Jacksonville re-signed veteran quarterback Chad Henne on Friday to a two-year deal, and speculation immediately began as to whether the signing precludes the Jaguars from using the No. 3 pick in May's draft to take a quarterback.
Of course it doesn't. The Jaguars have a meeting scheduled with UCF's Blake Bortles later this month, and likely will meet with Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater and Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel, too, as they do their due diligence. Plus, it's extremely unlikely to think the Jaguars' front office truly thinks Henne, who is a journeyman talent, is any kind of long-term solution.
But the Henne re-signing also means the Jaguars could bypass a quarterback with their first pick and use a second- or third-rounder on a signal-caller in a draft that is deep at the position. In that scenario, Henne holds the spot until the rookie quarterback is ready, whether it be during the 2014 season or in 2015.
The same type of drama surrounds Houston. The Texans own the No. 1 pick in the draft, and they have been connected with free-agent quarterback Matt Cassel. New coach Bill O'Brien roiled the waters even more when he attended the pro day for Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo earlier this week and put Garoppolo through a private workout.
Those disparate threads led to this tapestry: The Texans will sign Cassel, use their first pick on, say, Jadeveon Clowney to further enhance the defense, then draft their quarterback of the future -- Garoppolo -- in the second round.
The same type thread now exists for the Jaguars, except in their case, they already have their veteran quarterback signed.
Of course, Henne's signing also could mean that the Jaguars like the idea of Henne serving as the veteran backup to a rookie quarterback taken with the No. 3 pick.
Clowney, Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack, Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins and the three quarterbacks likely appeal to the Jags at No. 3. The unknown, obviously, is how highly the Jags think of the three quarterbacks. Owner Shad Khan has said the Jags would draft a quarterback, but he didn't say in what round. Would they risk not getting a quarterback they liked by taking another position player at No. 3?
And be aware of this: The Texans' decision at No. 1 will have a huge bearing on what the Jaguars ultimately decide. If Houston doesn't pick a quarterback, Jacksonville likely will have its pick of the top three signal-callers; St. Louis, which owns the No. 2 pick, isn't going to take a quarterback. Then again, if Houston doesn't take a quarterback, maybe St. Louis gets an offer to trade its pick from from a quarterback-hungry team.
Just think: The draft still is two months away, so theories will continue to fly -- and a few might even turn out to be correct.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
