Even though he's stayed nearly perfectly healthy during his career, there's always the chance of injury to Russell Wilson. Who could be among the emergency QB options if Denver loses their QB1? This could be a total disaster, especially if the Broncos were to lose Wilson during the season as the team is fighting for a playoff spot.
Wilson did get banged up a bit last year, including a torn lat and an injured hamstring. It was a bit worrisome to see the veteran QB get hurt more than he ever has during his NFL career. The hope here, obviously, is that Wilson's body is not breaking down and the injuries were more so the poor offensive line.
Hopefully, Russell Wilson can be reigned in a bit with Sean Payton. Well, let's say the unthinkable happens and Russell Wilson goes down right as the Broncos wrap up a 5-3 first half of the season right before the trade deadline. They'd obviously be firmly in the playoff race entering their bye week.
Who would be some emergency QB options for the team in this case?
4 emergency QB options if Russell Wilson goes down in the 2023 season
1. Jarrett Stidham
Jarrett Stidham was given $10 million by the Denver Broncos this offseason to be the backup QB to Russell Wilson. It was a very puzzling move, but head coach Sean Payton has spoken very highly of Stidham this offseason. Payton seems to believe that Stidham could hold the fort down in the event that Wilson stinks it up or gets hurt. He'd obviously be the first option if Wilson got hurt and had to miss some time.
4 emergency QB options if Russell Wilson goes down in the 2023 season
2. Jameis Winston
Jameis Winston started seven games for Sean Payton in the 2021 season with the New Orleans Saints. In those seven games, Winston played the best football of his NFL career, by far. He threw for 1,170 yards, 14 touchdowns, three interceptions, and earned a passer rating of 102.8.
It's clear that Winston was getting the hang of things playing in Sean Payton's offense, and he played well enough to help the Saints to a 5-2 record. He's still rostered on the Saints, but New Orleans signed Derek Carr to a big-money extension this offseason. If the trade deadline has not passed and Russell Wilson does get hurt, it would make sense to call up the Saints and make an offer for Famous Jameis.
3. Teddy Bridgewater
How would we feel if Teddy Bridgewater played meaningful snaps for the Denver Broncos in the 2023 season? Well, another forgotten QB who played his best football under Sean Payton is Bridgewater himself. In the 2019 season, he filled in for an injured Drew Brees and helped the Saints to a 5-0 record in Brees' absence.
Bridgewater threw for 1,384 yards, nine touchdowns, two interceptions, and earned a passer rating of 99.1 during this stretch. This also earned him a big-money deal with the Carolina Panthers in the following year.
He also had a one-year stop with the Denver Broncos in 2021, going 7-7 as a starter and throwing for 18 touchdowns against seven interceptions. Between playing for the Saints and Broncos in 2019 and 2021, Bridgewater threw for a respectable 27 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 19 games.
It's not out of the realm of possibility that Bridgewater is still a free agent into the season. He'd make a ton of sense for the Denver Broncos to come in for a few games if Russell Wilson went down. He's also got some chemistry with certain offensive players. I'd actually trust Bridgewater to not mess this up.
4. Ryan Tannehill
The Tennessee Titans are in an interesting spot. They are clearly in rebuilding mode but are still holding onto two of their best players in Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry. They also took Will Levis in the 2023 NFL Draft. At some point, Levis is likely going to be given some starts for the Titans.
And Ryan Tannehill may not even make it through the season with the team. He's well into his 30s and is obviously not their long-term solution. If Russell Wilson goes down and it is indeed before the trade deadline, I wonder how willing the Titans would be to part with Tannehill for a fourth or fifth-round draft pick?
Tannehill isn't a slouch, either. He's got great mobility for the position, as he was a former wide receiver. He's also played in five playoff games since the 2019 season, which is notable. He's got a career passer rating of 91.9 and has thrown for 212 touchdowns over his regular-season career.
Ryan Tannehill could be another very viable option for the Broncos if Wilson were to go down.