The San Francisco 49ers quarterback situation is unsettled at the moment. Colin Kaepernick has been benched, and Blaine Gabbert is getting his second straight start. Unsettled is an understatement, but whatever the case, the 49ers have questions about the quarterback position.
The NFL constantly features a lot of teams trying to find the answer at quarterback. That is no different this year, and if the 49ers invest in the position, they will face plenty of competition. There are quite a few teams with quarterback issues already, and a handful of teams that could have some issues in the near future.
The following teams are listed in order of current draft position. A "YES" does not mean to discount a team grabbing a free agent quarterback. Rather, it is ignoring free agency entirely. Once free agency and trading wraps, we can re-assess this group. But for now, we have Yes, Strong Maybe, Maybe, and No as our current answers.
1. Cleveland Browns: MAYBE -- Johnny Manziel gets the rest of the season to show what he can do. His cap hit is only $2.2 million next season, and $2.6 million in the final year of his rookie contract. If he struggles this season, whether the Browns keep him around or not, they could be in the market for another young quarterback.
2. Baltimore Ravens: NO -- Joe Flacco's not going anywhere. I could see them investing in a young quarterback, but I think it will be later in the draft.
3. Tennessee Titans: NO -- Just drafted Marcus Mariota
4. San Diego Chargers: NO -- Philip Rivers just signed a four-year extension
5. Detroit Lions: YES -- Matt Stafford is owed a big base salary in 2016, but it is not guaranteed. They could find themselves in a similar situation as the 49ers, unloading the guy they thought would be their QB of the future. And Dan Orlovsky is not the answer. They might be better listed as a "strong maybe", but I believe they part ways with Stafford this offseason.
6. Dallas Cowboys: NO -- Tony Romo isn't going anywhere. They could use a young developmental prospect, but I doubt it's a day one pick.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars: NO -- Just drafted Blake Bortles
8. San Francisco 49ers: YEP!
13. St. Louis Rams: YES -- They announced the benching of Nick Foles, replacing him in the lineup with Case Keenum. The Rams will come out ahead of the Bradford-Foles trade, simply because turned Bradford and a 5th into Foles, a 2nd and a 4th. However, they still need to figure out their QB situation. The Rams owe Foles a guaranteed $6 million roster bonus, and if they were to release him this offseason, they would have minimal savings. If they are to unload him, their best bet is to deal him before the roster bonus comes due.
The Rams likely will have him on the roster into 2016, but they could very well decide to find another young quarterback to compete with him moving forward. Case Keenum is not that long-term option, so count them as a possible draft candidate.
16. Washington: YES -- What a mess in Washington. Kirk Cousins is the current starter, and a free agent after this season. Robert Griffin III has been benched, and all indications are that he will be released in the offseason. If they have a decent end to the season, I would not be shocked to see them hand Cousins a decent-sized deal, but they could be in the mix for a quarterback prospect next April.
18. Philadelphia Eagles: YES -- We might as well go with the other team in the quarterback deal. Sam Bradford is a free agent after this season, and his backup is Mark Sanchez. Colin Kaepernick is a guy plenty connect to Chip Kelly, but if that does not happen, they are a strong candidate to draft a quarterback.
19. Houston Texans: YES -- Brian Hoyer is their starting quarterback, and T.J. Yates are currently the quarterbacks. Yates got into Monday's game after Hoyer got hurt. The team released Ryan Mallett, and 2014 fourth round pick Tom Savage is on injured reserve.
20. New York Jets: YES -- They've got Ryan Fitzpatrick and Geno Smith. It wouldn't be a draft season without people wondering what the Jets are up to at the quarterback position. I really have no idea what they want to do, but after all the Geno drama this year, I have to think they're in the mix.
28. Denver Broncos: STRONG MAYBE -- Brock Osweiler gets his first start this week due to Peyton Manning's foot injury. I expect Manning back at some point, unless the foot problem remains a serious enough issue the rest of the season. Either way, the odds of him being back in Denver next fall are dropping at a pretty significant rate. The Broncos get to find out what Osweiler can do on a team that is competing for a playoff spot. I don't know if it will be enough time for John Elway to make a decision by the start of the 2016 NFL Draft, but they are at least in the mix.