Broncos Should Pursue QB Jacoby Brissett in Wake of Carson Wentz Trade

The Broncos would be wise to kick the tires on this ex-Patriots and Colts quarterback.

On Thursday, the first major quarterback domino fell as the Philadelphia Eagles traded Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts. In exchange for Wentz, the Eagles will receive the Colts’ 2021 third-round pick and a conditional second-rounder that has the potential to become a first-rounder.

A recent report claimed that the Denver Broncos inquired about Wentz but ultimately ruled out the veteran QB who carries a $128 million contract ($15.4 million base salary). So now that Wentz can officially be crossed off the list of potential QB suitors, many wonder which direction the Broncos will go.

The Houston Texans adamantly refuse to trade disgruntled QB Deshaun Watson, maintaining he is not, and will not be, available. However, on Thursday, FanDuel oddsmakers projected the Broncos as the most likely team to acquire Watson. 

Denver is currently +150 to land Watson, which makes the Broncos twice as likely than the Texans (+300) to have him under center in 2021. Other teams on the list of potential suitors for Watson include the Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers, and New York Jets.

These odds can understandably excite Broncos Country, but GM George Paton must decide on a direction to acquire a new QB; either make the Texans a trade offer that they cannot refuse or aggressively pursue a veteran QB in free agency. Denver can ill-afford waiting until the NFL draft to add QB depth, as this could more than likely spell disaster for an already struggling position room.

When fans in Denver hear the words 'veteran QB', they get nightmarish flashbacks of names like Kyle Orton, Brady Quinn, Mark Sanchez, Case Keenum, and Joe Flacco. This year’s free-agent class of re-tread signal-callers includes Andy Dalton, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Mitchell Trubisky, and Cam Newton.

But what if there was another available veteran QB unceremoniously dumped by his team because of the Wentz trade?

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Enter Jacoby Brissett.

The 6-foot-4, 238-pound Brissett was originally drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round in 2016. He played college football for the Florida Gators as an underclassman before transferring to North Carolina State to finish his NCAA career. 

After Tom Brady was suspended for his role in ‘Deflate-Gate’ and Jimmy Garoppolo went down with an injury, Brissett was forced into action his rookie year. He played in just three games for the Patriots before he was suddenly traded to the Colts in 2017, as a result of an injury to Andrew Luck.

In 2017, Brissett started 15 games for the Colts and threw for 3,098 yards and 13 touchdowns, with seven interceptions, while scoring four rushing touchdowns on a bad 4-12 team. Luck returned to action as the starting QB in 2018, forcing the Florida native to embrace the backup role as he only played in four games. 

The following season, Brissett expected to be the designated No. 2 QB before Luck suddenly announced his retirement from the NFL just two weeks before the regular season. Once again, Brissett was called on in a pinch to lead a historic franchise as the signal-caller. 

Prior to the start of the 2019 season, he negotiated his own contract with the Colts that resulted in a two-year deal worth $30 million with $20 million guaranteed. Although Indianapolis missed the playoff and finished with a 7-9 record, Brissett threw for 2,942 yards, 18 touchdowns, six interceptions, and scored four rushing touchdowns with a 60.9 completion percentage. 

In 2019, he led the Colts to victory in two comebacks and was also the Week 7 AFC Offensive Player of the Week after throwing four touchdown passes and earning QB rating of 126.7. But in 2020, Brissett couldn’t predict that the Colts would ink long-time Los Angeles Charger Philip Rivers to be the starting QB. 

With Rivers at the helm of Frank Reich’s offense, the Colts went 11-5 before falling 27-24 to the Buffalo Bills in the Wildcard round of playoffs last month. Brissett hardly saw the field last season with the exception of gadget and situational plays, logging just 47 snaps.

For the first time in his NFL career, Brissett enters unrestricted free agency. The 28-year-old fits not only a positional need for the Broncos but would immediately challenge incumbent QB Drew Lock as the starter in 2021. 

Brissett's size fits the prototypical NFL QB mold and allows him to stand in the pocket and take shots. Although he isn’t exactly athletic, he is mobile and utilizes an exceptional awareness to compensate for his 4.94-seconds 40-yard dash time. 

Brissett's mobility affords him time to extend plays or get a few yards on the ground, while his arm strength has been renown since college. However, his five years of NFL experience is what allows him to recognize coverages and go through progressions.

While there are upsides to Brissett’s game, he is also an inconsistent passer and can lack accuracy and touch at times. The game film reveals a sometimes slow and labor-intensive progression that results in him holding onto the football much longer than required. 

His lack of interceptions would be a welcome sight to Broncos fans, but he’s sometimes too safe with the ball and his late decision-making halts offensive momentum. The argument could be made that because Brissett has been passed over by the Patriots and now the Colts, he shouldn't be considered a viable option in Denver. 

However, from 2009-16, there have been 22 QBs drafted, none of which are with their original team. Ryan Tannehill, Jared Goff, and Carson Wentz were all first-rounders that have moved on from the teams that called their names on draft night. The Broncos are also on that list with two former first-round QBs in Tim Tebow and Paxton Lynch.

I’m not saying that Brissett is the answer to the QB carousel for the Broncos but he would bring experience, snaps, and leadership to a room that is lacking all of the above. Acquiring Brissett through free agency could be an affordable and responsible option for the Broncos, especially if the Football Gods extinguish the Watson dream. 

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