Buffalo Bills

The Five Teams Most Likely to Draft Brad Kaaya

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:12 p.m. ET

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Oct 20, 2016; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Brad Kaaya (15) throws a pass during the third quarter against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

Numerous NFL teams will be in need of a Quarterback when the draft commences in April. Brad Kaaya will be better off going to a team that has players in place for Kaaya to grow with instead of relying on him as a franchise Quarterback.

Largely gone are the days where a Quarterback can sit, learn the NFL and grow in the position. The exception this season was Denver’s Paxton Lynch. Dax Prescott in Dallas and Carson Wentz in Philadelphia both started from the first game of the season. The Rams Jared Goff started later in the season.

A team similar to the Cowboys would be an ideal situation for Kaaya. Houston and Arizona would be those stops for the former Miami Hurricanes signal caller. Buffalo has a strong running game and talented receivers that Kaaya could complement well.

The Bears have an all rookie running back and an up and coming defense, San Francisco is a mess. They will be hiring a new General Manager and their fourth Head Coach in as many seasons. The 49ers are the furthest away from competing of these teams.

Nov 8, 2015; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Miami Dolphins running back Lamar Miller (26) runs with the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Houston Texans

Kaaya would compete in Houston with Brock Osweiler and Tom Savage for the starting position as a rookie. Savage passed Osweilier on the depth chart near the end of the season.

Osweiler signed a four year $72 million contract before last season. Only the first two seasons are guaranteed at $37 million and the Texans might be looking to move on from what was a disastrous first season.

Savage took over after Osweiler threw two inceptions in week 15. He started weeks 16 and 17 before he was knocked out with a concussion in the season finale that kept him out of the Texans two playoff games.

Osweiler was back in for the Texans Wildcard win over the Raiders and their divisional loss at New England. His opposing Quarterback against Oakland was third string Quarterback, rookie Greg Cook.

Houston had the NFL’s best defense in 2016 and were without three time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt who missed all but three games with an injury.

Kaaya would be a good complement to an offense that features former Hurricanes and Dolphins running back Lamar Miller and has All-Pro Wide Receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

Dec 4, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) against the Washington Redskins at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Arizona Cardinals

Carson Palmer is nearing the end of his career at 37 years old and Drew Stanton hasn’t shown much promise in the multitude of opportunities he’s been given. Like Houston, Arizona would present Kaaya with an opportunity to not have to be the franchise savior. It would also give him an opportunity to sit and learn from Palmer for a year or two.

Palmer played in all but one game this season and Stanton is a nine year veteran. He missed week four with a concussion. Stanton started in his place and went 11-28 for 124 yards and two touchdowns in a 33-21 win at San Francisco. On the season, Stanton was 19-48 for 192 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.

The Cardinals finished the season 7-8-1, three games behind Seattle in the NFC West. They are just one season removed from winning the division and advancing the NFC Championship game where they lost to Carolina.

Arizona boasts one of the most promising young running backs in the NFL in David Johnson. He led the NFL in yards from scrimmage this season with 2,118. They also have young wide receivers John Brown and JJ Nelson, plus a strong defense.

Adding Kaaya to that offense would pose a bright future in Glendale.

Dec 24, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA;  Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy (25) runs the ball while Miami Dolphins free safety Michael Thomas (31) looks to make a tackle at New Era Field. Miami beats Buffalo 34 to 31 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Buffalo Bills

The Bills enter 2017 with first year Head Coach Sean McDermott. McDermott had been the Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator for the last six seasons. The Bills finished 7-9 this season and missed the playoffs for the 17th consecutive year.

Buffalo has a great running back tandem of Lasean McCoy and Mike Gillislee. Tyrod Taylor has proven to be an adequate but inconsistent Quarterback. He has been give plenty of opportunity to show he’s their Quarterback of the future.

Taylor finished 2016 with 3,023 yards, 17 touchdowns and six interceptions in 15 games. The Bills were 7-8 in his 15 starts and he is 14-14 in two years as a starter.

E.J. Manuel was a second round pick from Florida State in 2013 and is just 6-11 as a starter in his career. The Bills also have rookie Cardale Jones from Ohio State who was 6-11 for 96 yards with an interception this season.

The Bills offense finished tenth in scoring and led the league in rushing in 2016, but their passing game needs a significant upgrade. They finished 30th in yards and last in passing attempts in 2016.

They have a pair of good receivers in Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods and have former Dolphins Charles Clay at Tight End. Watkins is an elite receiver, but has battled injuries the last two seasons. He missed three games in 2015 and eight this season.

The Bills defense was not as good this season as it had been in past years. They finished 16th in points allowed and were in the bottom against the run by any measure.

Kaaya would be a significant upgrade at the position.

Dec 24, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler looks on after the game against the Washington Redskins at Soldier Field. Redskins won 41-21. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Bears

It’s hard to know which direction the Bears are going at Quarterback. Jay Cutler is at the end of a seven year $126.7 million contract. He is an unrestricted free agent. There has been a lot of speculation with his status. The likelihood is that the Bears and Cutler are ready to move on.

Cutler, Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley shared Quarterback for the Bears this season. Cutler had a Quarterback rating of 78.1, Hoyer 98.0 and Barkley 68.3. Hoyer was playing well early in the season until it ended with a broken hand.

Hoyer threw for 1,445 yards, six touchdowns with no interceptions and completed 67 percent of his passes in six games, five starts in 2016. The Bears are his fifth team in his eight year NFL Career. He has a 16-15 career record as a starter and led the Texans to the playoffs in 2015. Hoyer would be a good mentor for Kaaya until he is ready to assume a starting role.

The Bears have an up and coming defense, All-Rookie players, Running Back Jordan Howard and Center Cody Whitehair. Howard broke Matt Forte’s Bears rookie rushing record with 1,313 yards rushing this season. They are also hoping the 2015 first round pick Kevin White can become an asset. White has played in only four games in two seasons with foot injuries.

It appeared early into his Chicago tenure that Barkley could challenge for a starting role. He finished the season with eight touchdown passes to 14 interceptions. He is likely no more than a career backup.

January 1, 2017; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) runs against Seattle Seahawks middle linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) during the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium. The Seahawks defeated the 49ers 25-23. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

San Francisco 49ers

Aside from all of his off the field attention, Colin Kaepernick had a resurgent season for the 49ers. Although San Francisco went 1-10 in his starts, Kaepernick had arguably his best season in three years. He has a player option for 2017.

Kaepernick finished 2016 with his highest quarterback rating in three years, the best touchdown to interception ratio of his career and the lowest interception percentage of his career.

San Francisco would not be an ideal destination for Kaaya, other than the fact that he would get to return to his home state. The 49ers are presently without a Head Coach or a General Manager. They have a solid running back in Carlos Hyde if he can stay healthy.

The are bereft of talent in the receiving corp. Vance McDonald could become a solid playmaker at tight end, but he is more of a complementary player. Veteran Jeremy Kerley led the Niners in receiving this year. Torrey Smith has been a bust since coming over from Baltimore.

San Francisco finished 2016 27th in scoring and last in scoring defense. Their passing offense also finished last in 2016. They need gross upgrades on both sides of the ball. The bottom has fallen out in San Francisco since Jim Harbaugh left.

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