Denver Broncos should take a flier on Tyree Jackson as developmental QB

The Denver Broncos reportedly brought in former Buffalo QB Tyree Jackson for a workout. The team should bring him on as a developmental project.

The Denver Broncos hopefully already have their quarterback of the future on the roster with Drew Lock coming off of his first career start against the Los Angeles Chargers.

With that said, I am a huge proponent of NFL teams taking shots on talent at the quarterback position because you never know what it’s going to result in.

The New England Patriots recently had Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Jacoby Brissett on their roster at the same time. Obviously, Garoppolo and Brissett — second and third-round picks respectively — are now starting and thriving with other teams in the NFL after the Patriots traded them away.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are benefitting from taking a draft flier on Gardner Minshew, who looks like a possible option for them going into the future as a starter.

There are countless options of teams taking shots on guys at the quarterback position and things working out just because they take the time to develop these guys and get them up to speed with an offensive system.

I’ve been saying for far too long, there’s a major lack of general competence at the quarterback position in the NFL. You don’t see a lot of teams like the 49ers with three guys — Garoppolo, CJ Beathard, Nick Mullens — who can start games and help them win.

You don’t see many teams doing what the Patriots did with Brady, Garoppolo, and Brissett.

I would like to see the Broncos do something like that. There’s nothing wrong with bringing in the Brandon Allen types from other teams, especially if it works out, but I would hope the Broncos are never going to be settled at the quarterback position and keep taking shots.

It’s one of the reasons I love the idea of bringing in a few talented guys for possible reserve/future signings at the quarterback position and I hope the team decides to sign one of them.

The name that really stands out on that list is former Buffalo quarterback Tyree Jackson, an undrafted free agent in the 2019 class who played in the preseason for the Bills.

At 6-foot-7, 249 pounds, Jackson is a mountain of a dude at the quarterback position who can really run. He ran a 4.59 in the 40-yard dash at the scouting combine last year and had a 34.5-inch vertical jump. He also has an absolute hose for an arm but never really put all of those skills together consistently when he was playing at Buffalo in college.

As raw of a prospect as Jackson is, if the Broncos believe in their coaching staff’s ability to develop players, this is the kind of player I would think you would want to work with. He couldn’t be more opposite of a guy like Brett Rypien, who has to be the odds-on favorite right now to be Drew Lock’s backup QB in 2020, but Jackson would be a fun player to bring into the mix for the offseason and see what he can do.

Obviously he’s dynamic as a runner with the ball in his hands but if the Broncos could teach him to hone his skills as a passer, he’s got some nice potential.

Again, can you ever take too many shots at the quarterback position? I don’t think so. It’s one reason I’m not opposed to the Broncos drafting someone this year on day two or three, just to bring in competition and develop young players at the position.

For that matter, the athletic talents of the other QBs brought in — South Dakota State’s Taryn Christion and Mississippi State’s Nick Fitzgerald — are intriguing.

I would love to see the Broncos make a move on any one of those guys as a sign of confidence in their coaching staff to develop their raw talent.