Broncos Roundtable: Who will be Denver's starting QB in Week 1?

Welcome to Denver, George Paton. Now it’s time to figure out the quarterback situation.

Since Peyton Manning left after Super Bowl 50, the Broncos and John Elway have been taking swing after swing to find their next franchise quarterback. Unless Drew Lock pans out, it’ll be Paton’s turn to try to find the answer at the most important in sports.

Will Lock get another shot as the starter in 2021 or will Paton turn to someone else?

The DNVR Broncos Crew discusses who the Broncos’ Week 1 starter will be.

WHO WILL BE THE BRONCOS’ STARTING QB IN WEEK 1?

Zac

Deshaun Watson — Heck, why not? As the days have gone on, the Broncos have only continued to gain momentum in the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes. The longer the Texans wait to trade their franchise quarterback, the more it appears the Broncos become legitimate contenders.

Denver may have already passed the most significant hurdle to acquire Watson by seemingly being a destination the star QB would be willing to waive his no-trade clause for.

Paton has said he will be involved in every deal. This would be quite a deal to pull off in his first few months on the job.

On top of that, we already know the new general manager isn’t set on giving Lock another season after he made a serious run for Matthew Stafford. Paton will be aggressive, but not reckless in the moves he makes, as he’s stated. Giving up multiple top picks to land a 25-year-old quarterback who still hasn’t hit his prime wouldn’t be reckless, but it certainly would be aggressive.

The Broncos could add a veteran like Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tyrod Taylor or Andy Dalton in free agency to boost their quarterback room. But even then, Lock still might get the starting job in Week 1. If Paton is serious about adding a significant upgrade at quarterback, there’s no better place to look than trading for Deshaun Watson, even at the incredibly steep price.

Mase

Drew Lock — All roads in offseason podcast and radio-show discussion lead to Watson, but Lock has incumbency and upside in his corner.

First, the Broncos’ chances of acquiring Watson in the next several months appear to be remote, since the Texans appear poised to dig in for a long-term standoff with the five-year veteran. If Houston remains a stubborn party in these discussions, there is little that the Broncos — or any other team — can do.

Second, any other quarterback who is not a clear starter that the Broncos could bring in would face some challenges in seizing the first-team role — starting with the potential lack of in-person OTAs for a second consecutive year. The absence of at least 1,000 on-field repetitions would ensure that a veteran addition would start from zero in terms of chemistry and scheme familiarity, giving Lock an advantage based on his work last year.

The horse wearing No. 3 is the one on which to bet.

RK

Drew Lock — Everyone knows I’m all in on Watson, and I think—if given the opportunity—the Broncos will be too, but I’m going to roll with the odds here and take the heavy favorite.

Drew Lock puts the Broncos in a pretty decent position this offseason, in my opinion. Because they have a young QB with upside who showed some serious flashes, as well as a strong upward trend, at the end of last season, new GM George Paton doesn’t need to act desperately at the quarterback position. This means he doesn’t have to overpay for the Case Keenums of the world or jump in the draft for the Paxton Lynches of the world. Paton can sit back, see if any opportunities that he loves present themselves, and if they don’t, he can roll with Lock.

While it’s far more exciting to imagine the possibilities of one of those opportunities arising, it’s far more likely that one doesn’t. I’m going to roll with Lock here, and I predict that if that’s the case, his improvement will be a pleasant surprise for Broncos fans.