The first wave of NFL free agency has wrapped up and the Denver Broncos still haven’t found a replacement for Russell Wilson, who was cut last week.
The Broncos passed on 13 notable free agent quarterbacks and they opted not to make a move for any of the five QBs that changed teams via trade this offseason. There are some free agent QBs still available, but none of them are exciting options.
It’s possible that Denver could go into the 2024 season with Jarrett Stidham and a drafted rookie as the top two QBs on the roster.
Such a scenario was known to be among the team’s options, but it probably wasn’t viewed as the most likely scenario.
Stidham, of course, would welcome the opportunity.
“I’ve said this before — everybody wants to play, everybody wants to be on the field,” Stidham said in January. “I want to be on the field every snap of next [season] if possible.”
Regardless of whether or not the Broncos end up signing a veteran, the team will be expected to draft a QB in April. Denver does not pick until 12th overall, though, so if they want to land one of the top four QBs, the Broncos will likely need to trade up.
Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy are all expected to go off the board before pick No. 12. That would leave Bo Nix and Michael Penix as options for Denver, but both of those QBs will likely be available later in the first round.
If the Broncos do not trade up for a top QB prospect, moving down the board to acquire more picks might be their best option, especially if the team is able to land a QB later in the first round.
Denver currently holds eight picks. The 2024 NFL draft will be held in Detroit from April 25-27.
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