INDIANAPOLIS — Kirk Cousins.
That’s the name for any NFL organization that’s even thinking about adding a quarterback before April’s draft.
Denver Broncos.
That’s the most prominent franchise unquestionably seeking a new signal caller before the start of training camp.
Understandably so, it’s easy to draw the line connecting Cousins—the highest-profile free agent quarterback—to the Broncos, and thus the reason much of Denver, and the nation, has done so over the past few months.
But inside the organization, the plan isn’t as simple as that. In fact, being the biggest name, or talent, available isn’t what Broncos’ head coach Vance Joseph is looking for in his next signal caller.
“It’s about fit. You have to find a guy that fits your football profile. It’s not about the numbers or the names. It’s about the perfect fit,” he said with purpose at the NFL Combine on Wednesday. “The best teams win. You have to have a guy that fits your football mindset… Who fits that formula for us? I’m not sure yet. It’s all about fit.”
Joseph’s statement wasn’t one that floated away in the downtown Indianapolis wind-tunnels, either. At the epicenter of the NFL world this week at the Combine, there’s been very little buzz connecting Cousins and the Broncos despite the public belief that John Elway is salivating over the idea of landing the No. 1 free agent QB.
Six years ago, Elway did in fact land the top free agent quarterback, which led to a high-flying, pass-heavy offense. But that was under John Fox and, probably more importantly, offensive coordinator Mike McCoy.
This year, after firing McCoy just a few months ago, it’s Vance Joseph’s show.
While Cousins is certainly no Peyton Manning, no team in their right mind would sign a quarterback to the largest contract in NFL history just to have him hand the ball off. Under the leadership of the defensive-minded head coach, handing the ball off is just what the Broncos plan on doing.
“In Denver, we want to play great defense all the time and run the football,” the second-year coach said with no doubt in his mind. “I thought we had that last year. We had our first 1,000-yard rusher for the first time in a long time in Denver. That part I thought we had. We turned the ball over at a rapid rate. That was obviously our major issue.”
Instead of putting up Star-Wars numbers from the quarterback position, it sounds like Joseph just wants to make sure his next signal caller isn’t putting up Star-Wars numbers in the turnover department.
For as good as Cousins is, his 13 interceptions were the seventh-most in the league last year. On the other hand, another soon-to-be free agent quarterback Case Keenum’s seven interceptions were nearly half as many as Cousins last year.
On top of that, the whispers of Indianapolis have been much more prevalent in connecting Keenum with the Orange & Blue in 2018 than Cousins.
While a lot can change between now and Mar. 14, one thing that is certain is the Broncos undying commitment to finding their next man.
“We have to play better at the quarterback position,” Joseph stated. “That’s got to get fixed. We’re going to address that. Obviously, that’s free agency or the draft.”

0 Comments (3 conversations)
Steve Cañon
With the Kubiak connection, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Keenum in Denver.
dionlhicks
Case Keenum?!?! Really?!?!? I don’t like that idea at all! We have a top 5 pick and there are some great prospects at QB in this draft. If we miss on Cousins we HAVE to grab one of these young QBs with that 5 pick. If we just hand the team to some second tier QB, we will be in the same position we were in, the last 2 seasons. BAKER MAYFIELD!!
nescaggs
Case and Baker. I can see that. John will double down on the QB position.
Zac Stevens
AuthorHe hinted to doubling down this week!
Zac Stevens
AuthorStay tuned, Dion. You’ll like some content we have coming.
I would argue that Vance Joseph has an old-school approach to selecting a Quarterback.
Joseph: “You have to find a guy that fits your football profile. It’s not about the numbers or the names. It’s about the perfect fit.”
That’s old school.
Ryan Koenigsberg disputed this thinking in an earlier podcast and I totally agree with him. I don’t think that “fit” is the criteria you are looking for in a QB. It’s about ability and talent first. If you can find that, then you build the offense around the QB’s abilities, not the other way around. You make the offense fit the QB.
If you follow Vance Joseph’s prescription, you are headed down the same path as countless other NFL teams if have tried to force a square into a round hole, ignoring what offense made them a superstar in college and forcing to attempt to adjust to a new system.
Zac Stevens
AuthorGreat point! Goes along the lines of drafting for need or best player available.