Denver Broncos quarterback tandem is turning out like we thought

Before the 2021 season began, the Denver Broncos were never taken seriously as a real contender in the AFC. Despite the presence of loads of talent at several key places on the roster, the conversation about the Broncos’ chances began and ended with the talent at quarterback.

After flirting with a blockbuster trade that would have delivered an NFL All-Pro in Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (a deal that never happened for anyone, to give Denver credit), the Broncos decided to roll into a new season with the familiar face of Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater. Just like that, any discussion about the Broncos’ chances were over.

Of course, some in Denver might have been deluded into thinking their team had a chance at all in 2021. That happens every year to every fan base, or at least the majority of them, when the slate is wiped clean every offseason. However, anyone outside of Denver just needed a glimpse at the moves at quarterback to know it was over.

The Broncos quarterback situation will keep them from contending at all in 2021.

Despite misery at the position in 2020, the Broncos decided to make a single move at quarterback for the entire spring and summer, Not only did they forgo any draft choices at quarterback despite picking in the top 10 of the 2020 NFL Draft, but general manager George Paton decided that all they needed was to flip a sixth round pick to the Carolina Panthers for Bridgewater.

Yes, a position that netted a collective 72.5 passer rating between Lock and a couple other fringe players (the likes of Jeff Driskel) received a sixth round investment. That was it.

Through the first three games of the 2021 regular season, it looked like it was enough. That’s because of two primary factors. First, the Broncos happen to be very loaded at other positions, including among the offensive skill positions and the secondary (which might be the best in the game). Second the Broncos played the least challenging first three weeks of a season that one could conjure.

Between the New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New York Jets, the Broncos faced teams that went a collective 0-9 through the first three weeks of the season. Those teams are bound to get better over the course of time since they’re all young, top to bottom, but for now they are horrible. The Broncos cleaned up against them, as they should, because Bridgewater is the sort of leader who will minimize mistakes and the Broncos have playmakers to make things happen elsewhere.

Let’s not forget the Broncos have Von Miller and Bradley Chubb as pass rushers. They’ve got a secondary loaded with talent, including rookie Patrick Surtain Jr. and Justin Simmons, Kyle Fuller and Kareem Jackson. They have Jerry Judy and Noah Fant and Melvin Gordon and Courtland Sutton on offense as pass catchers among many others who help move the chains. In short, the Broncos have a very nice stable of overall talent. They’re a team that a serious quarterback upgrade would turn into an instant contender.

Instead, the Broncos turned in a sixth round choice for a game manager in an NFL where only great to elite-level QB play will get you anywhere meaningful. On Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens were introduced as the first serious level of competition for the Broncos and suddenly things fell apart. Bridgewater left Sunday’s game to be checked for a concussion, but even then, the Broncos were down 10 at the half and Bridgewater had completed 7 of 16 passes for 65 yards. Yes, that’s 4.1 yards/attempt. (That’s downright pitiful.)

At the present time. Drew Lock somehow looked even worse on the field for the Broncos, a shell of a prospect who looks like he’ll never find a way forward despite being a former second-round pick and star at Mizzou. Lock has completed 8 of 15 passes on the night for 54 yards (or an even worse 3.9 yards/attempt).

Here’s the truth: the Broncos have enough overall talent to beat the teams that they should, the other also-rans of the league whom they will play because they finished so poorly in the division last season. But any notion of the Broncos as contenders because of how they started the season at 3-0 is a complete misnomer. Denver was cursed the moment they decided that Bridgewater was the lone upgrade they were going to make to this roster.

They’ll play it out, of course, but 2021 is a lost season for the Denver Broncos. The quarterback situation is exactly what we thought, exposed by the first real competition they’ve faced, and things will only get worse from here on out from their current position near the top of the AFC West.