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Blake Bortles is coming to the Denver Broncos as a backup

By Graham Tiedtke

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 29: Quarterback Blake Bortles #5 of the Los Angeles Rams runs on to the field for the game against the Arizona Cardinals at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 29, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 29: Quarterback Blake Bortles #5 of the Los Angeles Rams runs on to the field for the game against the Arizona Cardinals at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 29, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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The Denver Broncos have gone to the free agent market, and will sign quarterback Blake Bortles.

When Drew Lock went down with a shoulder injury, Jeff Driskel filled in against the Steeler. Driskel will hold down the fort until Lock is cleared to play again. However, the Broncos needed a reliable backup to Driskel now. That quarterback will be Blake Bortles.

The team is signing the former first-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars to a one-year deal. Bortles still has to go through COVID protocols before joining the team, and won’t be in the building until Friday.

With that being said, he could still be Driskel’s backup on Sunday when the team hosts the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Don’t mistake this as a quarterback competition, though. The Broncos’ quarterback situation isn’t great right now, but Driskel will remain the starter.

Ty Walden wrote about why you should not be worried about Driskel as the guy for the next few weeks.

In his career, Bortles has a touchdown-interception ratio of 103-75, a completion percentage of 59.3, 17,649 passing yards, and a passer rating of 80.6 (of a possible 158.3).

In the 2017 playoffs following the 2016 season, Bortles led the Jaguars to the AFC Championship Game. Bortles threw for 3,905 yards, 23 touchdowns and 16 interceptions that year. That year, he didn’t even have a 1,000-yard receiver (Allen Robinson led the way with 73 catches for 886 yards and six touchdowns.

If Bortles were to enter a game for the Broncos,  he won’t have Courtland Sutton to utilize as Sutton injured his knee against the Steelers and is out for the season.

Since he was signed during the season, Bortles’ contract won’t be guaranteed. Once Lock returns to the lineup, Bortles could be dropped. Denver entered the season with two quarterbacks on the active roster, with former undrafted free agent pickup Brett Rypien on the practice squad.

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The Broncos’ other options included trading for Saints backup Jameis Winston, or signing somebody off of another team’s practice squad, including a potential Trevor Siemian reunion. The Broncos chose to go with Bortles instead.

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