Chart. Highlight. Asterisk. Add. Compute. The Broncos quarterback derby demands daily attention, hanging over camp like the Goodyear Blimp. The reasons are simple: It is the most important position in the NFL, and the Broncos have employed 13 starters since Peyton Manning retired.
What if the number had stopped at three because No. 7 took 17? Former Broncos general manager John Elway admitted recently what we have all known since this carousel kept spinning. He should have selected Wyoming’s Josh Allen with the fifth overall pick in 2018 instead of edge rusher Bradley Chubb.
“That was probably my biggest mistake of my GM days, not taking Josh,” Elway said on Monday’s episode of the “Pardon My Take” podcast.
Elway played golf with Allen last year and wondered how long it would take him before the Bills star brought it up.
“It took him two and a half holes,” Elway said. “And I loved him (before the draft), right? Just, you know, he was my type, you’re right.”
The Allen omission remains layered. For starters, Elway signed Case Keenum to a two-year contract for a guaranteed $25 million in March, six weeks before the draft. Secondly, Denver still had first-round pick Paxton Lynch on the roster. Like Allen, he was a big, mobile quarterback with accuracy issues. And Elway wanted to keep all options open with Keenum, Lynch and Chad Kelly.
Sources told me before the draft that the Broncos preferred Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold if they fell to No. 5, but both were gone in the first three picks.
So, they took Chubb. He delivered as a rookie, posting 12 sacks, the last season the Broncos had a player reach double digits. He never reached the number again.
So much about a quarterback’s success is the fit. I am still not convinced Allen could overcome the coaching dysfunction and impatience that existed in Denver like he did in Buffalo.
But Elway’s mistake, if nothing else, is a reminder of the high stakes of getting the quarterback decision right. It’s why writers continue charting every throw in training camp, wondering, like Broncos Country, if Bo Nix is the Fix.
Sell! Sell! Sell!: The Rockies’ lack of moves at the trade deadline remains baffling. It was a ripe seller’s market. And Colorado held onto starter Cal Quantrill, pending free agent Elias Diaz, second baseman Brendan Rodgers and third baseman Ryan McMahon, who could have landed a haul. The Rockies notoriously overvalue their players, leaving teams reluctant to engage in serious talks. With a wave of young position players on the way, this was a missed opportunity to net legitimate starting pitching prospects. …
Flipping out: Gymnast Simone Biles is a 4-foot-8 force of nature. She led the Americans to the team gold and then snared the all-around title in Paris. Her degree of difficulty is so ridiculous, leaving her scores like those chasing the statistics of Wayne Gretzky and Babe Ruth decades ago.
Off the Bench: Jamal Murray is not starting for Team Canada. The Nuggets are expected to give him a max contract after the Olympics. I understand why. But it is time to acknowledge that Nikola Jokic makes everyone way better, including Murray. …
Corner the market: The Broncos’ most interesting position battle aside from quarterback? Cornerback. As in the starter opposite of Patrick Surtain II. Levi Wallace is an upgrade over Fabian Moreau. But he is getting pushed by Riley Moss and even Damarri Mathis. If Wallace wins the job, I believe Moss will have a role in the dime package.
Mail Time
Denver wants and needs new blood at quarterback. Not a retread from the Jets. Isn’t that why we chose Bo Nix?
Terry Bellomo, email
Terry wasn’t a fan of my column last Sunday saying this is not a quarterback competition, but a decision. Does coach Sean Payton want the rookie, the steady veteran or the reclamation project from the Jets in Zach Wilson? It won’t be Wilson. The race is between Nix and Stidham. Stidham is the safest choice. But if Nix continues to make progress, he provides the highest upside and makes the most sense as the starter.
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