After moving on from Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch in 2017, the Denver Broncos went into the 2018 offseason in search of a quarterback.
Then-general manager/executive VP of football operations John Elway signed Case Keenum during free agency in March. One month later, the Broncos held the fifth overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft.
After signing Keenum, Denver passed on Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen at No. 5 to instead select NC State edge defender Bradley Chubb. Allen went off the board two picks later to the Buffalo Bills.
Chubb, a two-time Pro Bowler, totaled 26 sacks in four and a half seasons with the Broncos before being traded to the Miami Dolphins in 2022. Allen, also a two-time Pro Bowler, has helped the Bills reach the playoffs in each of the last five seasons.
In hindsight, passing on Allen was a terrible decision by the Broncos, one that former cornerback Chris Harris still can’t believe.
“That Josh Allen pass up still hurting the broncos,” Harris tweeted earlier this week. “When we had Shaq Barrett and Von lol.”
One year after Denver drafted Chubb, the team let Shaq Barrett walk in free agency. He went on to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019 and he totaled 19.5 sacks in his first season. Barrett has recorded 45 sacks over the last five seasons with the Bucs.
Harris certainly isn’t alone in his bewilderment, although some Broncos fans think Allen would not have developed into the QB he is today had he landed in Denver.