With free agency set to begin one month from today, Redskins.com's Stephen Czarda previews the 2015 NFL free agent class. Today's focus is on the quarterbacks.*
As it stands now, the Redskins currently have two quarterbacks on their roster under contract for 2015 – Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins – while Colt McCoy is an unrestricted free agent.
The Redskins may already be set at the position with Griffin III and Cousins, both of whom are entering their fourth season in the NFL.
Head coach Jay Gruden said during his season-ending press conference that while all three quarterbacks had their moments during the 2014 season, he'd prefer to whittle it down to two players if possible.
"It's very difficult to have three with the reps that you get," he said. "You'd like to try to narrow it down to at least two. But like I said, if somebody said that, 'Hey, you have to play with this guy, this guy or that guy,' I'd be comfortable working with one. I'd like to pick one as soon as I could so we could really try to work and grind on him and develop him, but until that position is earned, you have to have a competition."
But, if the Redskins look to have three quarterbacks at least through training camp, there are going to be several quality veterans on the market.
Here's the complete list from NFL.com:
- Jason Campbell, Cincinnati Bengals
- Jimmy Clausen, Chicago Bears
- Matt Flynn, Green Bay Packers
- Blaine Gabbert, San Francisco 49ers
- Matt Hasselbeck, Indianapolis Colts
- Shaun Hill, St. Louis Rams
- Brian Hoyer, Cleveland Browns
- Tarvaris Jackson, Seattle Seahawks
- Josh Johnson, San Francisco 49ers
- Ryan Lindley, Arizona Cardinals
- Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans
- Ryan Mallett, Houston Texans
- Luke McCown, New Orleans Saints
- Colt McCoy, Washington Redskins
- Matt Moore, Miami Dolphins
- Dan Orlovsky, Detroit Lions
- Christian Ponder, Minnesota Vikings
- Mark Sanchez, Philadelphia Eagles
- Tyrod Taylor, Baltimore Ravens
- Scott Tolzien, Green Bay Packers
- Joe Webb, Carolina Panthers
- Michael Vick, New York Jets
- T.J. Yates, Atlanta Falcons
McCoy shined in his first regular-season appearance for the Redskins, connecting on 11-of-12 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown in a victory over the Tennessee Titans.
Then the next week against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football, McCoy once again helped put the Redskins in the win column, as he threw for 299 yards while also scoring a rushing touchdown.
Perhaps the two most notable names on this list that weren't Redskins last year are Mark Sanchez and Brian Hoyer, as both saw extended action last season.
In his lone season with the Philadelphia Eagles, Sanchez threw for 2,418 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Hoyer, who started a career-high 13 games for the Cleveland Browns, accumulated a 7-6 record and threw for 3,326 yards.
There are also several first-round picks from the 2011 NFL Draft, as Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert and Christian Ponder were all top-12 picks that year.
Some of the older players -- such as Matt Hassleback and Michael Vick -- may be able to provide teams with veteran leadership in the quarterbacks room.
RELATED LINKS:-- NFL.com Releases Top 25 Free Agents List
-- Washington Redskins 2015 Mock Madness
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