No shortage of teams in market for used Carr

There are at least five teams that could use former Houston Texans quarterback David Carr. The only problem is identifying which of them makes the first move.

Carr is a free agent, thanks to another mystifying move by Houston, which means he's immediately available to Oakland, Detroit, Cleveland, Minnesota and Miami -- all teams in search of a quarterback and all teams that draft in the top 10.

Despite the constant punishment, David Carr played 76 of a possible 80 games in five seasons for the Texans. (Getty Images)

But that's the problem. None of them might be willing to commit to Carr until they complete inquiries into LSU's JaMarcus Russell and Notre Dame's Brady Quinn -- which means it's likely none of them will act swiftly.

Russell and Quinn are the top two quarterbacks in this year's draft, with Russell expected to go to Oakland with the first choice.

But let's say you're the Raiders, and you're wavering on Russell. You can sign Carr. That allows you the freedom, then, to choose wide receiver Calvin Johnson, the best player in the draft.

Terrific, huh? I think so. First, of course, the Raiders must make a decision on Russell. Which means nothing happens soon.

Then there's Detroit, sitting at the second pick. Offensive coordinator Mike Martz likes starter Jon Kitna, but he likes some of the quarterbacks in this year's draft, too, with the Lions expected to take one in the first three rounds.

That means Carr probably is out of their picture.

Which takes us to Cleveland with the third pick, and, yeah, I think the Browns should make the move. The reason: If you sign Carr, you don't have to draft Quinn. Then you can choose running back Adrian Peterson, and, suddenly, you might have solved two problems with one draft pick.

Minnesota? The Vikings should try to sign Carr, too, but they might have a conviction about Quinn, too. And he might be there at the seventh pick. So why sign Carr if you think you can have Quinn? That's the question the Vikings must be asking now.

Last, there is Miami, and the Dolphins are the most intriguing club in this group. They're hot on the trail of Kansas City's Trent Green, but nothing has happened with the Chiefs yet. But let's just say they pull the trigger and acquire Green. What happens then?

Well, there's a feeling they will cut Daunte Culpepper, opening the door for another quarterback. That could be Carr. It could be Quinn, too, if he lasts until the ninth pick.

See what I mean?