this should hold true for Pennington. His career record is 43-34 as a starter and odds are there will be a handful of teams contacting Pennington about wearing their uniform in 2010. We expect interested suitors to include the Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams, New York Jets and a return to the Miami Dolphins isn’t out of the question.

 
Kyle Orton | Denver Broncos | FA Type: RFA | 2010 Age: 27.10

After being part of a blockbuster trade that sent quarterback Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears, Kyle Orton did a solid job as the starter in Denver. He led the Broncos to an 8-8 record while posting a career high 3,802 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions. With Orton entering 2010 as a restricted free agent (RFA) the Broncos have the ability to bring him back for another season without offering him a long term deal.

Orton may never be the quarterback who can put the Broncos on his shoulders and carry them to the Promised Land; however, his ability to make smart decisions and manage games made him solid enough for Denver to tender an offer. The 27-year old signal caller received a boost of confidence when Broncos general manager Pat Bowlen told reporters that Orton is his man in 2010.

One year to prove himself as a franchise quarterback in a new offensive system is not enough for Denver to make an accurate assessment on Orton. We fully expect him to be under center when the Broncos take the field in 2010 and if Denver can find a way to work out a deal with Brandon Marshall, look for an increase in production. In each of his four seasons in the league, Orton has improved his QB Rating and completion percentage. With another year of experience, those numbers should continue to trend upward, making Denver’s likely decision to re-sign Orton a good one.

Jason Campbell | Washington Redskins | FA Type: RFA | 2010 Age: 28.9

No free agent quarterback enters the 2010 off-season with more questions surrounding him than Campbell. In 2009, Campbell made huge strides as a starter while posting career highs in passing yards and touchdowns; however, new head coach Mike Shanahan isn’t convinced that he is the Redskins quarterback. Despite throwing 20 touchdown passes and being the only bright spot on a 4-12 team, Shanahan and the Redskins are not sure Campbell is the answer. They did tender first round compensation on Campebll, which keeps him in Washington for another season and gives Shanahan more time to evaluate Campbell as the franchise quarterback.

In 52 career starts, Campbell is just 20-32 and has never led the Redskins to a winning season. Plus, the 2005 draftee took a step in the wrong direction in the turnover column. Campbell has always been known to take care of the football but in 507 passes in 2009, he threw 15 interceptions, which is nine more than he threw in 506 pass attempts in 2008.

The Redskins have the No. 4 overall pick in the NFL Draft and word is that they consider quarterbacks Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clausen as two options to lead the franchise going forward. At least one of the two should be available when the Redskins make their first pick and while both guys grade out to have more long term value than Campbell, they aren’t ready to assume a leadership role in a franchise in turmoil. We expect Campbell to be the Redskins starting QB on opening day..whether he retains the job through the entire 2010 season remains to be seen.

Matt Moore | Carolina Panthers | FA Type: RFA | 2010 Age: 26.2

In our opinion, no free agent quarterback is in a more desirable situation than Moore. He is a young quarterback that excelled towards the end of 2009, placing himself in a position to break through as a starter in the NFL. Being a restricted free agent (RFA), the Panthers tendered first and third round compensation on Moore and unless a team wants to pay top dollar, he will be back in Carolina in 2010. As the starter in the Panthers’ last five games of the season, Moore led Carolina to a 4-1 finish while throwing for 1,053 yards, eight touchdowns and just two interceptions. The Panthers offense averaged 23.2 points per game with Moore under center. His ability to take care of the football and help bring wide receiver Steve Smith from the dead was enough for the Panthers brass to release Jake Delhomme despite having locked him up for $42.5 million through 2014.

With the release of Delhomme, Moore is expected to be the front runner to win the quarterback job in Carolina this off-season. However, we wouldn’t be surprised if the Panthers targeted a veteran quarterback like Chad Pennington or Chris Redman as an insurance policy Moore. After all, we can’t see Carolina solely relying on a quarterback who has started just eight games in his career,