By Jordan Long
Free agency in the NFL opens up on March 17th. Teams will look to add talent in hopes of making a Super Bowl run. One quarterback who could help a team is Tyrod Taylor. The Chargers most likely will let Taylor test the free agent market. They have their quarterback of the future in Justin Herbert. Teams who could be interested in Taylor are the Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, the Washington Football Team, Detroit Lions, and Houston Texans.
The Denver Broncos seem to be linked to every available quarterback, either through free agency or trade. Denver has enough cap space at around $33.180 million, more than enough to sign Taylor.
The Broncos want to bring in a veteran quarterback to add competition for Drew Lock. They don’t have a reliable veteran quarterback on the team. Taylor would push Lock for the starting job. Most likely, since Lock knows the offensive system, he would beat out Taylor. Taylor has the NFL experience to be the starter if Lock struggles. They are both mobile quarterbacks and the offense wouldn’t change.
The Broncos have plenty of money to spend for Taylor. Taylor was paid $5 million by the Chargers last year. That wouldn’t be expensive and Denver would still have cap space to spend on players. Denver seems like a fit for Taylor.
The Eagles could be desperate for a backup. The only quarterback on their roster is Jalen Hurts who is coming off his rookie year. He is expected to be the #1 quarterback on the depth chart. The Eagles don’t know what they have in Hurts. Hurts appeared in 4 games last year with a disappointing 1-3 record. Hurts threw for 1,061 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. Hurts has his opportunity to be the Eagles quarterback in 2021.
Taylor going to the Eagles makes a lot of sense. He may help Hurts with his game at the NFL level. Taylor gives the Eagles an option in case Hurts plays poorly in either preseason or the regular season. Taylor would need to learn the offense but once he gets it down, he could be dangerous. The Eagles should consider Taylor. The Eagles don’t have the cap space right now but may be able to create the money for him. They are over the cap by around $34.9 million.
The Washington Football Team might be the best place for Taylor. They don’t have a #1 quarterback on the roster. Taylor Heinicke right now is the only quarterback on the depth chart. Washington needs to add depth to the position. They could always draft one, but they won’t have their first pick until 19TH in the first-round. They would have to trade up to select Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, or Mac Jones. It might be worth the cost.
Taylor gives Washington a veteran quarterback with experience. He might even beat out Heinicke for the top spot because of his knowledge in the NFL. The worst case is Taylor is the backup. Washington could decide Taylor isn’t worth it and go after another quarterback. Washington has plenty of money to splurge in free agency. They have around $30 million.
The Texans are also in the market for a quarterback. Deshaun Watson, assuming he stays in Houston, is their only quarterback. Houston must make moves to improve the quarterback position. They will take a look at Taylor. If Watson is dealt to another team, at least they would have a skilled quarterback. Houston has around $33 million in cap space they can use. The Texans are a team who could use Taylor right now. He could end up being the #1 quarterback if Watson is traded or holds out.
The Detroit Lions don’t make a whole lot of sense right now to sign Taylor. The Lions have their starter in Jared Goff. The backup is Chase Daniel. The Lions don’t need to add a veteran quarterback. The only reason Taylor is linked to the team is his head coach in L.A., Anthony Lynn, is the offensive coordinator for the Lions. Taylor understands his offense, but that is not a reason for him to go there. The Lions are set with their quarterbacks.
Taylor is going to do what is best for him going forward in free agency. He would still like to be a starter in this league but is a reliable backup quarterback. These are just a few of the teams who could be interested in him. Taylor will take his time to decide his next team. Whoever he chooses, it will be Taylor’s 5th team in the NFL.
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