When the Redskins decided to bench Mark Brunell and start Jason Campbell it proved that the Redskins were looking to the future and they hope Campbell will be on the fast track to being a good NFL starter.  Campbell played pretty well when he was thrown in the fire last season.  Campbell started 7 games for the Redskins last season and he completed 110 of 207 passes (53.1%) for 1,297 yards with 10 TD passes and only 6 interceptions (76.5 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 24 times for 107 yards (4.5 ypc).  Campbell has the physical skills to be a good NFL QB and the Redskins will try to protect him by being a run first offense.  The Redskins just hope that Campbell can handle the mental aspect of the game as they try to expand the playbook.

Mark Brunell is still a crafty veteran and that’s why they have brought him back for another season.  He was the starter at the beginning of last season but the Redskins went to Campbell after the team had a rough first half of the season.  Brunell has lost quite a bit off of his fastball and he isn’t as nimble as a runner as he was earlier in his career.  Brunell played in 10 games (9 starts) last season for the Redskins and he completed 162 of 260 passes (62.3%) for 1,789 yards with 8 TD passes and only 4 interceptions (86.5 QB Rating).  He also carried the football 13 times for 34 yards (2.6 ypc).  It appears as if Brunell’s long NFL career is coming to a close, but he should be a decent backup for a couple of more seasons.  Brunell has played in 157 games (150 starts) and he has completed 2,738 of 4,594 (59.6%) passes for 31,826 yards with 182 TD passes and 106 interceptions (84.2 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 509 times for 2,433 yards (4.8 ypc) with 15 TD runs.

It will be interesting to see how the Redskins handle the #3 QB job.  Al Saunders favorite Todd Collins is back and he will duke it out with rookie Jordan Palmer for the job.  Collins would seem to have an edge because the Offensive Co-Ordinator likes him.  But, Collins didn’t play a down last season for the Redskins despite the team having some problems at the position.  Collins has played in 40 games (17 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 302 of 546 passes (55.3%) for 3,447 yards with 17 TD passes and 19 interceptions (70.4 QB Rating).  He also has carried the football 74 times for 151 yards (2.0 ypc).  Palmer’s brother is a pretty good NFL QB (Carson, Bengals) and he definately has the physical skills to play in the NFL.  It’s the mental part of the game that Palmer has problems with….just like Campbell does.

Tyler Ecker will likely make the Redskins and be Chris Cooley’s backup.  Ecker has nice size at 6′6″, 269 pounds but he’s very, very slow (4.92 40).  Ecker is a good run blocker and he will catch anything that hits his hands.  In 45 games (15 starts) for Michigan, Ecker caught 57 passes for 695 yards (12.2 avg) with 6 TD grabs.

The Redskins sign cornerback Jerametrius Butler to a 1-year contract.  He only played in 6 games last season due to injury and he only made 2 tackles.  Butler has skills, so the big question is if he can stay healthy.  If he does he will likely serve as the Redskins nickel back or he’ll fit in the dime package and special teams.  He has played in 63 games over his career and he has made 176 tackles, has 9 interceptions (87 return yards), defensed 22 passes, forced a fumble and recovered 4 fumbles.

The Redskins wanted another QB to groom for the future so they drafted Carson Palmer’s little brother.  Palmer has great size at 6′5″, 229 pounds and he’s quick enough to side step defensive players that are rushing him to buy some time.  He has a strong enough arm to make all of the throws needed to start in the NFL.  But, he has problems reading defenses which has led to problems in college with interceptions.  Still, Palmer was a nice pick this late in the draft and he could develop into a nice backup for the Redskins or he could challenge Jason Campbell for the starting job down the road if he doesn’t improve.  In 36 games (32 starts) at UTEP, Palmer completed 851 of 1,427 passes (59.6%) for 11,084 yards with 88 TD passes and 64 interceptions.