Supply and demand drove the price of quarterbacks too high in this draft. That doesn’t mean the demand has satisfied.
While seven quarterbacks were taken in the first three rounds, two of them were taken by teams with established starters. (Jacksonville and New England.) The Bengals took Andy Dalton, but that doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily give up on Carson Palmer.
Plenty of teams that had no legitimate quarterback option before the draft are even more desperate now. And many of the teams that took a rookie quarterback early will still be looking for veterans. Here’s a quick rundown:
Buffalo: It looks like they’ll ride or die with Ryan Fitzpatrick. But coach Chan Gailey says they’ll look to add another QB to the roster.
Arizona: They didn’t take a quarterback, increasing speculation they will go hard after Kevin Kolb. Matt Hasselbeck and Marc Bulger could also be options. John Skelton sits atop the depth chart for now.
49ers: Jim Harbaugh wants to bring Alex Smith back, but it’s uncertain if Smith will want to be the bridge to Colin Kaepernick.
Titans: They surprised everyone by taking Jake Locker. Now they just need a veteran quarterback to play before Locker is ready. Vince Young will be booted, and Kerry Collins is unlikely to be back.
Vikings: Taking Christian Ponder won’t quiet any Donovan McNabb speculation.
Redskins: They surprisingly didn’t show any interest in bringing in a rookie. Would you believe they like John Beck?
Dolphins: They want to give Chad Henne another shot, but also want to give him competition. Look for them to try to acquire Carson Palmer. That could be tough to pull off.
Seahawks: Like the Cardinals, they are a complete mess at the position. They don’t have a youngster or a legitimate veteran. They will try to keep Hasselbeck, but could also compete with the Cards to acquire Kolb.
In short, it remains a seller’s market.