Ranking Broncos' Top QB Options in 2021: Trade, Free Agency & Draft

The Broncos could take multiple routes to solve the quarterback question in 2021. But how should the options be prioritized?

Here we are, Broncos Country — another offseason in the waiting, another question mark around the quarterback position in Denver. Unfortunately, this is starting to feel like the norm.

Admittedly though, all of these quarterback trade rumors have created a fantastic distraction from the uninspiring Super Bowl matchup this Sunday.

The first domino of the QB carousel has already fallen with Matthew Stafford, a player the Denver Broncos were heavily rumored to be interested in, being traded to the Los Angeles Rams in a blockbuster deal.

Detroit is dealing QB Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for two future first-round picks, a third-round pick and QB Jared Goff, per sources. Two former No. 1 overall picks trading places in the first blockbuster NFL trade of 2021.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 31, 2021

With one of the Broncos' preferred options off the board, where does that leave GM George Paton? Let’s take a look at the best remaining options for Denver at quarterback in order of priority.

Option 1 (The Pipedream Scenario): Trade for Deshaun Watson

Trevor Ruszkowski/USA Today

Let’s just go ahead and state the obvious preferred option. Watson is unquestionably one of the best quarterbacks in the entire league. Landing him would mean solving the issue at QB for the next decade-plus — something Denver has been trying to accomplish since Peyton Manning retired five years ago.

Now, let’s not be naïve in thinking the Broncos have great odds in making this scenario a reality. But as long as Watson is potentially available, the team has to be considered as one of the options. (Cue the 'So you’re saying there’s a chance' gif).

But what would such a trade cost? One would assume the framework of the Stafford deal would be your starting point plus significant additional capital on top. So in Denver’s case, you’d probably have to start with something like this to get your negotiations started:

Texans receive:

• 9th overall pick
• 40th overall pick
• 2022 1st round pick
• 2022 3rd round pick
• QB Drew Lock
• WR Tim Patrick

Broncos receive:

• QB Deshaun Watson

And to be honest, this deal that includes a pair of first-rounders and a pair of Day 2 picks is still probably not enough. Given the Texans’ depth chart at wideout, you’d hope Patrick could be a valuable bargaining chip, but at this point, we have not had any indication whether or not Houston would have any interest in Lock.

Regardless of what the trade package looks like, you almost have to make the deal if the opportunity presents itself. Watson would completely transform this franchise to a point where the number of picks you give up in order to acquire him could quickly become negligible.

But let’s not forget, Watson has a no-trade clause, so it’s not just a matter of which team offers up the best deal to Houston. Watson is ultimately going to have to sign off on his destination before a trade can occur.

Honorable Mention: Trade for Aaron Rodgers

Following the NFC Championship loss, rumors started to spread that Rodgers could be done in Green Bay. In the time since, some of that chatter has started to be dialed back and it now sounds as if he’s going to stay put in Green Bay. If for whatever reason he were to become available, Denver should 100% be making some phone calls.

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Option B (QB Competition): Bring in a Vet to Push Lock

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Now that we have the pipedream scenario out of the way, let’s talk about one of the more likely scenarios for Denver this offseason — bringing in a low-cost veteran QB.

There are really two schools of thought here:

1. You bring in an older vet whose primary role is to help mentor Lock, but that could conceivably grab the starting job away with a strong offseason.
2. You bring in a younger veteran that still has potential franchise QB upside to compete with Lock to be the starter.

So for option 1, the primary pair of QBs that would fall into this category would be guys like Andy Dalton (33 years old) and Nick Foles (32). But this group could also contain other retreads like Jacoby Brissett (29), Tyrod Taylor (32), and fan-favorite Ryan Fitzpatrick (39).

If you focus on Dalton and Foles, one could realistically envision either of them being a slight upgrade over  Lock for just the 2021 season. And if you don’t happen to fall into that school of thought, you can at least agree that either one of them would be a massive upgrade to the Broncos uninspiring backup to begin the 2020 season — Jeff Driskel.

The other players mentioned in this category may not be blockbuster signings, but for a QB room that has lacked veteran leadership the last couple of years, you could do a lot worse.

Additionally, bringing in one of those guys would give Denver a ton of options heading into the NFL draft. The Broncos could end up trading down from pick No. 9, fill a number of holes to bolster the roster’s depth, and acquire important draft capital for next year — which could prove invaluable if the team finds itself still in need of a QB following the season.

Now on to option 2 — the younger vets with upside. This group of QBs would include a number of guys that are still on the right side of 30 and may just be in need of a change of scenery to hit their full potential. Players like Sam Darnold (23), Mitchell Trubisky (26), Jameis Winston (27), Marcus Mariota (27), and Gardner Minshew (24) could fall into this category.

Most of these players would require some type of trade — with only Winston and Trubisky being unrestricted free agents. But assuming the Jaguars draft Trevor Lawrence No. 1 overall, Minshew could become available for the right price. And depending on what the Jets do with their No. 2 overall pick, the same could be said for Darnold.

Of these above options, my preference would definitely be Darnold and Minshew. Both have flashed potential and may have just been limited due to the lackluster circumstances of their respective current teams.

In the case of Darnold, this is a guy whose best offensive weapons during his NFL career have been Jamison Crowder and Robby Anderson. Don’t you think he’d benefit greatly playing alongside Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and Noah Fant? Also, Patrick could be a very enticing trade asset to acquire him.

There's a lot to think about in this category. And on the surface, many of these names may not be 'exciting but one could easily make a case for any of the aforementioned quarterbacks to land in Denver, which is why I think this Option B is one of the more likely routes for Denver this offseason.

Option C (Status Quo): Stick with Lock as Starter, Focus on Roster Holes

Getty

Another realistic option for Denver (and I’m sure this will be met with some eye rolls given the performance of the team this past season) is to stay the course with Lock as the starter while re-tooling the rest of the roster.

There are various opinions in Broncos Country right now on the state of the 53-man roster. When you have a lot of young, eye-catching talent like Justin Simmons, Bradley Chubb, Sutton, Jeudy, and Fant, it can become easy to convince yourself this team is still 'just a QB away.'

But if there is one thing we could take away from the 2020 NFL season, it’s that the Broncos are severely lacking in the depth department. This team was tested early in the year when it felt like guys were headed to IR on a near-daily basis. 

Sure, losing Von Miller, Jurrell Casey, and Sutton would be devastating to just about any NFL team but it didn’t just cause the Broncos to take a small step back, but rather a giant leap.

So into the fold comes Option C. Paton may decide he needs a year to fully evaluate what he has with this roster before making any major decisions. 

The most obvious player that he would want to evaluate is Lock. And in the meantime, Paton might be able to pick up a grip of valuable draft capital that he can use to assemble the team in line with his vision next offseason.

Let’s think of a scenario for a second. What if there is a QB sitting there at pick 9 that another team really wants? Maybe teams like Washington (picking 19), Chicago (picking 20), Indianapolis (picking 21) or the Jets (picking at 23, assuming they don’t take QB at pick 2) would be calling up Denver.

Such a trade down would resemble the trade Denver made with the Steelers in 2019 NFL draft, where Denver moved down from pick 10 to 20 and picked up an extra second- (current year) and third-rounder (2020). You could end up actually netting more in return if the corresponding team trades up to acquire a QB, which typically carries a lot more value in the draft.

Denver makes the move down, and uses the extra picks to help fortify a defense that could end up turning over a number of significant players prior to the draft. It would also not hurt to use a pick or two (and this seems like an annual thing) on an offensive tackle, with the future of Ja’Wuan James uncertain.

They play out the 2021 season (hopefully with much better health) — and at the end of the year, you assume they have a clear picture of who Lock is, and what the Broncos' strategy should be going into the 2022 offseason and draft with their additional picks.

This option also happens to coincide with a number of anticipated changes within the front office next year, including the likely departure of CEO Joe Ellis. One could argue Paton’s tenure as GM would actually begin at that time.

Option D (Draft a QB Round 1): Lock’s Replacement

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Paton may end up really liking one of the QBs in this year’s draft and decide to go ahead and draft “'his guy' to ultimately replace Lock as the starter. As each day passes, though, this option seems more and more unlikely.

Realistically, Lawrence (a lock to go No. 1 overall to the Jaguars), might be the only QB in this draft who is ready to start in his first year. With only that in mind, it may not make a lot of sense to draft one of the other QBs to sit behind a 24-year-old Lock.

The options beyond Lawrence include BYU's Zach Wilson, Ohio State's Justin Fields, and North Dakota State's Trey Lance. However, bringing in another rookie QB would also create an uncomfortable offseason situation that Broncos fans have grown tired of — an open QB competition. 

The debate for the year would be 'When is the rookie ready to take over?' The moment Lock has a bad game, fans would be calling for a QB change.

For all of these reasons, this option is probably the leas-likely route the Broncos take to address their QB woes. However, with the number of potential starting-caliber NFL QBs in this draft, you can’t rule this out completely.

Bottom Line

The Broncos have a ton of different unique routes they can take this offseason. No matter which route the team ultimately chooses, it is hoping for significant improvement from the QB position in the 2021 season.

Which option makes the most sense? Sound off in the comment section below!

Follow Trevor on Twitter @TrevorJudge and @MileHighHuddle.