It is speculation season in the NFL! I suppose it is always speculation season, but the couple weeks in February before the NFL Combine is when things pick up steam before real news actually starts to happen. And given some of the big names that are not yet free agents, but could hit the market in the coming months, it's an amusing time.
A FOX Sports editor decided to put together a list of seven potential landing spots for Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III. He is expected to be released sooner rather than later, and there will be plenty of potential landing spots. The 49ers have some questions at quarterback, and the editor decided they fit among the seven.
You're probably thinking, "Why would Chip Kelly want RG3 if he has Colin Kaepernick already on his roster?" Well, Kelly stopped short of endorsing Kaepernick at his introductory press conference, and whether Kelly wants to admit it or not, his offense needs a mobile QB to be most effective. Plus, check out this praise Kelly had for RG3 back in Dec. 2014. "Is he athletic? Yeah. And if you sleep on that guy, trust me, you guys will be sitting here after the game going, 'Boy, he went for 100 yards against you, how did that happen?' If Kaepernick gets the boot, this leads us to believe it's not out of the realm of possibility.
I think the odds are significantly higher that Blaine Gabbert is the 49ers starting quarterback in 2016 than RG3 is on the roster. At the same time, RG3 could view the 49ers as a place where he would have a decent shot at securing a starting position sooner rather than later. I don't expect Griffin to end up on the 49ers roster, but even beyond just Kelly's 2014 praise of the quarterback, it is a situation where a new quarterback could work his way into a prominent role.
The rest of the list includes the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Rams, and Philadelphia Eagles. I think Dallas and Houston make the most sense. Dallas would provide some stability and a chance to build to a future after Tony Romo. If RG3 wants a shot now to get back into a starting role, the Texans make a lot of sense. Brian Hoyer did some decent things, but he's 30 and only just now coming off his best season as a pro. Even if the Texans think Hoyer still has some upside, RG3 could provide them with more of a competition than Hoyer going up against the likes of T.J. Yates, Tom Savage, and maybe Brandon Weeden.