Ladies and gentlemen the NFL Offseason is upon us and it is about time to start wildly speculating who will be going after who in yet another phenomenal free agent class. Today we will be going over the one and only Jon Gruden’s favorite position, the quarterback.
For years Jon Gruden has been making cases for why every single team in the NFL needs a quarterback and here I will be rating the NFL teams on the legendary Jon Gruden Scale of Quarterback Necessity from one banana to five bananas, starting with the playoff teams. (Editor’s Note: Credit to Mike Bonomo for the rating system.)
New England Patriots: 1 Banana
A team that has Tom Brady is in no rush to sign a new ball thrower. Especially when that team also has an able backup in Jimmy Garroppolo. No rush here.
Seattle Seahawks: 2 Bananas
Russell Wilson is the future of Seattle and of quarterbacks in the NFL. However, a dangerous style of play that could one day lead to an injury requires the quarterback have a better backup that Tavaris Jackson. For now they’re fine, but there’s nothing wrong with going after a backup.
Green Bay Packers: 1 Banana
Aaron Rodgers and Matt Flynn seem to have things taking care of in Green Bay. One banana for the Cheeseheads.
Indianapolis Colts: 1 Banana
The Colts just re-signed Matt Hasselbeck to continue as Andrew Luck’s backup, therefore don’t expect to see the Colts go after anyone else to hold the clipboard.
Carolina Panthers: 3 Bananas
Cam Newton has battled injuries before and his play style could lead to more of that in the future. Derek Anderson came in last year and performed sub-par. A backup would be very helpful in Carolina
Denver Broncos: 4 Bananas
Speculations for Peyton Manning’s return to football means its time to start thinking about the Broncos after Manning. Is Brock Osweiler the future? Probably not, and a new quarterback to come in and start learning behind Peyton in his last one or two years in the league would be the right move for Denver.
Dallas Cowboys: 3 Bananas
Following one of Tony Romo’s better seasons, the Cowboys will continue to be a strong team. The only reason to bring in a new backup would be because of Romo’s injury problems in the past.
Baltimore Ravens: 3 Bananas
Tyrod Taylor coming in after an unexpected Flacco injury should scare Ravens fans and the front office. A backup would be very helpful to the Ravens organization.
Arizona Cardinals: 4 Bananas
The Cardinals were legitimate Super Bowl contenders until Carson Palmer went down. Not only does the aging Palmer go down often, but also the backups in Arizona only won games thanks to their stellar defense. A new backup, or maybe even a new starter, could push the Cardinals to an NFC Championship team.
Pittsburgh Steelers: 3 Bananas
Big Ben has proven that age hasn’t caught up to him just quite yet, but an aging Roethlisberger needs a reliable backup. The likes of which Pittsburgh hasn’t seen in a long time.
Detroit Lions: 3.5 Bananas
Matthew Stafford has finally played a season with little injury. Still, his health has been a problem before and could be again. Constantly battling with the Packers for the top spot in the north, the Lions need all the help they can get, and a backup better than Dan Orlovsky would help a ton.
Cincinnati Bengals: 5 Bananas
Andy Dalton should not be the starter in Cincinnati if he continues this kind of play. Sadly, none of his backups deserve that spot either. A new QB to compete for that spot is a necessity right now. Look for the Bengals to target a quarterback via the draft or, more likely, free agency.