The Denver Broncos’ options at the quarterback position seem to be coming into focus. Who will John Elway look at bringing in for 2019 and beyond?
John Elway knows the biggest issue on the Denver Broncos’ roster is the quarterback position.
The last time the Broncos had quarterback play that could consistently have an effect on the outcome of games was back in 2014 when Peyton Manning was still playing at a Pro Bowl level.
From 2015-2018, the Denver Broncos’ quarterback position (Peyton Manning, Brock Osweiler, Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, and Case Keenum) has averaged a season-long stat line of 3,922 yards with a 60.3 percent completion percentage, 19 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions.
Here is a look at the stats from that timeframe on a year-to-year basis (completion percentage, yards, touchdowns, interceptions)
2015: 60.7 // 4216 // 19 TD // 23 INTs
2016: 59.5 // 3914 // 20 TD // 11 INTs
2017: 58.7 // 3668 // 19 TD // 22 INTs
2018: 62.3 // 3890 // 18 TD // 15 INTs
The best season from Broncos quarterbacks — statistically — was a collective effort in 2016 from Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch in which they completed just under 60 percent of passes with 20 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions.
Oddly enough, the worst season statistically from Broncos quarterbacks in that same timeframe was the season before when Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler combined for 19 touchdowns (10 of which were from Osweiler) and 23 interceptions (17 of which were from Manning).
You can also use that piece of information for free when anyone tries to credit Peyton Manning for John Elway’s general manager success. It was the defense Elway put together that won the Broncos Super Bowl 50, and Manning would acknowledge as much.
The fact of the matter is, the Broncos put all their eggs into the Peyton Manning basket back in 2012, and had no reason until he was hurt in 2015 to start thinking about life after him. Manning signed a five-year deal in 2012 and retired with one year remaining.
What options are available to the Broncos this offseason? Andrew Wade took a look at five options for the Broncos earlier this offseason, and we’ll revise that list a bit here.
Nick Foles, Eagles
We know John Elway likes to win football games. It’s highly unlikely he’s interested in watching his team struggle through another season and thinking about the NFL Draft while other teams (especially two division rivals) are preparing for playoff games.
Elway knows the pressure is on in Denver which is why he fired Vance Joseph despite the poor quarterback play in Denver, a responsibility that ultimately falls on the master builder of the team.
Elway’s inability to identify quarterback talent properly through the NFL Draft is well documented, and one player he passed on is potentially available — for a cost — this offseason.
Nick Foles is one of two Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks from the 2012 NFL Draft class, the same class in which Elway used a second-round selection on Brock Osweiler.
Foles’ career on teams that did not include Jeff Fisher as his head coach have been wildly prosperous, even as a backup.
If you look at Foles’ numbers without his 11 games as a member of the St. Louis Rams, it’s hard not to be impressed.
With the Eagles (five years) and Chiefs (one season), Foles has completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 9,113 yards, 61 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions. If you add his playoff numbers in with those, he’s completed 65.5 percent of his passes with 72 touchdowns and 28 interceptions.
He’s also got a famous touchdown catch.
Three years ago the idea of adding Foles to the Broncos’ roster would have been sickening to me, but right now, it seems pretty appealing. Foles and the Eagles couldn’t get it done in this year’s playoffs, but he is the reigning Super Bowl MVP at the time of this writing and has proven himself to be a clutch player at the position, engineering six game-winning drives over the past two seasons.
Because of the fact that Foles helped to deliver Philadelphia its first Super Bowl title in team history, he will likely have a say in where he goes via trade this offseason and the Broncos could be an option if they don’t fall in love with anyone in the 2019 NFL Draft crop.
Though Foles has a $20 million cap hit in 2019, he would undoubtedly understand that any team acquiring him would need to re-work his contract in order to facilitate a trade.
The Eagles would understand that Foles’ contract guarantees fully on March 18, and that will diminish their leverage in trade negotiations.
The Broncos have an extra fourth-round pick in this year’s draft, and if Foles wants to go to Denver, that should be enough to get it done.
Joe Flacco, Ravens
The emergence of Lamar Jackson in 2018 has led to talk of Joe Flacco being traded or released this offseason.
Flacco is set to count $26.5 million against the Ravens’ 2019 cap, and there’s simply no way he’s going to be on the roster at that price.
He will be released or traded, it’s just a matter of which team wants to acquire his services.
Flacco infamously beat the Denver Broncos in the 2012 playoffs with a Hail Mary to Jacoby Jones, a play that will never be forgotten by this generation of Broncos fans.
Despite Flacco’s Super Bowl MVP season in 2012, he hasn’t played at a high level since 2014 and would be a waste of John Elway’s time and the Broncos’ money.
The Broncos would be better off sticking with Case Keenum for another year than trying to acquire Joe Flacco.
In the same timeframe as we’ve been discussing for the Broncos (2015-18), Flacco has a record of 24-27 as a starter, completing 63.9 percent of his passes with an average of 16 touchdowns and 12 interceptions per season.
Those numbers are not far off from what the Broncos just experienced this past year with Case Keenum operating things.
Some might be of the opinion that Flacco is a clear upgrade over Keenum, but it would take a lot of convincing to get me on board with that idea.
Drew Lock, Missouri
The Broncos would be kidding themselves if they said they weren’t jealous of the success of Chiefs gunslinger Patrick Mahomes this past season.
Mahomes came into a favorable situation in Kansas City and took over Alex Smith’s starting job in week 17 of the 2017 season.
This year, he was unquestionably the most valuable player in the NFL. That type of success and timeline would seem uncommon if the Eagles and Rams hadn’t also developed MVP caliber quarterbacks in short order.
All three of the Eagles, Chiefs, and Rams have now reached their conference championship game or Super Bowl within three years of drafting their quarterback.
The Eagles obviously won it (albeit without Carson Wentz) and the Rams have a chance to do so.
The next generation of quarterbacks in the NFL is quickly emerging, and the Broncos may have a chance to get on board that train by drafting someone in 2019. The player they seem to have their eyes on is Drew Lock.
John Elway and the Broncos’ front office apparently attended four of Lock’s games at Missouri this season, a clear indicator of their interest in him.
They probably also saw a potential third piece of their passing attack while they were there in Emanuel Hall, the long-striding speedster at wide receiver who happens to be Lock’s favorite target.
As much as we all want the Broncos to win now, there is potential for them to get on board the young franchise QB train by selecting Lock, or even Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins and possibly someone like Daniel Jones of Duke or Kyler Murray of Oklahoma.
Lock seems to be the favorite right now, and all eyes will be on him this week at the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, AL.