When the Texans signed Brock Osweiler today, Brian Hoyer officially lost his job as Houston’s starting quarterback. And when the Eagles signed Chase Daniel today, Mark Sanchez officially got demoted from No. 2 to No. 3 on Philadelphia’s depth chart.
So Hoyer and Sanchez would surely be available in a trade, if anyone wants them.
Would anyone want them? It’s entirely possible: Hoyer and Sanchez aren’t good, but they are competent. Some pretty bad quarterbacks started games in the NFL last year: Josh Freeman. Luke McCown. Landry Jones. T.J. Yates. EJ Manuel. Austin Davis. Jimmy Clausen. Matt Cassel. Brandon Weeden — for two different teams. In a world where teams are stuck starting those guys, some teams probably wish they had a backup more like Hoyer or Sanchez.
Hoyer and Sanchez each have one more year on their contracts, Hoyer at a $4 million salary and Sanchez at a $4.5 million salary. That’s a lot less expensive than most starting quarterbacks, but more expensive than most backup quarterbacks. A team with some cap space, and with a need for a backup quarterback, might just give the Texans or the Eagles a call, and offer up a late-round pick for Hoyer or Sanchez.