The Denver Broncos have been looking for “The Guy” ever since Peyton Manning after rode off into the sunset after Super Bowl 50.
The hope, although it’s now fading fastly, within the Broncos front office, is that Drew Lock could prove to be the answer at the quarterback position in Denver for the next decade-plus.
The Broncos went through multiple quarterbacks before they selected Lock in the 2nd round out of Missouri in the 2019 NFL Draft. Lock was the No. 1 ranked quarterback on the Broncos board that year, and the Denver brass had reportedly told Lock they would draft him multiple times dating back to the Senior Bowl that year.
Fast forward to 2020 and it hasn’t looked pretty for the young gun-slinger.
Lock has had numbers similar to Trevor Siemian’s from 2016 and hasn’t shown the improvement he needs in his second professional season. Lock has until the end of the season to prove he’s the guy or there’s a chance that the Broncos could move on from Lock as the starter and look for another quarterback.
Here are five veteran quarterbacks that could possibly replace Lock in 2021 (not including the 2021 draft class).
5. Dak Prescott
Prescott’s contract debacle with the Dallas Cowboys has everyone shaking their head. It’s more likely than not that Prescott ends up signing a long-term deal with the Cowboys after his season ending injury, but who’s not to say that he would want to play elsewhere?
The Broncos were very interested in Prescott during the 2016 draft process. Denver met with Prescott every chance they got and might have focused on drafting the Mississippi St. quarterback if he hadn’t missed his flight for a private visit in Denver. If the two-time Pro Bowler becomes a free agent, there will undoubtedly be plenty of suitors targeting Prescott and Denver could make a run at him if they’re willing to pay him between $30-40 million per year.
4. Ryan Fitzpatrick
The 16-year veteran will likely be moving on from the Dolphins in the offseason since they’ve made the decision to roll with Tua Tagovailoa. Fitzpatrick wasn’t happy when Miami made the switch to the rookie after playing solid football through the first half of the season. Fitzpatrick had mentioned he was scared that he had played his final NFL game when Brian Flores made the change. Well, if he wants to play another season and have a chance to start, it could be in Denver.
Denver general manager John Elway has gone out and signed multiple free agent quarterbacks in Peyton Manning, Case Keenum, and even Joe Flacco. It wouldn’t be new for Elway to sign another veteran free agent quarterback. This would allow the Broncos to have a chance to make a wild card run and allow Drew Lock to sit and learn behind Fitzparick. Denver could also get Fitzpatrick for cheap instead of giving him a long-term deal.
3. Matthew Stafford
There’s a very small chance Stafford becomes a free agent due to his dead cap hit of $24.8 million. But it is possible that the Lions could trade Stafford for a high draft pick. This situation makes more sense than people might think.
There’s a solid chance that Detroit could be selecting in the top 10 as they begin their rebuild and would want to gather as many draft picks as possible. Detroit will be hiring a new general manager and head coach this offseason and who’s not to say that they would love to get Stafford’s contract off their books to clear some cap space and allow Stafford to get some new scenery to succeed.
It’s also possible that Stafford could go up to the front office and say that he wants to win now and not go through an entire rebuild. With the weapons that the Broncos have, it would make sense for Stafford to be attracted to Denver with Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and even Noah Fant to throw to. Denver would have to be willing to give up at least a first round pick or even a second rounder.
2. Tyrod Taylor
The Los Angeles Chargers have found their franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert and with Taylor becoming a free agent, he will want to go somewhere where he can start. Taylor had the starting job in Los Angeles until he had a freak accident when the team doctor had accidently punctured his lung before a game.
There is a connection with the Broncos for Taylor.
When Gary Kubiak was the head coach of the Broncos, Denver had tried to sign Taylor and even offered him the most money before he ultimately signed with the Buffalo Bills. Kubiak had built a relationship with him while calling plays for the Ravens in 2014.
Denver then tried trading for him while he was with Buffalo, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, but instead signed Case Keenum in free agency.
If Taylor becomes available the third time may be the charm for the Broncos.
1. Sam Darnold
This should come as no surprise with the Jets having the worst record of any NFL team this season and being well on their way to drafting Trevor Lawrence if he enters the draft. Since the Jets will be going into a full rebuild, they could easily move on from Darnold and will have plenty of suitors out there for the former first-round pick. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter joined 104.3 The Fan in Denver and mentioned that a reasonable offer for Darnold could be something like a second and a fourth-round pick.
Another plus to getting Darnold is that he is still on his rookie contract and Denver will have time to see if he’s the right quarterback to lead the franchise.
It had previously been reported that the Broncos really liked Darnold in the 2018 NFL Draft, and had even tried making a trade up to the third-overall pick to draft him, according to Rapoport. Many people around the league still believe that Darnold could be a franchise quarterback.
Unless Drew Lock proves to the Broncos that he’s the franchise quarterback in the next four weeks, expect the Broncos to target one of these five quarterbacks if they don’t like what they are seeing in the draft.
More from The Woody Paige Sports Network:
- Woody Paige: That time I played blackjack with Michael Jordan in Monte Carlo
- ‘Most losses in 2020’ prop bet offers NFL bettors huge value
- Lewis Black rants on Dan Snyder — the worst owner in pro sports
- Atlanta Falcons lose by accidentally scoring a touchdown
- Woody Paige: Denver Broncos could become NFL’s version of New York Knicks
- MLB rumors: Is Nolan Arenado headed to Los Angeles?
- Woody Paige: Who will emerge as the next owner of the Denver Broncos?
