Denver Broncos: Grading all of George Paton’s trades as rookie GM

Denver Broncos: Grading all of George Paton’s trades as rookie GM

Trade #1

On the eve of the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, things were looking really good for Drew Lock.

The Denver Broncos, sitting at pick number 9 overall, didn’t seem to have a great shot at any of the top quarterbacks in the draft and they had really just passed on all of the available veteran options.

At least, for the most part.

The Broncos struck a trade that had been a long time coming when they sent a sixth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Bridgewater obviously had familiarity with both Paton and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur when he was with the Minnesota Vikings, and with the Panthers eating some of his salary, the Broncos were getting a pretty decent bargain for a starting option.

Through the first three games of the 2021 season, Bridgewater had some people thinking maybe he would earn a second contract in Denver. The month of October told a vastly different story.

Completing a career-high 70.4 percent of his passes, Bridgewater has thrown for over 1,900 yards and 13 touchdowns with five interceptions.

As solid as those stats look (easily would put Bridgewater into career-high territory if extrapolated), the on-field eye test is vastly different. Bridgewater has not been as efficient since he went down with a concussion against the Baltimore Ravens, and the Broncos’ offense has been abysmal in that time.

There’s still a lot of season left (9 games) but for the time being, Bridgewater has a lot to prove if he’s going to get another shot as a starter in Denver or anyone else after this season.

Still, grading this trade based on the value the Broncos are getting in return? It’s a solid trade at worst.

Trade grade: B+