When George Paton was hired as the Denver Broncos new general manager, he took over a team that seems to be trapped in the middle of two strategies.
On Broncos Country Tonight, Ryan and Ben discussed some of the options available to the Broncos, and what different moves could mean.
Denver has been “reloading” ever since they won Super Bowl 50 in 2015. At the same time, the offense has been stagnant, and stale, missing the one piece that could push this team back into contention.
Right now, the debate in Broncos country is all about what to do with the QB position. With reports that the Lions are trading Matthew Stafford, and that Deshaun Watson wants out of Houston, discussion of drafting a QB has shifted to discussion about trading for one.
Ignoring the fact that Drew Lock is the Broncos current starter, it seems obvious that without consistently good play from the QB, the Broncos will remain at the bottom of the NFL. Maybe Lock can improve, but with all the options on the table, the Broncos will have to decide what they want to do.
Ryan and Ben brought up what trading for a player like Stafford would mean for the franchise. Clearly, it puts Denver in a “win now” mentality. Similar to bringing in Peyton Manning, the Broncos would be making the statement that they intend to be in the playoffs and make a run.
It would also impact what they would do in the draft. Perhaps, it could mean drafting another QB in a later round. Ben believes trading for Stafford would cost the Broncos their first round pick. That’s a steep price, but if Paton believes the roster is close, Stafford could be worth it.
The real QB prize this offseason is Watson. The cost for him will be incredibly high. Not just this year’s first round pick, but possibly many more to come. It would be hard to imagine a new GM giving up the draft capital needed to make that deal. Sacrificing their own future drafts for one player is something a first time GM might be hesitant to do.
Currently, the worst part of all of this is the uncertainty at QB, which has created certainty about the Broncos hopes for the future, as in, there isn’t much hope.
Unless Paton decides to do something drastic.