Addressing the Broncos' Needs: New options at quarterback

The Denver Broncos quarterback situation has made national news — with the retirement of Peyton Manning, the sudden departure of Brock Osweiler and the stunning trade for Mark Sanchez. The shake-up for the Super Bowl 50 Champions certainly is dominating headlines and will continue to do so until general manager John Elway and head coach Gary Kubiak make their next and final move entering offseason workouts.

“It’s a fluid situation. John and I talk about it every day,” Kubiak said of the quarterback situation from the NFL Annual Meeting March 22. “I think obviously we know the guys out there that are still free [agents]. There is no secret there. There are not many of those. The draft this year has some good quarterbacks in it. It’s a day-to-day process and something that we continue to work through. I can’t speak for John but I know through our conversations that we’ve tried to have patience here, make sure we do this the right way and make sure we feel good about who we bring in from a competitive standpoint. We’ll continue to have patience there and make sure we get the right guy.”

The options are becoming increasingly dire as free agency continues and the 2016 NFL Draft approaches. The Broncos have Trevor Siemian and Mark Sanchez on the roster but Kubiak and Elway have both separately stated that they are not done adding quarterbacks. Three options, in particular, are ripe for the taking and by the end of the draft, the Broncos may have not one but two more quarterbacks competing to take snaps for the defending champions.

The newest and suddenly likely move for the Broncos to make is acquiring veteran quarterback Josh McCown via trade from the Cleveland Browns. Thursday, the Browns acquired free agent quarterback Robert Griffin III shortly after releasing quarterback Johnny Manziel after just two seasons. The Browns, a team that admittedly is in a complete rebuild, has already begun cutting veteran players on the roster and they also own the second overall pick in the draft. The majority of pundits believe they will take a quarterback with said pick, either Carson Wentz or Jared Goff. That leaves McCown in the cold.

Whether McCown is traded to a team, likely for a late round pick, or he is cut, he is a hot commodity on the current quarterback market. McCown is entering his 14^th season this year in the NFL and he has bounced around quite a bit. A 109 passer rating in eight games (five starts) in 2013 with the Chicago Bears earned him a big two-year $10 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that quickly fizzled and turned into a three-year $14 million contract with the Browns in 2015.

He played well last season, appearing in eight games (all starts), throwing 12 touchdowns to just four interceptions but injuries cut his year short. Departing players in Cleveland have stated that the organization admitted that they want to rebuild with youth and RGIII’s addition to the roster all but ends his days in Ohio.

McCown’s current contract puts him at just over $5 million in cap hit for the team that he plays for in 2016. While he has only played over eight games in seven of his 14 seasons, his best two seasons of his career have come in the last three years.  He would be a great addition to an “open competition” Elway and Kubiak have laid out for Sanchez, Siemian and any additional quarterbacks that may join the roster.

The Broncos will be in competition with the New York Jets and Los Angeles Rams for his services, as their quarterback situations also remain in question. Cleveland would likely accept a trade for McCown with a mid-range draft pick or the Broncos may but Ryan Clady in the deal. His enormous contract needs to be dropped in order for any significant contract to be added to the Broncos cap. The Browns have also seen several of their offensive lineman leave this offseason via free agency.

Colin Kaepernick is also still an option for the Broncos. Prior to Griffin III’s signing, Cleveland was a highly likely landing spot for the fifth year quarterback. He, like McCown, appears to have been supplanted by another signal caller. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert took over for Kaepernick last season and it appears that he has found favor with the 49ers front office. On March 9, they also added quarterback Thad Lewis to the roster. Kaepernick’s age or talent is not the issue but his salary and injury issues as a backup quarterback is what will lead to the 49ers trading him away. He signed a six-year, $114 million, $61 million guaranteed contract in 2015, one the Broncos would have to renegotiate prior to his arrival in Denver. He also has had multiple surgeries since his last game in 2015.

The Broncos would love to add Kaepernick for, reportedly, a third-round pick and under the stipulation that his enormous contract is reduced significantly. 49ers general manager Trent Baalke told the media from the NFL Annual Meeting that they, “nowhere near getting anything done at this point,” yet it seems that for the right price they would certainly be willing to get Kaepernick’s salary off of their books. The 49ers will have to decide if they truly want him on the roster on April 1 when Kaepernick’s $11.9 million base salary is fully guaranteed.

Last week, Kubiak declined to comment on Kaepernick due to his current contract with the 49ers. Much like the Browns, the Broncos could use Ryan Clady as trade bait for the quarterback but need his enormous contract off of their books for the deal to go through. Kaepernick would also pair nicely with Sanchez in the quarterback competition. Both quarterbacks have been to multiple conference championships and dealt with the rigors of high expectations.

The 2016 NFL Draft is also a very realistic place to find the future quarterback of the Denver Broncos. The team has been linked to just about every quarterback coming out April 28 in some way or another and with 10 picks in the draft, they could potential pick from their current positions or make a deal to move up and take a quarterback of their liking.

Goff and Wentz are projected to go within the first 15 picks in the draft to the quarterback-desperate Browns at two, the Dallas Cowboys at four or the Rams at 15. After that, Paxton Lynch, a tall, big bodied quarterback much like Osweiler, has been reported as the Broncos leading candidate to join the team. He not only is an athletic player with a strong arm but someone that may fall to them at their 31^st overall pick.

Dak Prescott from Mississippi State University is also a versatile player that could easily drop into the late second to late third rounds due to an inconsistent passing game and a March 12 DUI arrest. According to NFL Network, he will have a formal workout with the Broncos in early April. The Broncos have made is clear that they intend to look long and hard at every quarterback in the draft and it would be shocking if they do not take one with one of their first four picks.

Goff, Wentz or Lynch appear to be the only three true NFL-ready quarterbacks in the draft that could push whoever the Broncos have at quarterback when organized team activities begin this spring. The Broncos are always looking toward the future but the immediate future, with the current impressive defensive unit places more emphasis on trying to repeat for a championship in 2016. Kubiak was asked about Wentz last week and didn’t mince words on what he thought of the quarterback from North Dakota State.

“I’m very impressed with him. He does everything you want a guy to do. He’s under center, he’s in the [shot]gun, he moves around and he throws the ball on the move. I like the way he went to the Senior Bowl and elevated his play,” he said.”

To get Goff or Wentz the Broncos would have to give up multiple picks, including first and second rounders, to acquire the draft slot to do so.

After the signing of Sanchez, Elway made it clear that they are not done when it comes to looking for a quarterback and the Broncos have several viable options in front of them in the coming 33 days. The Broncos are about staying competitive each season, especially following a championship. This offseason, that competitive spirit will start among teammates in the most securitized job in American sports. After four years of stability at quarterback, Broncos fans will simply have to wait just a bit longer to see who takes over their talented team.