Brandon Weeden

Weeden, who did not appear in a game in 2016, is expected to serve as the top backup to Tom Savage which may give him some opportunities early in the season. The Brock Osweiler experiment of 2016 notwithstanding, head coach Bill O'Brien has had an itchy trigger finger at quarterback. When it comes to retreads or inexpensive quarterbacks -- whether that be Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brian Hoyer, Case Keenum, T.J. Yates or Ryan Mallett -- O'Brien isn't afraid to shake up the position. You can add Savage to that rogues gallery of QBs. If he's not performing, Weeden could see the field in 2017. Once rookie Deshaun Watson proves he's ready to cope with NFL defenses and capable of leading an NFL offense, however, Weeden will head back to bench.

The Texans brought back Weeden, signing him to a two-year deal after an encouraging two-start performance with Houston in 2015. The quarterback with a career 31:30 TD:INT ratio played error-free football in guiding the Texans to wins in Weeks 15 and 16, which apparently was enough to convince head coach Bill O'Brien that he could serve as the team's top backup in 2016. Weeden will compete with 2014 fourth-round draft pick Tom Savage, who is coming off a significant shoulder injury that cost him all of 2015. He should have the upper hand given his breadth of NFL experience -- a factor when evaluating a team that's planning on the postseason -- as Savage has just two games of experience.

Weeden got just one start as Tony Romo's backup last season, leading the Cowboys to just 17 points on 18-of-33 passing for 183 yards, a touchdown and two picks in a loss to Arizona. He still has a big arm and looks the part of an NFL quarterback, but Weeden's lack of pocket awareness and difficulty with his progressions have kept him from living up to his billing as a first-round draft pick. Dallas continues to invest heavily in their offensive line, partially in an effort to keep Romo from getting hurt again, so even if Weeden holds off Dustin Vaughan for the backup spot his chances of seeing significant snaps are lower than you'd expect behind a quarterback with an injury-prone label. Still, if Romo does go down, the Cowboys' offense has enough weapons to make even Weeden somewhat valuable, displayed by his career-high 85.7 QB rating last season.

With a 55.9 percent completion percentage, a YPA of 6.5 and 23 touchdowns compared to 26 interceptions for his career, it seems like Weeden simply doesn't have much to offer at the NFL level. He'll open the season as Tony Romo's top backup, however, and Romo's recent durability issues mean Weeden might need to start at some point in 2014. Still, he'll be no more than a QB2 consideration in such an event – if Josh Gordon couldn't save Weeden, then Dez Bryant probably can't, either.

The Browns have an entirely new front office and coaching staff, so there's little built-in loyalty to a quarterback who will turn 30 this year, but he'll open the season as the team's starting QB. Weeden should improve in Year 2, and the addition of chain-mover and slot man Davone Bess gives him another reliable option. That said, top target Josh Gordon is suspended for the season's first two games, and new offensive coordinator Norv Turner often likes to run in the red zone.

Weeden’s rookie year figures to be ugly. While the 22nd overall pick is the favorite to win the starting job over veteran Colt McCoy, Weeden will be throwing to the league’s worst receivers in the league’s toughest defensive division, and he’ll get four games against the NFC East, too, which might be the second-toughest defensive division. There might be some hope for Weeden to obtain relevance, if Cleveland maintains its high pass-attempt volume (570 attempts) from last year, but even that prospect seems unlikely as the team drafted running back Trent Richardson with the third overall pick. Weeden has the arm to make throws down field, and Richardson’s presence will open up passing lanes, but it’s not clear whether Greg Little and Mohamed Massaquoi are good enough to make plays for him.