With Veteran QB Market Dwindling, Which Options Remain for Jaguars?

Now that Andy Dalton is off the market, what other directions could the Jaguars go in at quarterback?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are now left searching for answers if they want to bring on a veteran quarterback after Andy Dalton, one of the two best veteran quarterbacks on the free agent market, made the surprising move to sign with the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday. 

Dalton had long been connected to the Jaguars thanks to his history with Jacksonville offensive coordinator Jay Gruden and the fact that Jacksonville lacked a true veteran presence in its quarterback room. Now, the Jaguars will have to look elsewhere, if they are looking at all, to bring in an experienced quarterback.

Presently, the Jaguars roster consists of three quarterbacks: Garnder Minshew II, Josh Dobbs, and Jake Lutton. This is a group of one second-year player, one sixth-round rookie, and a fourth-year veteran who has never started a game. It is a far cry from an experienced quarterback room, even if the Jaguars have veteran coaches in Gruden and quarterbacks coach Ben McAdoo to help offset this.

The Jaguars could choose to enter training camp with these three quarterbacks and hope for a solid year of development from both Minshew and Dobbs, or they could continue to monitor the veteran quarterback market. In the event they opt for the latter option, are there any available quarterbacks who could still make sense? 

To determine the answer, we look at which quarterbacks are presently available, whether it be in free agency or via trade, to determine which would make the most sense for the Jaguars if they actually do want to add another signal-caller.

Cam Newton

Age: 30. Turns 31 on May 11.

Career starts: 124.

No matter how you feel about Cam Newton and what stage of his career he is currently at, it is as obvious as the day is long that he is the best available quarterback on the market. He is a former MVP who has scored 240 touchdowns throughout his career, and he completed 67.9% of his passes in his last season as a starter. 

The two main questions with Newton are whether he is healthy, which is a major mystery in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic limiting the plausibility of team doctors examining him, and if he would be interested in a possible backup role. Signing Newton would be a surprising move for the Jaguars for each of those reasons, but he has to still be considered considering the lack of quality options outside of him.

Josh Rosen

Age: 23.

Career starts: 16.

The only quarterback on this list who isn't a free agent, Josh Rosen can currently only be acquired via a trade with the Miami Dolphins. With that said, it is hard to see the Dolphins attaching a large price tag on Rosen considering he is now their No. 3 quarterback due to the presence of Ryan Fitzpatrick and the drafting of Tua Tagovailoa at No. 5 overall in last week's draft.

Rosen, who was drafted No. 10 overall in 2018, has had a rocky start to his career after being replaced in Arizona after one season and then being replaced in Miami by Fitzpatrick after just a few games. With that said, he still presents a good amount of upside and his skill set seems like a perfect mesh with Gruden's offense and coaching philosophy. He is more likely than not just a backup at this stage, but you can do worse as a backup.

Joe Flacco

Age: 35.

Career starts: 171.

Joe Flacco's days as an NFL starter are over, though it is fair to wonder if Flacco has ultimately accepted this. He went 2-6 as a starter for the Broncos in 2019 before an injury ultimately ended his season prematurely, and he threw just six touchdowns and 1,822 yards in those contests. 

However, Flacco has an abundance of starting experience, both in the regular season and in the playoffs, and could be a wealth of knowledge for a young quarterback like Minshew -- as long as Flacco is willing to teach. At this stage of Flacco's career, he is a backup option who ideally would only start in the event of an injury to a starter, but he is a better passer than a few other names on this list.

Josh McCown

Age: 40.

Career starts: 76.

The oldest quarterback on this list, Josh McCown has bounced from team to team since entering the NFL since 2002, starting games for six different franchises in the process. Most recently, he spent a year with the Philadelphia Eagles and stepped in for an injured Carson Wentz during the 2019 playoffs. 

McCown is clearly not a starting quarterback at this stage of his career, but his experience and intelligence would be a great asset to Minshew in his sophomore season. McCown knows how to prepare both as a starter ad backup and is widely considered as a NFL coaching staff candidate once he calls it a career. 

Matt Moore

Age: 35.

Career starts: 32.

A backup with the Kansas City Chiefs last season, Matt Moore has started games and served as a primary backup with the Chiefs, Carolina Panthers, and Miami Dolphins in the past. He is well-versed in holding a clipboard on the sideline and has plenty of NFL seasons under his belt that could result in him aiding Minshew in his development.

Moore is an ideal veteran backup who could be a stopgap starter for a game or two at a time. He wouldn't push Minshew for the starting job, but he could be a somewhat safer option to sit behind him.

Other names to consider: Trevor Siemian, Geno Smith, Kyle Sloter, Drew Stanton, Mike Glennon.