Tag: Quarterback

What will the Denver Broncos do at Quarterback?

By: Dylan Jones

Russell Wilson's improved play is the silver lining to the Broncos ...

 The Broncos finished 8-9 and Russell Wilson got benched in the final game of the season. Ever since Russell Wilson has been in Denver, he has not produced at a good enough level for them to be a playoff team. There is no one to blame for their failure except Wilson. They have a great coach in Sean Payton, weapons around him like Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy, and they have had a very good defense for years. With the off-season on the come up it offers the question what do you do if you are the Broncos at quarterback. 

This offseason the Broncos have the 12th overall pick in the 2024 draft. They can do plenty of things here. First they could draft a quarterback like Bo Nix (Oregon) or Michaels Penix Jr. (Washington) at pick 12. This would give Russell Wilson someone to compete with and mentor until Wilson contract expires. Another option would be to try to trade up in the draft and get a better quarterback prospect in Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, or Jayden Daniels. I think if Denver trades up they would have to give up at least their 12th pick, another first round pick, and potentially Russell Wilson. Another option would be to cut Russell Wilson and play backup quarterback Jared Stidham. Stidham would probably not be much better then Wilson but this would most likely give them a very high pick in the 2025 draft to get a top quarterback in college football. Lastly they can take a chance on a free agent quarterback. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did this in 2023 by signing Baker Mayfield and it showed to work out well as they won their division and played in the NFC divisional round. Some notable quarterbacks in the upcoming free agency would be Gardner Minshew, and Jameis Winston. Now these aren’t great options but I think they offer the Broncos a better chance to win then Stidham. If I were in Denver’s front office I would definitely look into drafting a quarterback either this year or next year. 

Will Bryce Young turn it around in his sophomore season. 

By: Tucker Burnette

After struggling in his first season as a Carolina Panther, the number 1 overall pick Bryce Young is looking to turn things around in his second season. There have been many excuses made for the young quarterback, but the key factor to success will be if the new hire at head coach will be able to help Young adapt and grow as a quarterback. 

Recently there have been some big-name quarterbacks who have struggled in their first season and then turned it around in their second year under a new head coach. A prime example of this is Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence, much like Young, struggled in his first season under the coaching of Urban Meyers, but when the Jaguars made the switch to Doug Pederson Lawrence flourished. 

The question still remains, will Bryce Young take the leap or will he be just as unproductive? In my opinion Young has all the skills he needs to be a superstar quarterback but he lacks the talent around him. This season his offensive line was one of the worst in the league and his number one wide receiver was Adam Thielen who for the first time in 5 years had over 1,000 yards. The Panthers also do not have a pick in the first round which means the top offensive weapons will be gone by the time they are on the board. With all that being said, I am not a sports analyst and do not get paid to have an opinion but Bryce Young is going to have to take a major step forward next season if he wants to turn the Panthers franchise around.