Why the Broncos must consider Michael Penix Jr.

The Denver Broncos have been battling mediocrity for a handful of years now. Since losing Peyton Manning, the organization has wanted to stay competitive but could just never get over the hump. They took one final big swing when they acquired Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks, and not only did that fail, but it set the team back a few years with all the lost draft capital. 

Now, in next week's NFL draft, there is talk that the Broncos could trade up in order to draft the quarterback they see fit to take over. A trade-up can be extremely valuable; look at what the Buffalo Bills got when they traded up for Josh Allen. Now, they are always going to be competitive because of what he brings to the table. However, there is always another side to success stories, like the Chicago Bears trading up and drafting Mitchell Trubisky.

The Broncos just aren’t in a position to trade up right now as their roster has too many holes, dead cap hits, and a lack of draft picks to fill those holes. For those reasons, it’s in their best interest to trade back in the draft to recoup some assets while still selecting a quarterback in Michael Penix Jr. from the University of Washington. 

No one should act like they know more about the NFL or quarterbacks than Sean Payton, so if he truly believes the franchise's saviour needs to be traded up for, then we have to have faith in him. But if he has even a little bit of faith in Penix, then trading back into the mid or late twenties to select him has the potential to be a home run of a move.

Penix has incredible arm talent and has seen his draft stock rise through the combine and his pro day. He also fits well with the Broncos current receivers. Cortland Sutton, assuming he is still a Bronco when the season starts, is a spectacular catch machine who can win any jump ball if given the chance. Giving receivers a chance at deep balls was something that Penix did well at Washington last season with his talented receiving group. And now, with Jerry Jeudy being traded to the Cleveland Browns, Marvin Mims Jr. has the chance to really show out in the 2024 season.

Mims has the potential to be another exceptional deep threat for the Broncos, who, again, would pair really well with Penix. Then you have Tim Patrick and Lil’Jordan Humphrey, who are both 6-foot-4, Josh Reynolds, who is 6-foot-3, and Brandon Johnson, who is 6-foot-2. There is plenty of height, which gives Penix the chance to do what he does best.

If the Broncos are to reach into their limited bag of assets to trade up, that quarterback will not be put into a situation where it will be easy to succeed. As stated earlier, that player will be joining a team with even less draft capital than they currently have and a roster with plenty of holes. 

Simply staying put and selecting Penix at 12 would be considered a reach, and while yes, the Broncos are desperate, so reaching for a quarterback is an option, it doesn’t need to be done. Trading back for Penix will give the team more resources, which can ultimately help him reach his high ceiling, which is believed to be quite high.