3 underrated free agents for the Broncos to sign in 2023
Three underrated free agents for the Denver Broncos in 2023
Gardner Minshew, Quarterback
The Broncos need to improve their backup quarterback situation in 2023. Neither Josh Johnson nor Brett Rypien is a serious QB2 solution. George Paton, or whoever is making the front office decisions needs to seriously consider investing legitimate backup quarterback money in someone.
Gardner Minshew makes perfect sense as a backup for Russell Wilson for a couple of reasons:
- He’s actually a decent quarterback and is better than some current starters
- He’s young, comes with some swagger, and could be viewed as a nice push in the rear end for Wilson
Gardner Minshew isn’t some 30-something career backup, he’s a young player, still in his 20s with some notable production in the NFL that makes you think he could thrive in the right situation. To me, he’s also someone that could come into the starting lineup in a pinch and still keep the team competitive.
He began his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars and is currently the backup in Philadelphia. For his career, Minshew has thrown 41 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 6,003 yards, and has a career passer rating of 93.9.
If you go to his player profile on Pro Football Reference and highlight each year of his career, his 17-game, full-season average would give him 24 touchdowns to seven interceptions per year. Minshew is objectively a solid quarterback and I am personally baffled he isn’t a starter somewhere.
He’ll be a free agent at the end of the year and part of me thinks he’d want to compete for a job somewhere. However, if the Broncos are able to pay high-end backup QB money, perhaps Minshew would be willing to be a Bronco.