Positional Analysis for the Denver Broncos: Quarterbacks
By Joe Morrone
Dec 12, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) and quarterback Brock Osweiler (17) warm up before the start of the game against the San Diego Chargers at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Now that the NFL offseason has officially started, it’s time to break down the Denver Broncos position by position. We will look at the players currently on the roster, who the Broncos might lose to free agency and what the offseason needs will be at each given position.
We begin with the obvious position of quarterback, and the biggest question looming over the Broncos. Will Peyton Manning return for his 18th season? There has been no official word but all indications are that he will and if that’s true, the Broncos will head into the 2015 season as a contender once again.
2014 wasn’t a great season for Manning but it would’ve been a special season for 95% of the other quarterbacks in the league. Manning still threw for well over 4,000 yards and had 39 touchdown passes, so let’s not pretend he was terrible.
Having said that, there was something not right with Manning in the second half of the season. The million dollar question is this, was his diminished performance based on injury or age? If you believe it was because of age, then maybe he should retire. However, I don’t agree with that.
Age certainly has something to do with it but I believe Manning’s struggles had almost everything to do with injury, and not the one everyone knows about. I went back to when the Broncos hosted the San Diego Chargers on a Thursday night in late October. You may remember that going into that game and even coming out of that game that Manning was the best quarterback in the league, and his form looked much like it did in 2013.
There’s a point early in the third quarter where Manning throws an out route and it looks like he steps wrong. I believe he initially hurt the thigh muscle on that play, and he was never the same after that. Manning has never had the strongest arm and the neck surgeries compromised it even more, making it necessary for him to use his lower body to get the necessary zip on his throws. With the injuries to his legs, Manning began to struggle.
Looking forward, there’s no reason to believe that those injuries won’t fully heal if they have not already. If that’s the case, then it’s not outrageous to believe Manning can once again be a top 5-7 quarterback again. Throw in a Gary Kubiak offense that will run the ball and protect Manning, and it’s not a fool’s errand to believe that he can excel in Kubiak’s offense.
The bottom line is this, with Manning the Broncos are Super Bowl contenders. Without him, maybe they can win 9 or 10 games but 8-8 would be more likely.
The Broncos hired Kubiak for a lot of reasons but make no mistake, Brock Osweiler was one of those reasons. Kubiak has an excellent track record of developing quarterbacks and Osweiler has the perfect skill set to succeed in a Kubiak offense.
Osweiler is big, mobile and has a huge arm. He is more than athletic enough to execute the bootlegs in Kubiak’s offense and has the arm to get the ball deep on play action. Call me crazy, but Osweiler has more natural ability than Joe Flacco and he just had his best season under Kubiak.
Is Osweiler ready? Probably not but the Broncos could win with him if Manning did retire. There’s enough talent around him and with Manning’s salary off the books, John Elway would have a lot of money to play with in free agency. The idea would be to build up the team even more and win with defense, and a running game. It’s my belief that Kubiak would put Osweiler in advantageous positions and he would develop as time passed.
Even if Manning does return which is likely, the Broncos must find ways to get Osweiler some meaningful playing time in 2015.
Zac Dysert is the third quarterback and the Broncos love his natural ability. He also fits into a Kubiak led offense but is still very raw. He must improve his accuracy before we can seriously consider him for anything but a third string quarterback.
Assuming Manning is back, the Broncos have no immediate need for another quarterback but they will probably draft one in the later rounds. As many have said, the position is so important that teams should draft at least one quarterback every season. It’s also important to note that Osweiler is a free agent following next season and it’s safe to assume that Manning would probably retire after next season. So based on those two things, the Broncos may look at a quarterback a little higher this year.
If Manning were to surprise us all and hang it up this year, then the Broncos would look to free agency to bring in a veteran backup. That would be a shock though, I fully expect Manning to be the starter on opening day 2015.