10 backup options for Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos in 2023

4. Baker Mayfield (free agent, Rams)

Dating back to the 2018 offseason, many Denver Broncos fans have wanted the team to find a way to land Baker Mayfield. Mayfield was obviously the no. 1 pick of the 2018 NFL Draft after winning the Heisman at Oklahoma, and he had plenty of early success with the Browns. But that early success was short-lived.

Mayfield fell out of favor in Cleveland, and might soon be on his fourth different NFL roster in the last 12 or so months. The Browns held Mayfield hostage in the 2022 offseason, refusing to trade him until the last possible second, when they sent him to the sinking ship that was the Carolina Panthers. After a rough go with the Panthers, Mayfield shockingly hit waivers during the 2022 season and wound up getting claimed by the Los Angeles Rams and Sean McVay.

With the Rams, Mayfield did pretty well, all things considered. He did especially well against the Denver Broncos, who could have used the jolt he brought to the lineup while Russell Wilson was out with a concussion.

At any rate, the Broncos now have a chance to bring Mayfield into the fold as Russell Wilson's backup, which is an intriguing possibility. The question here is whether or not Mayfield's history with Davis Webb will come into play. Once upon a time, Mayfield and Webb were teammates at Texas Tech where Webb told Mayfield to go get him some towels during a practice in the rain.

Unless Mayfield is still upset about something that happened almost a decade ago, this remains a possibility. But perhaps the two can have a good laugh about it and find a way to work together. If the towel thing is still an issue for Mayfield (or Webb), he's probably not the right guy for the job.

But I like Mayfield's ability to come in and be a jolt if you need him to be as a backup quarterback.