ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos’ quarterback room is set. For now.
Months ago, George Paton pledged he would bring in competition for Drew Lock. Months past and not a single move was made at the most important position in sports.
Then it almost all happened at once.
A day before the start of the 2021 NFL Draft, on Wednesday, Denver traded a sixth-round pick for Teddy Bridgewater.
An hour before the start of the draft, on Thursday, it appeared, for a moment, the Broncos were on the verge of acquiring Hall-of-Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers. That did not happen, at least by Saturday evening.
An hour after the first round of the draft had begun, it appeared, again, for another moment, that Denver was on the brink of using the ninth-overall pick on quarterback Justin Fields. Instead, Paton and Co. opted for star cornerback Patrick Surtain II out of Alabama.
After that decision on Thursday night, the Broncos’ 2021 quarterback room was set. Once the draft was over, and Denver’s 10-man draft class was set, Paton admitted the Broncos were not close to selecting a quarterback on Day 2 or Day 3 of the draft.
“It just didn’t fall our way,” Paton said. “We’re happy with our group.”
Along with Bridgewater and Lock, the Broncos also have Jeff Driskel and Brett Rypien on the roster. But the competition will boil down to last year’s starter Lock and the newly acquired veteran Bridgewater.
“I like our room right now. I think I said that last night,” Paton emphasized on Saturday evening. “With Teddy and Drew, they’re going to have a great competition, that’s what we’ve wanted all along. We’ll let them compete. I do like the room.”
Vic Fangio told Mike Klis of 9News the reps will be split “50-50” between the two quarterbacks throughout OTAs and training camp.
That plan would go out the window if another move is made to upgrade the position. At the conclusion of the draft, Paton didn’t rule out the possibility of a move like that happening.
“We’re always looking,” Paton said, when asked if he would look to upgrade the quarterback position. “You know what the market looks like right now, it’s not great. And I don’t think — we’ll see, if there’s someone who can upgrade what we have. But we like our two. I mean, I like Drew. I like Teddy. I think it’s going to be a great competition.”
As of now, Paton is right — there isn’t an upgrade available on the open market. But if Aaron Rodgers’ relationship with the Green Bay Packers continues to deteriorate, much like it has since the news first broke on Thursday afternoon, then a massive upgrade could be available right around the start of June.
“But I do look forward to getting Teddy here and Drew and having a great competition,” Paton said again.
Just because Paton is satisfied with the position doesn’t mean he won’t continue to look for an upgrade, he stated on Saturday.
“But I say that about every position,” he quickly added.
For now, the quarterback room is set for an even competition set to take place this spring and summer. For now.
