Quarterback
Kevin Hogan vs. Brett Rypien
The Broncos know what they have in Kevin Hogan. They know what kind of player he is and what he’s capable of doing in case they need someone to step in and actually play in a regular-season game.
The fact that head coach Vic Fangio said after the game that nothing was decided yet between he and Brett Rypien is pretty fascinating, and a bit telling of where the Broncos are at with Hogan in general.
Rypien has been priming for a bigger role, taking some snaps in training camp with the higher units just to get some of that under his belt. The team has seen him work in practice with the better players on the team, and they’ve seen Hogan as well.
The problem here is that Hogan has not looked very good, and neither has Rypien. It would be ideal if the team could just keep Lock as the number two and put Rypien on the practice squad.
If the Broncos don’t bring anyone in from the outside (maybe a 49ers QB…) it seems likely Hogan is the guy to beat here.
That may be uninspiring, but the Broncos should be able to sneak Rypien onto their practice squad and then when Lock gets back, they could let go of Hogan and save $900,000.
What if Rypien lights it up in this game, though? That would certainly present the Broncos with a difficult decision.