The biggest pain in the NFL is when a team has problems at the quarterback position.
Great quarterback play is the ultimate painkiller. A great quarterback consistently produces points and rights his team's wrongs via fourth-quarter comebacks. Teams with question marks at quarterback usually suffer via turnovers or point averages in the teens.
The common belief is that, at any given time, there aren't enough solutions for the quarterback problems of all 32 NFL teams. The haves don't worry. The have-nots worry.
And then there are the teams such as the New York Jets, who are suffering from a whopper of a Ryan Fitzpatrick migraine. The offense can move only so far this offseason with Geno Smith (he's in his last season as a Jet), Bryce Petty (he isn't ready yet) and Christian Hackenberg (needs to work on his mechanics), and the remedy is getting Fitzpatrick to accept a deal.
While the Jets work to relieve their immediate pain, let's take a reading on the rest of the league's biggest quarterback headaches.
Denver Broncos
Coach Gary Kubiak's biggest headache was last season. Peyton Manning's skills were rapidly eroding, and Kubiak had to sit down one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. Brock Osweiler bailed out the team but threw two interceptions in the season finale, and Kubiak went back to Manning. The Broncos won the Super Bowl, and Kubiak proved Denver can win with lower expectations from the quarterback position. Now, the Broncos have a three-way battle at quarterback heading into training camp. Mark Sanchez is the leader. Trevor Siemian is the sleeper. Paxton Lynch is the future. Last season, from Week 10 through the Super Bowl, the Broncos averaged only 20.9 points a game and had 20 interceptions in 11 games. Wade Phillips' defense is the painkiller for Kubiak, but the team knows it has to win with defense and running the football.
Prediction: Sanchez will win the job.
Cleveland Browns
Coach Hue Jackson says to trust him and he will make good on the quarterback position. The pain is wondering whether the Browns have enough there. Robert Griffin III became a headache for the Redskins until they eased the pain by going to Kirk Cousins and icing RG III as a player. Josh McCown was a change for the Browns, but he struggled at his age to stay healthy. Jackson believes he can turn Cody Kessler into a good NFL quarterback, but no one can guarantee it will happen this season. Since 1999, 25 quarterbacks have started for the Browns. It's not out of the question that all three of these quarterbacks could start sometime this season. Season-ticket holders should receive Advil packets with each set of tickets.
Prediction: No guarantees. RG III is the favorite, but it wouldn't surprise me if McCown beats him out.