Tag: Jeff Driskel

Jeff Driskel already helping Broncos QB Drew Lock

Broncos QB Jeff Driskel sent his shoulder and arm workout routine to Drew Lock to help the second-year QB stay in shape during isolation.

After backup quarterback Jeff Driskel agreed to sign with the Broncos, he quickly heard from Drew Lock, the team’s starting quarterback.

“He actually reached out to me right when I had signed which I thought was really classy and just a really cool kind of ice breaker to get to know each other just a little bit as much as you can over the phone of text or whatever,” Driskel said during a conference call with reporters on March 26. “I don’t know much about him except I’ve seen him play a few times. I know he’s a really good player with a lot of upside.”

Driskel is a competitive player but he understands his role with the team. His job is to help Lock prepare — and to be ready himself if called upon.

“I’m looking forward to working with him and helping him out in any way I can — not just helping him, but helping all my teammates and doing whatever I can to help our organization win games,” Driskel said.

Though they haven’t been able to work together at the team’s facility yet, Driskel has already found a way to help Lock prepare for the 2020 season.

“Jeff sent me some of his workouts, some of his shoulder [and] arm stuff that he uses to stay in shape,” Lock said in a recent interview with Phil Milani of the team’s official website. “I’m starting to do a little bit of that.”

Driskel certainly appears to be off to a good start with his new teammate.

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Jeff Driskel should be a good fit as a backup QB with Broncos

“I’ve heard so many good things about the organization,” Broncos new backup quarterback Jef Driskel said.

Broncos quarterback Drew Lock has the ability to run around and keep plays alive with his legs, something that is frustrating for defenses to defend against. With a mobile starting QB, Denver wanted to bring in an athletic veteran to serve as his backup.

Jeff Driskel was a good fit — and the feeling was mutual.

“Going into free agency, you never really know where you might end up,” Driskel said during a conference call with reporters on March 26. “It’s a matter of a fit with the team and a fit with yourself. I kind of identified Denver early on in the process as one of — if not my — target destination just because I’ve heard so many good things about the organization.

“The culture, then the quarterback room with Drew and coach [Pat] Shurmur — just kind of seeing how he worked with Daniel [Jones] last year and all of the improvement that he had. I just felt like it was a really good fit for myself and for the team. I’m just looking forward to getting out there.”

Driskel served as a backup with the Lions last year and he started three games as an injury fill-in. He rushed 22 times for 151 yards and a touchdown in those contests and threw for 685 yards and four touchdowns. Driskel signed with the Broncos last month.

Denver hope that Lock will be able to stay healthy for the entire season, but if he doesn’t, Driskel should be a serviceable replacement with a similar playing style.

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Panthers win race to XFL QB P.J. Walker

The Panthers are expected to sign former XFL quarterback P.J. Walker.

Former Houston Roughnecks quarterback P.J. Walker is expected to sign with the Carolina Panthers, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Walker (6-0, 207 pounds) led the XFL in passing yards (1,338) and passing touchdowns (15) this spring. He led the Roughnecks to a 5-0 record before the league closed down due to coronavirus concerns.

Earlier this offseason, the Broncos, Seahawks and Cardinals all reached out to Houston’s XFL team to inquire about the 25-year-old quarterback.

Carolina beat those three teams in the race to Walker. He will likely compete for the Panthers’ backup job behind starter Teddy Bridgewater.

Walker broke Temple’s records for passing yards (10,668) and passing touchdowns (74) during his time at the school and he helped the Owls reach back-to-back bowl games for the first time in the school’s history.

After an accomplished career at Temple, Walker signed with the Colts as a college free agent in 2017. He spent his first two seasons in the NFL on Indianapolis’ practice squad before being cut by the Colts last September.

After being let go by Indy, Walker entered the XFL draft in October and was added to the Roughnecks’ roster. He was the most exciting player in the XFL through five games, posting a 104.4 passer rating.

In Denver, the Broncos plan to start Drew Lock in 2020 with newly signed veteran Jeff Driskel serving as his backup.

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Ex-Lions QB Jeff Driskel agrees to sign with the Denver Broncos

Driskel started 3 games for the Lions when Matthew Stafford got injured in 2019

Jeff Driskel, we hardly knew ye.

The former Lions backup quarterback has found a new home in Denver. Driskel agreed to sign a two-year contract with the Broncos to become the primary backup to young starter Drew Lock. The Broncos signed Driskel to push Joe Flacco off the roster, getting younger and significantly cheaper at the backup QB spot.

Driskel got the nod for three games in Detroit in 2019 following Matthew Stafford’s back injury. He completed 59 percent of his passes, throwing four TDs and just as many INTs. The Lions lost all three of his starts before Driskel went down with a hamstring injury. He eventually went on injured reserve.

The 27-year-old came to Detroit from Cincinnati after starting his career as a 6th-round pick by the 49ers in 2017.

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Broncos reached out to Houston’s XFL team about QB P.J. Walker

The Denver Broncos reached out to the Houston Roughnecks to inquire about star XFL quarterback P.J. Walker.

The Denver Broncos reached out to the Houston Roughnecks to inquire about star XFL quarterback P.J. Walker, according to ESPN’s Stefano Fusaro. The Broncos are likely doing their due diligence on Walker as a potential backup quarterback candidate.

Walker (6-0, 207 pounds) led the XFL in passing yards (1,338) and passing touchdowns (15) this spring. He led the Roughnecks to a 5-0 record before the league closed down due to coronavirus concerns.

After breaking nearly all of Temple’s major passing records in college, Walker signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2017. He spent two seasons on Indianapolis’ practice squad before entering the XFL’s draft last October.

The NFL has not yet given teams permission to sign XFL players because those players are still under contract with the upstart league. Once the NFL grants permission, Walker will likely be one a coveted target.

Denver waived Joe Flacco on Thursday and the team plans to start Drew Lock this season with Jeff Driskel serving as his backup. Walker might be a candidate to either serve as the No. 3 QB or compete with Driskel for backup duties.

Last year, Broncos general manager John Elway signed two standouts from the Alliance of American Football: cornerback De’Vante Bausby and nose tackle Mike Purcell. Denver plans to bring back both players in 2020.

Bausby was given a one-year contract and Purcell received a second-round tender. Other teams will be allowed to negotiate with Purcell but the Broncos will have the option to match any offer he receives. If a team makes him an offer that Denver doesn’t match, that team would have to give up a second-round pick for Purcell.

The Broncos’ willingness to give opportunities to a pair of AAF players might be a sign that the team would be willing to do the same with an XFL player. Walker is an intriguing QB for fans to keep an eye on.

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Here are Jeff Driskel’s contract details with Broncos

Broncos backup quarterback Jeff Driskel will have a reasonable salary cap hit in 2020.

The Denver Broncos agreed to terms on a two-year contract with former Cincinnati Bengals and Detroit Lions backup quarterback Jeff Driskel on Tuesday evening. Thanks to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis, we now know how much that deal is worth.

The contract is worth $5 million and includes a $1.5 million signing bonus, according to Klis. His $1 million salary this season is fully guaranteed.

His signing bonus will be prorated over two years so his salary cap hit this season will be $1.75 million.

Next year, Driskel’s salary will increase to $2.5 million but it will not be guaranteed. The Broncos will have a potential out to cut Driskel next offseason without a “dead money” cap hit, according to Spotrac.com.

If Denver chooses to bring him back, Driskel will have a salary cap hit of $3.25 million in 2021. He is scheduled to become a free agent in 2022.

After signing Driskel, Denver is expected to move on from veteran quarterback Joe Flacco. Driskel will serve as Drew Lock’s backup.

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POLL: Was signing Jeff Driskel a good move for Broncos?

Did the Broncos make a good decision to sign Jeff Driskel as their new backup quarterback?

The Denver Broncos made a change to their quarterback room this week, bringing in Jeff Driskel to serve as the new backup quarterback. With Driskel now backing up Drew Lock, Denver is expected to trade or release veteran Joe Flacco later this week.

Driskel is a 26-year-old quarterback with four years of experience in the NFL. Terms of his contract with the Broncos are not yet known but he will undoubtedly be much cheaper than Flacco’s $23.65 million cap hit in 2020.

Driskel started five games for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018 and three games for the Detroit Lions in 2019. He has a 1-7 win-loss record in the NFL. With the Bengals, Driskel completed 59.7 percent of his passes 1,003 for six touchdown passes against two interceptions.

With the Lions, Driskel completed 59 percent of his passes for 685 yards with four touchdowns against four interceptions. He has also rushed 47 times for 281 yards and three touchdowns in the NFL.

Was he a good signing for Denver? We want to know your take! Share your opinion by voting in the poll below: 

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Check out these college highlights of new Broncos backup QB Jeff Driskel

Check out these college highlights of new Broncos backup quarterback Jeff Driskel!

The Denver Broncos have agreed to terms on a two-year deal with Jeff Driskel, paving the way for him to become their new backup quarterback. That means that Joe Flacco will likely be gone by the end of the week.

Here are some highlights from Driskel’s senior season at Louisiana Tech:

After transferring from Flordia, Driskel had a breakout season at La. Tech, completing 62.3 percent of his passes for 4,026 yards with 27 touchdowns against eight interceptions. He also rushed 92 times for 323 yards and five scores on the ground.

Driskel has spent time with three different teams in the NFL and has earned eight starts as an injury fill-in. Making appearances for the Cinncinati Bengals and Detroit Lions over the last two years, Driskel has completed 59.4 percent of his passes for 1,688 yards as a pro.

Driskel has thrown 10 touchdown passes and six interceptions in the NFL. He has also rushed 27 times for 168 yards and three more scores.

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Report: Broncos had interest in AJ McCarron before he signed with Texans

Before agreeing to terms with Jeff Driskel, the Broncos were interested in Texans backup AJ McCarron.

Before the Denver Broncos agreed to terms with quarterback Jeff Driskel on a two-year deal, the team had interest in Houston Texans backup AJ McCarron, according to a report from KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

McCarron ultimately decided to re-sign with Houston with a one-year, $4 million contract and Denver turned its attention toward Driskel.

McCarron (6-3, 215 pounds) entered the league as a fifth-round pick out of Alabama with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2014. After spending the first four years of his career in Cincinnati, McCarron went on to spend time with the Buffalo Bills and Oakland (now Las Vegas) Raiders before joining the Texans last year. He has started in four games in his career.

The Broncos were rumored to be interested in McCarron back in 2017 but general manager John Elway denied that interest at the time. There’s no denying that Denver had genuine interest this time around but the two sides weren’t able to get a deal done.

After landing Driskel, the Broncos are expected to trade or release quarterback Joe Flacco later this week.

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Broncos expected to trade or release QB Joe Flacco

After signing quarterback Jeff Driskel, the Broncos are expected to trade or release Joe Flacco later this week.

After agreeing to terms with Jeff Driskel on a two-year deal, the Denver Broncos are expected to trade or release quarterback Joe Flacco later this week, according to a report from KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

Because teams know Denver might be forced to cut Flacco, there probably won’t be many GMs lining up to make trade offers. Flacco would be an experienced backup, though, so there is a chance that he could be traded for a late-round pick.

The Broncos traded a fourth-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for Flacco last offseason. He started the first eight games of the year before suffering a season-ending neck injury.

After Flacco went down, Denver turned to Brandon Allen for three games before finally starting Drew Lock in their final five games of the year. Lock went 4-1 as a starter and he will remain the team’s quarterback in 2020.

Driskel was signed to serve as Lock’s backup, making Flacco expendable.

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