Veteran Donovan McNabb reportedly requested his release from the Minnesota Vikings and the team will comply with his wish by officially making the move on Thursday. This puts McNabb on the waiver wire which means any team (ranked from worst to best record) can claim him and the rest of his $1.5 million contract.
Donovan McNabb Released; Bears, Cowboys Or Texans Could Make Sense
Like Kyle Orton on the waiver wire last week, we can expect plenty of rumors to start circulating regarding McNabb's next destination. Taking what we know from the Orton situation, I believe there are three candidates to consider issuing a claim on McNabb -- Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears and Houston Texans.
Chicago and Houston have injuries to their starting quarterback while the Cowboys, who hold waiver priority over both teams, are dealing with an injury to their backup quarterback.
It’s hard to project where McNabb will go, or exactly how many team(s) will be interested, but the fact that the Vikings agreed to release him suggests there’s at least one team out there that will claim him because the only way Minnesota benefits is if another team picks up the rest of his contract this year. McNabb might be able to help a team down the stretch but, frankly, Orton might be better or as good at this stage in their respective careers so McNabb may not draw as much interest as he did.
The Bears are probably the most popular destination for McNabb for a number of reasons. First, they lost Jay Cutler for what could be the entire season and they're now starting Caleb Hanie, who had his first career start last week (in a loss). Second, they put a claim in on Kyle Orton so you know they're willing to upgrade at quarterback. Third, Chicago is McNabb's home city, which doesn't necessarily mean anything because it's not his choice whether a team claims him, but it does show a willingness by him to play there. That said, there's some concern that McNabb may not be familiar enough with the Bears offense for them to make a claim.
Finally, the Texans are down to their third quarterback, rookie T.J. Yates. They've lost their top two quarterbacks -- Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart -- to season-ending injuries in the last two weeks. They're leading the AFC South and currently hold the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff picture and their depth chart includes Yates, Jake Delhomme and Kellen Clemens. The Texans really have it all -- weapons in the passing game, strong rushing attack and one of the top defenses in the NFL. In terms of places McNabb would be most likely to succeed, I'd pick Houston.
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