Why youth at QB is best for the Broncos

2. The best way to properly develop a young QB is when you have a strong team around him.

Like I mentioned in the previous slide, all of the QBs I mentioned won Super Bowls on rookie contracts and they all had one thing surrounding them, a talented roster.  Warner had magnificent players at the offensive skill positions, Brady had great defenses when they had their “dynasty” run. Roethlisberger had a balanced offense with a great defense. Manning had good offensive talent with a dominant pass rush, etc.  Do you get my point?

For as great as some of these QB’s turned out to be in the NFL, it’s fair to wonder if any of them had become the QB’s that they are today if they didn’t have the team around them when they were in their infant years of the league.  Many people are quick to forget that the Patriots had top 10 Defenses the years where they won 3 Super Bowls (6th in 2001, 1st in 2003, 2nd in 2004) and happened to have a South Dakota St. Alum as one of the most clutch kickers in NFL history sealing many of the victories for them.

And Russell Wilson? As much as I love his game and how he has developed into one of the top QB’s, the

Seahawks Super Bowl season in 2013 was more to do about their defense than anything else (sound familiar, Broncos country?). In a defense that is in the conversation to be placed on the Mt. Rushmore of all-time defenses in the game, they proved their might against some of the greatest offensive competition they could have asked for in the 2013 Broncos and not only did they defeat us, they crushed us.

When you have a unit that is that dominant paired with an offense that can effectively run the ball, the QB doesn’t have to burdened with making the game winning plays every week like some teams have to do.  You can’t tell me that having that kind of backbone to your roster didn’t help Wilson become the QB he is today.

So how does this apply to the Broncos? Well, it’s very similar to that Seahawks team of 2013.  Like the 2013 Seahawks, the 2015 Broncos have a crushing defense that imposed its will against their opponents and it ultimately helped them secure a third Lombardi trophy.  Despite the losses of Malik Jackson, Danny Trevathan and David Bruton Jr. in FA, this team still has more than enough talent and the right coaching to be a dominant defense for the foreseeable future.

Instead of overpaying for a QB you’re not sure about, you can wisely invest that money in the trenches (O-line) and on the Defense to keep those units strong.  For the Broncos moving forward, the winning formula is simple.

Improved O-line+consistent running game+great defense=Championship opportunities.

Despite the fact that the player has yet to play in the league, I have a hard time believing that a young QB will struggle with the formula that I laid out above.

I know a lot was made of the QB situation last year and for good reason. It was below average, at best.

Many believe that it’ll be as simple as putting any QB in there and they will be an improvement in 2016. I wouldn’t go that far, but I do think that the right prospect can come to Denver and succeed early on with the talent that we have around him.

So instead of trying to bring in a higher priced QB that could only complicated the cap situation and result in losing good players, bring in a young guy on a rookie contract and let him play with a strong roster that can be AFFORDED to stay strong for a number of years.

Let the young QB get help early in his career so when he establishes himself as the “Franchise”, you can afford to pay him more than any other player and know that he should be able to lead the team because he was properly developed.

John Elway has made it clear that he not only wants the Broncos to “win now, but to win from now on”. To me, that means keeping a strong roster while finding a long-term solution at the QB position. Speaking of long-term, that takes me to my final slide..