Denver Broncos: Did They Miss Out On Franchise QB?

Teddy Bridgewater is officially the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos. The team announced earlier that their Week 1 starter would not be Drew Lock as expected so the writing has to be on the wall. Either the team doesn’t think that Lock has developed enough to give them a better chance at winning that Bridgewater or they know he’s not their guy going forward. By admitting that, the Broncos may have missed out on their future starter in this year’s NFL Draft.

While the Broncos got potentially one heck of a player in Pat Surtain II, when Drew Lock didn’t beat out Bridgewater fans will be left to wonder what could have been. This year’s draft had plenty of focus on quarterbacks and there were still plenty to be had when Denver picked at #9. Both Justin Fields (11) and Mac Jones (15) were available and both are already getting praise coming out of camp and in the preseason.

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Denver is taking a huge gamble here but the fact is, if Lock isn’t ready to beat out a journeyman quarterback for a starting spot, he’s obviously got a long way to go. He’s only got one more year left on his contract, but essentially the Broncos could write him off, which ultimately shoots themselves in the foot.

Unless Teddy Bridgewater comes in and is the next Peyton Manning for the Broncos, he won’t be their long-term solution either. At 30 years old, unless he blows the roof off, he’s a placeholder for the next guy as well. If he does slightly above average, he’ll keep the team competitive but that only hurts them in the long run. Denver either needs to have their guy on the roster right now, or they need to have a high enough draft pick to get him. Looking ahead at the potential free agents, the majority of the 2022 list are career backups. Unless they have an ace up their sleeve in a trade, they’ll need a high enough draft pick to get a top QB prospect.

The Broncos still have an opportunity to be competitive but they may have missed an opportunity to have long-term success. The future isn’t set in stone when it comes to Lock, but him losing the starting spot speaks volumes. Can the Broncos turn him around or is it time to cut bait?