Broncos should still draft QB despite decent outing from Jarrett Stidham
Denver backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham had a decent outing in Sunday's victory against the Los Angeles Chargers. However, the Broncos should still look elsewhere for a Russell Wilson replacement.
In the 16-9 win, Stidham — the 133rd overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft — completed 20-of-32 passes for 224 yards, one TD and an above-average 93.8 passer rating. In his postgame news conference, head coach Sean Payton said he "did great." Others expected more.
"Against a Chargers defense that checked out weeks ago and had given up an average of 44.5 points, 242 passing yards and 356.5 total yards over its last two tilts, the Jarrett Stidham-led Denver offense managed all of 16 points, 212 yards through the air and 313 yards overall," wrote Matt Schubert of The Denver Post. "In other words, pretty close to what Big Russ had managed over the last month or so, give or take."
Finding an answer at the most important position in free agency isn't a viable plan. Spotrac estimates the Broncos will be $18.92M over the cap this offseason. Releasing Wilson with a Post-Jun. 1 designation will result in a $35.4M cap hit.
Taking a QB in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft makes more sense. It's a deep class that includes Washington's Michael Penix Jr., Oregon's Bo Nix, Michigan's J.J. McCarthy and LSU's Jayden Daniels. Per Tankathon, Denver (8-8) will have the 14th overall pick in the draft, which is within range to select one of these prospects.
The Broncos should hold onto Stidham as a stop-gap QB but also select a highly touted prospect who can eventually become the face of the franchise and snap an eight-year playoff drought.
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