Denver Broncos 2018 NFL Draft and free agency needs

1. Quarterback

Current players under contract: Paxton Lynch, Trevor Siemian, Chad Kelly

Impending Free Agents: Brock Osweiler (UFA)

The Denver Broncos’ most obvious need this past season was at the quarterback position.

In Vance Joseph’s first year as a head coach, they cycled through all three quarterbacks, and cycled back through all three of them a second time. It was truly a sight to behold.

I outlined earlier this offseason that the case for this team being a quarterback away from contention was quite obvious. In Broncos victories this past season (all five of them) the quarterback rating was an average of 97.5.

In their 11 losses? 61.6.

You can hammer Joseph all you want to for some of his decisions this year as a head coach, and in most cases you’re probably right to do so, but there’s no question that he inherited probably the worst quarterback situation in the league.

That was compounded by the fact that the players with the most upside — Paxton Lynch and Chad Kelly — were injured all or most of the season.

In Lynch’s case, this season was particularly disappointing and may have caused a change of course for the franchise in general.

When Lynch was announced the backup at least to start the season, he played backup snaps in a preseason game where his throwing shoulder was injured.

Then, more than two months later, when he finally got to play, he sprained his ankle pretty badly.

In Lynch’s two games this past season, I don’t know that the Broncos saw enough to put a vote of confidence in him as their franchise player moving forward, especially with a deep crop of quarterbacks available in free agency and the draft this offseason.

What will the Broncos do?

I’m an optimist, and many of you reading may know this, so I would personally keep Lynch on the roster as well as Kelly, and then bring in two more quarterbacks this offseason — one via free agency, one via the draft.

There are a wide variety of players the Broncos can pick from in that combination, whether they go cheap in free agency or high priced, and then draft someone high as well, or take someone in the middle rounds.

There will be options, but I would hang on to Lynch for another year, maybe two, and let him battle it out. It might be awkward, but tough.

Ultimately, my best guess is the Broncos sign a guy like Kirk Cousins, hang on to Lynch and Kelly, and look to draft someone in the mid-late rounds. They could very well be convinced to draft someone when they get the opportunity to work with Baker Mayfield at the Senior Bowl.

If the Broncos draft someone in the first round, I could see both Lynch and Trevor Siemian getting traded.

The value might not be high, but the Broncos may want a clean slate at the position.