What to do about QB in 2021?

The Super Bowl is over, so it’s time to resume the daily debate over “what to do at QB?” for the Broncos.

Monday’s guest on Broncos Country Tonight - George Stoia, new Broncos beat writer at The Gazette - was the latest to join the fray.

Though he split the fence a little by saying “if you can get a Deshaun Watson-type player, absolutely do that,” and then argued for sticking with Drew Lock, he made a valid point.

Since the likelihood of either getting Watson or being willing to give up what would be required is low, Stoia believes the more prudent course of action is giving Lock another year, building the team up around him (again) but more on the defensive side, and going after a top QB draft pick in 2022 if Lock doesn’t prove to be the guy.

“Watching the Super Bowl made me think they should go this way - fill some of those other holes I mentioned earlier (right tackle, cornerback, linebacker). If you can get Deshaun Watson, of course make that happen. But filling some of the holes on the defensive side would be the best course.”

Stoia is also in the camp of bringing in a veteran QB to “push Lock” - like Andy Dalton, for example - or maybe even going after a rookie this year not-named-Trevor-Lawrence. In fact, Stoia is pretty high on that Alabama kid, calling Mac Jones “a reliable option.”

Like Benjamin Allbright, Stoia prefers the 2022 draft class of quarterbacks, though, so he’s got his sights on that group if Lock can’t get his act together next season (my words, not his).

“I’d move past Deshaun and start building around Drew and get some of pieces desperately needed, especially on the defense,” he said.

An interesting side note was a poll that Ryan Edwards had posted earlier that day asking Broncos Country if they’d still go with Watson if the “cost” was going to be three first-round picks, some second- and third-round picks plus a few current players. And what if that was basically the same price for trading up to get Lawrence.

Of the more than 3,000 votes, nearly two-thirds chose Watson in that scenario, compared to just 23% for Lawrence. There’s no way to know what the remaining 12% wanted, but likely that crowd includes the “give Lock another year rather than mortgage so much of the future” for Watson or Lawrence viewpoint.

So it looks like the common choices for “what to do at QB” boil down to this:

Spend whatever you must for an elite QB (Deshaun Watson).

Spend whatever you need to trade up for the most promising rookie Trevor Lawrence.

Bring in a relatively inexpensive veteran QB to “push” Lock in 2021 to decide about 2022.

Give Drew Lock full confidence that he’s the starter another year and see what he does with it.

I am on the record for being in the “Bring in Deshaun Watson” crowd - at basically any cost (though, I’d have some limits on current players perhaps).

But beyond being able to bring in Watson, I would prefer to just go with Lock and not waste money on some veteran cast-off from another team. To me, the “push Lock” argument is the real waste of money. If Lock doesn’t already understand that his job as a starting NFL quarterback is on the line (and perhaps much of a future in the league), then he’s never going “to be the guy.

With apologies to Stoia and Allbright, I respectfully disagree on the veteran QB angle. And I’m still in favor of Watson if that pipe dream has any reality.

But let’s find out what you think, with a slightly different poll than presented last week: