How Brett Rypien Starting at QB Changes Broncos' Offense

Russell Wilson is out. Brett Rypien is in vs. the New York Jets. Now what?

Throughout the week, there was a question of who would start at quarterback for the Denver Broncos against the New York Jets. Well, we now know that Russell Wilson will be inactive as he deals with a hamstring injury, so Brett Rypien will get his second career start, with Josh Johnson getting called up to be the backup. 

This will be Rypien's second career start, and both will have come against the Jets. In 2020, Rypien finished the Broncos' Week 3 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers going 8-of-9 for 53 yards and one interception. That led to his first start, where he went 19-of-31 for 242 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. 

While he only had three interceptions, there were a couple of opportunities by the Jets' defense for a few more in that Week 4 game two years ago. Rypien was lucky in his last meeting with the Jets, as the Broncos managed to win 37-28. 

So with Rypien getting the start under head coach Nathaniel Hackett, what can Broncos fans expect offensively? 

We will probably see more of what Hackett wants to do on offense: more bootlegs and rollouts, limiting the time spent as a pocket passer. This will be a reduced playbook due to Rypien getting the start, and the Broncos will cater it to what the fourth-year QB can do. 

One of the issues with the offense has been Wilson purportedly wanting to be the type of quarterback he isn't (a pocket passer), and you won't have that issue with Rypien. 

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There will be easier reads for the quarterback, and most of the passing game will be quicker-paced routes that rely on timing from the quarterback. Sort of dink and dunk, and then use that to try and open up shots down the field. You don't want to force too many shots, as Rypien doesn't have the strongest arm to attack deep consistently. 

When he does attack deep, it will rely more on the timing than the power behind the throw. Rypien showed this during the preseason, which helped him win the backup quarterback job over the more experienced Johnson, but it was based on the chemistry with Jalen Virgil, which he may not have with the other receivers. 

It will be interesting whether Virgil manages to be active for the game and the Broncos' coaching staff looks to capitalize on the chemistry Rypien has built there. 

This game will be telling for Hackett as a head coach. If the Broncos' offense does manage to put things together and starts looking competent, or even less inept than it has, then some of the complaints about Hackett could ease. 

He would've managed to get the team ready against an overachieving Jets squad and got the offense going. With a backup quarterback, even one who doesn't have the authority to dictate much on the offense, that would show some positives with the coaching staff. 

On the flip side, if we see much of the same, Hackett shouldn't get the excuse of having the backup quarterback play. We know what Rypien can and can't do, and the offense should be dictated to play to his strengths. You won't have the excuse of not being able to do what the quarterback does best, even if it isn't exactly what he wants. 

So there is a reasonable reason to believe the Broncos' offense could have its most efficient passing game of the season. However, the issues aren't just with the quarterback, and Rypien isn't as physically gifted as Wilson is. That could mean we see even more ineptitude from this offense. 

With a backup quarterback, a lot will ride on getting the running game going to help take the pressure off of Rypien. Denver has struggled there, and a quarterback change isn't going to make much of a difference. In addition, the Broncos' blocking has been problematic in both the run game and pass protection. 

The passing game will likely be catered to Rypien, We will likely see more of what Denver should be running, even with Wilson at the helm. Will that be enough? 

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