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.
Former Broncos QB Brian Griese — now the QB coach with the 49ers — loves what Sam Darnold showed as the 49ers backup in 2023.
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) February 15, 2024
“Sam has checked his ego at the door … He’s got a lot of talent and is going to play really good football in this league. …” pic.twitter.com/tziNRqFECh
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.
Trade down in the first round
I have already laid out why trading up in the first round of the draft in order to get a quarterback like Caleb Williams, Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels is a ridiculous thought so assuming that all three of those quarterbacks are drafted within the first few picks as expected, the Broncos should instead trade down in the first round.
The Broncos do not currently have a second-round pick thanks to the trade last year to get the coaching rights to Payton from the New Orleans Saints. Here's a trade idea that would allow them to get that pick back.
In this scenario, the Broncos move back 10 slots in the first round but gain an extra draft pick in the process. That pick will be pivotal to this plan.
The Eagles had a disastrous collapse this past season but they know that their Super Bowl window is still open. They also know that they need to keep pace with the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East so they are going to need to add another cornerback to this roster.
The target in this move up would be Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins, assuming he is still on the board. The Eagles have two second-round picks (Nos. 50 and 53 overall) and the Broncos get the earlier of those in order for the Eagles to get a crack at Wiggins.
Broncos draft an EDGE rusher at No. 22
This is why you trade down. In addition to acquiring a second-round pick, this draft is deep enough to where there will still be some excellent players in this spot. The Broncos need an edge rusher, and this class has some good ones.
Not all of these players will still be on the board at No. 22 overall, but at least one of them will be and in all likelihood, probably more than one of them, giving the Broncos a chance to pick the best one. These four players should be considered.
Dallas Turner, Alabama
Laiatu Latu, UCLA
Jared Verse, Florida State
Chop Robinson, Penn State
All of these players would be great picks and they are ranked differently by several different draft analysts. Personally, I feel that Laiatu Latu out of UCLA would be a stellar pick for the team if the Broncos were fortunate enough to have him still on the board right here.
But even if he is not, any of these players would be a great first-round selection for the Broncos and a major weapon added to the defense. If the Broncos are going to find a way to eventually compete with the Kansas City Chiefs on a regular basis, they must find a way to attack Patrick Mahomes.
The Broncos have some good pass-rushers in Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper and Baron Browning but one of Turner, Latu, Verse or Robinson would present a chance for the team to have an elite option, something that is a must in today's league.
Now, the Broncos have signed Darnold and drafted a pass-rush specialist in the first round. But they still need that future quarterback. This is where that second-round pick that they just traded for comes into play.
Draft Spencer Rattler at No. 50 overall
As discussed here following his great showing in the Senior Bowl, Spencer Rattler is a name that should be squarely on the Broncos' draft board.
The No. 12 overall spot is too high for the team to select Rattler but if they choose a player such as Bo Nix or Michael Penix Jr. in that spot, they are definitely not maximizing their potential as they won't get that extra draft pick.
Plus, are Nix and/or Penix better than Rattler? That's debatable.
Rattler is a guy being looked at as a day two or maybe even day three selection in the draft. The Broncos should instead jump on his potential ceiling.
Coming out of high school, Rattler was the No. 1 recruit in the nation. He was ranked higher than Penix, Jayden Daniels and Sam Howell, to name a few. He ended up at Oklahoma where he sat behind current Eagles starter Jalen Hurts. But when he took over as the Sooners' starter in 2022, he was favored to win the Heisman Trophy and be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.
He didn't live up to that hype and was benched at Oklahoma but he wasn't just benched for anybody. He was benched in favor of Caleb Williams, currently projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft.
Was Rattler just overrated? Did he suddenly lose his talent? Or did the situation he was in just not fit him best? He ended up transferring to South Carolina where he completed 67.5 percent of his throws for 6,212 yards and 37 touchdown passes in two seasons.
Those are not eye-popping numbers, but they show that of a player who could explode onto the NFL scene if he is in the right situation.
I would argue that in Denver, sitting behind an experienced quarterback like Darnold while absorbing knowledge and learning from Payton would not only be the right situation, it could be the perfect one.