This 4-step plan gets the Broncos exactly what they need to get on right track

The Broncos are in a tough position as it currently stands. The team is looking to find a winning formula while also having to compete in the same division as the back-to-back Super Bowl champions and as of right now, we don't know who the team's starting quarterback will be.

Some feel there is a chance that Russell Wilson could be back in 2024 but it has been reported that his Cherry Creek mansion is on the market, another sign pointing to the idea that he is done in Denver.

Assuming that the Broncos move on from Wilson, the number one question will be how to replace him and not just replace him, but to do so effectively, something that the organization has not done since Peyton Manning retired.

Here is a good outline for what the team could do in order to create a best-case scenario based on where things currently stand.

Sign Sam Darnold in free agency

If the Broncos move on from Wilson, the first question they will need to answer is whether or not to sign a veteran passer in free agency. The team may feel that it already has that quarterback on the roster in Jarrett Stidham, but he has done nothing to show that with the opportunities he has had in his career.

The idea behind signing a veteran quarterback would be to create the best possible bridge to the future. I present Sam Darnold.

Now, Darnold's name is not going to evoke excitement within Broncos Country, but quite frankly, that won't come from any of the quarterbacks on the free-agent market this offseason. Personally, I would rather take a shot on Darnold than any of the following names:

Jimmy Garoppolo
Jameis Winston
Ryan Tannehill
Jacoby Brissett
Gardner Minshew

Those are all names that you will hear connected to the Broncos in the next month if you haven't already. Here's what makes Darnold a better option.

Darnold, once the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, is still just 26 years old. He is the kind of guy who could be a "system quarterback" as he has already learned several offenses in his career and he also has solid arm talent, probably better than any of the names you see above.

But it is his recent experience with the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers that might make him most intriguing. There, he learned Kyle Shanahan's offense and was the team's backup quarterback. If he would have been called on to come in and play, the team would have had supreme confidence in him.

Shanahan, one of the league's best offensive minds and former Broncos quarterback Brian Griese, now the 49ers' quarterbacks coach, were impressed with Darnold this season. Griese had this to say about the quarterback just ahead of Super Bowl LVIII.

He could come in and be exactly the kind of guy that Sean Payton wants at the quarterback position. If the Broncos go the route of signing a veteran free agent, this is the guy it should be.