Denver Broncos: Making the case for Matt Ryan in 2022

The Denver Broncos will surely have a different quarterback beginning in 2022, and Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons should be on that list.

I want to preface this article by saying that I am all in on the team trying to trade for Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson.

I am even high on Kirk Cousins, but if the Denver Broncos miss out on all of those signal-callers, Matt Ryan is a solid fallback plan.

Many who hear the name Matt Ryan generally think of an old quarterback whose arm is shot and is way past his prime.

I personally think Matt Ryan is a very good quarterback who will end up in the Hall of Fame one day.

And I also want to try to convince those in Broncos Country who are uncertain about him that Matt Ryan isn’t as bad as some of us make him out to be.

So, let’s get started.

The first reason why Matt Ryan would be a good fit in Denver is his overall experience.

Matt Ryan has been to a Super Bowl, won MVP, been knocked out of the playoffs, and has won 120 games as an NFL starter.

To put the last statistic in perspective, Matt Ryan ranks 11th all-time among quarterbacks in wins. His 14 years of experience would bring an almost Peyton Manning-level of experience to the locker room.  Ryan would be a consistent voice before the game, and a consistent performer on the field.

He’s played in extremely cold and extremely hot conditions.  He’s played in domes; he’s played hurt and banged up, and he offers to a full range of what a franchise QB is.  He would be a stabilizing force for the Denver Broncos.

Moreover, he brings with him 10 games of playoff experience and the third-highest playoff passer rating of all time.  Guys, of all time.  Matt Ryan is a great quarterback, and his experience would be hugely desired in Denver.

Secondly, Matt Ryan is a sensational passer.  Ryan ranks 9th all-time in completion percentage, 8th in passing yards, 9th in touchdowns, (soon to be 8th, as he is tied with Eli Manning), and 13th all-time in passer rating.

You see, these stats would be less impressive if done over a much shorter span of time, but Matt Ryan is in his 14th year in the NFL, and has been able to climb the leaderboards in every major statistical quarterback category.  Matt Ryan has also thrown for 4,000 passing yards a whopping 10 seasons in a row and is just 445 yards away from doing it for the 11th year in a row with two games remaining.

Matt Ryan is an efficient passer as evidenced by his statistical achievements, and would have no trouble getting the ball to the Broncos’ plethora of pass catchers.

Another reason why Matt Ryan would make a lot of sense in Denver is what he’s had to deal with in Atlanta over the past few seasons.

Let’s talk about his offensive line, which, to put it mildly, sucks. This ranking from theundroppables ranks their offensive line as 29th best in the NFL.

Sharpfootballanalysis ranks the Falcons’ unit as 25th best in the league. PFF, as recently as Week 15, ranked the Falcons’ unit as the 26th best unit in the NFL.

To add one more ranking, the Falcons’ offensive line is also abysmal at pass block win rate, with a measly 54 percent win rate, which ranks 27th in the NFL.

The Denver Broncos offensive line, in every metric and ranking listed, ranks much higher than Atlanta’s unit.

Common sense would tell us that Matt Ryan playing behind a much better offensive line would allow him a greater chance to succeed within the offense.

Furthermore, Denver has a much stronger and deeper supporting cast than Atlanta. Yes, both Kyle Pitts and Calvin Ridley are great, but that’s about all they have.

Mike Davis is a below-average running back, Hayden Hurst is a ‘meh’ tight end, and the rest of their offensive skill players are just guys.

Giving Matt Ryan the Broncos’ embarrassment of riches on the offensive side, coupled with an average offensive line allows Matty Ice to regain his former MVP form as we saw in 2016.