CBS Sportsline's Pete Prisco says that less than a day after Charlie Batch broke his collarbone, the Steelers are entertaining the idea of signing Daunte Culpepper or Byron Leftwich, the two most prominent quarterbacks who are out looking for jobs.Prisco doesn't cite any source with the Steelers, but he says that the Steelers would consider adding one of the two veterans, even though Charlie Batch would likely return to being the primary backup when he recovers from his collarbone injury. At one point, Leftwich and Culpepper were more likely to hold out for a chance to compete for a starting job, but at this point, it's pretty clear that they are looking at a backup job now, or sitting out until injuries force a team to sign a stop-gap during the season.
It may be a better idea for Culpepper and Leftwich to wait. Last year, Vinny Testaverde went from sitting on a couch to starting in one week. If he waits
Dale Lolley over at the Washington Observer-Reporter speculates in a different direction, pointing out that Kelly Holcomb, another free agent, has previous experience with offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, and would probably come somewhat cheaper. Holcomb hasn't been exactly setting the world on fire the last couple of years--he was pretty bad for the Vikings in 2007, although he was pretty good with the Bills in 2005. But as a short-term stopgap, he seems like some decent cheap insurance.
