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Locker, Sanchez, McCoy & Hoyer Top Potential Unrestricted Free Agent QB List

By Chris Malumphy

NFL teams looking for a quarterback aren't likely to find anyone overly exciting in the upcoming free-agent crop, but there are a few players that might be worth taking a look at for those desperate for an upgrade.

The unrestricted free-agent quarterbacks that might be worth a gamble for a team needing a starter are by no means sure things. Each have well-known liabilities.

Jake Locker may be the most attractive unrestricted free agent possibility. He is young, mobile and has shown occasional flashes. But Locker is also injury prone and erratic. Still, for parts of 2013, it appeared that Locker might be developing into a reasonable starter.

Mark Sanchez is the best known of the group, coming off his best season statistically, completing 64% of his passes for a 7.8 yard average and garnering an 88.4 quarterback rating topping his previous bests of 56.7%, 6.7 and 78.2. But Sanchez has always been a turnover machine and you have to believe that his statistical success in 2014 was primarily due to Coach Chip Kelly's quarterback friendly offense that enabled Nick Foles to put up superstar statistics in 2013.

Colt McCoy provides an interesting possibility. He is on the small side, is frequently injured and doesn't have a big arm. But McCoy can be remarkably accurate as evidenced by his 71.1% competion rate on 128 attempts in 2014. McCoy could thrive in a true West Coast or Chip Kelly type offense, so long as he didn't get killed in the process. McCoy also has a lot of intangibles that could be attractive to a team that desperately needs a quarterback and doesn't have the draft picks to get an impact player in the draft.

Brian Hoyer had the Browns at 7-4 after 11 games in 2014. Then things fell apart for both the quarterback and the team. Hoyer's arm is reasonably strong, but highly erratic. For much of the season, he protected the ball well. Then he turned into a turnover machine. He is worth a look, if nothing else as a very viable backup.

Matt Hasselbeck, Michael Vick and Jason Campbell are long past their sell date. Shaun Hill continues to prove that he's a nice guy to have around in a backup role, but he's also been around quite a while and has never been able to seize a starting job for long. Matt Moore is another capable backup, but hasn't been able to capitalize on any of the opportunities provided him. Matt Flynn has proven to be a decent stop-gap backup quarterback in Green Bay, but failed in chances to win a starting position with both the Seattle Seahawks and the Oakland Raiders.

Expected Unrestricted Free Agent Quarterbacks Entering 2015 Season
Name Att C Pct Yds Avg Att Avg Comp Td Td Pct Ints Int Pct Sacked Pct Sacked Rating Rushes Yds Avg Td
Matt Flynn55734361.639337.111.5254.5162.96310.285.8851341.61
Shaun Hill118373662.280386.810.9494.1302.5826.585.5783304.24
Matt Hasselbeck5074306660.4349486.911.42034.01482.93446.382.334912163.58
Jason Campbell2518151960.3167716.711.0873.5602.41706.381.724012045.06
Michael Vick3151176756.1220937.012.51314.2872.83068.980.485360107.036
Matt Moore76845258.953427.011.8334.3283.6667.979.259871.52
Jake Locker70940857.549677.012.2273.8223.1607.879.0956446.85
Tarvaris Jackson106763659.672266.811.4393.7353.3897.778.51636444.06
Colt McCoy83150160.354586.610.9253.0232.8768.478.21154233.72
Brian Hoyer63035656.545577.212.8193.0193.0365.476.855751.41
Dan Orlovsky47227658.529316.210.6143.0122.5295.876.013342.60
Christian Ponder105763259.866586.310.5383.6363.4958.275.91266395.17
Mark Sanchez2176122656.3145106.711.8823.8803.71496.474.11594292.713
T.J. Yates17010461.211646.811.231.874.1189.670.317563.31
Luke McCown31718458.020356.411.192.8144.4339.468.3321805.60
Blaine Gabbert78441753.243955.610.5232.9243.1748.666.8761912.50
Scott Tolzien905561.17178.013.011.155.633.266.855511.01
Joe Webb1528857.98535.69.732.053.3116.766.6402746.94
Ryan Mallett794253.24175.39.922.533.811.361.014-11-0.80
Jimmy Clausen34718352.717815.19.751.4102.9369.460.226662.50
Josh Johnson1779654.210425.910.952.8105.6168.357.7372546.90
Ryan Lindley26413450.813145.09.820.8114.2186.450.3471.80
Tyrod Taylor351954.31995.710.500.025.7512.547.2231396.01