The Broncos' target at quarterback may not be as obvious as it seems

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.”