QB or not QB, that is the question.
Like, you either have a star QB – like 10 out of 14 playoff teams this year – or you don’t.
Denver doesn’t have one. And he hasn’t done it since Peyton Manning retired.
In a city that has been blessed with two of the greatest names of all time as a defender – Manning and many years before him, John Elway – Broncos fans know exactly what a QB star is like. It makes sense because Broncos fans are desperate for “the guy” in Mile High City.
Is it Drew Lock?
Well, nobody really knows for sure. His staunch supporters believe that Lock is just scratching the surface of his skills and he will suddenly become Josh Allen. But even now they are beginning to see Lock for what he is; too inconsistent, too subject to rotation to be “the guy”.
At least for a while
That’s why everyone, even Lock’s fan club, was happy to trade all the gold at the Colorado State Capitol, if that meant landing Deshaun Watson this week. So Watson finally asked the Houston Texans for a deal, causing hypothetical deals to be launched.
One said the Broncos would send their first (No. 9) and second choice this year, the first round 2022 choice, Lock and wide receiver Tim Patrick to Watson. Almost all orange and blue fans were happy with this deal. Which is partly because it will never happen.
Despite what some say, Lock is not much in terms of commercial merchandise. And as for Watson, he will probably be with the New York Jets or Miami Dolphins soon.
What about Matthew Stafford?
He was apparently more likely than Watson, at a lower price, but Woody Paige’s sources say Stafford wants to play in hot climates.
What a reliable NFL source told me a few days ago was that Watson had no interest in Denver and Stafford wanted warm weather. Someone should tell him that Denver has 300 days of sunshine. Do not mention the other 65.
– Woody Paige (@woodypaige) January 29, 2021
If the Broncos are not negotiating for one of these two starting quarterbacks, where do they turn next?
Well, that leaves Drew Lock as the likely starter, just as he would be before John Elway was promoted to not make personal decisions on the team. George Paton may not be as loyal to Elway’s choices as the Duke of Denver was, and either way, the team must find a way to pressure Lock to reach his potential.
That was an almost perfect game against Carolina, completing 78 percent of his passes for four touchdowns, which was the strangest case in Lock’s short career.
Therefore, the Broncos will likely turn to an experienced quarterback to compete with Lock in 2021. Hey, it’s not like the team is a quarterback to compete with the Chiefs or other elite teams. This could be a complete reconstruction, and both Lock and Vic Fangio can get the benefit of the doubt in the new GM’s first year of work.
If Denver plans to hire a free QB agent, there will be many available in March, including Andy Dalton, Gardner Minshew and Nick Foles. Dalton did very well this year in place of Dak Prescott, Foles has a positive experience in the playoffs and Minshew is somewhat attractive because of his youth.
If Lock is “the guy”, he’ll beat one of those guys for his job next year.
Or Denver could use overall number 9 choice in a quarterback like North Dakota’s Trey Lance.
Bid vs. Lock in 2021.
This is part of the fun of having a new GM in town. No one is sure what he will do, even though it is safe to say that neither Watson nor Stafford will be the Broncos’ quarterback this year.