A little perspective on the Broncos’ QB competition

This ain’t the first rodeo. History has also told us camp reports can paint a rather exaggerated picture.

With the first day in the book the Broncos’ quarterback competition is reportedly “as tight as it gets,” which shouldn’t be a huge surprise considering it’s, well, the first day of training camp. After months of relentless speculation about Drew Lock’s ability to fend off Teddy Bridgewater, it’s no surprise everyone is hoping for a starter to emerge quickly, but a little perspective is necessary. There won’t be a padded practice until August, for starters.

History has also told us camp reports can paint a rather exaggerated picture.

“Paxton Lynch has the potential to be special”

After the No Fly Zone helped Peyton Manning ride off into the sunset with a Lombardi trophy Broncos Country had the opportunity to a battle between Mark Sanchez, Trevor Siemian, and Paxton Lynch. I’ll be the first to tell you Manning’s arm fell off at the end of his career, so maybe that’s why Lynch looked so good. Or maybe it was the wind?

Siemian vs. Lynch 2.0 off to “wonderful start”

After a 2016 season where he completed 59.5% of his passes for 3401 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, the former 7th round pick entered the 2017 training camp as the incumbent. After a shaky rookie year, Broncos Country hoped Siemian vs. Lynch 2.0 would help a competent starter emerge. The early signs were promising.

Case Keenum looks like Brett Favre

After two years with the Lynch and Siemian show, Elway threw a two-year, $36 million contract at his quarterback problem. Case Keenum joined the Broncos fresh off the Minnesota Miracle and proceeded to light it up in training camp.

“Joe Flacco looks like a Super Bowl MVP”

When Keenum failed to impress, the Broncos paid half his salary so Washington would agree to a trade. He was replaced by Joe Flacco, the MVP of Super Bowl XLVII.

Everybody take a deep breath

I don’t share the above to try and throw cold water on training camp or shade at any of the reporters on the ground who shared their thoughts. Football is finally back and it’s an exciting time. Everything seems possible. When Drew Lock, Teddy Bridgewater, or even Brett Rypien make a nice throw it’s reason to celebrate.

I’m merely saying a little perspective is warranted. NFL teams place a limit on what reporters can share out of camp, which is one reason you don’t see any talk about formations or concepts. Character limits and the speed of the reps also tend to limit context. For example, we rarely know if a receiver burned a starting corner or the undrafted rookie trying to make the practice squad.

It’s hard to be patient when the Broncos’ roster looks like it could be a quarterback away. Everyone wants the answer right now. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that. The good news is after Covid-19 led to no preseason games last season we’ll get three contests to see how Lock and Bridgewater fair.

Let’s hope they’re both playing so well it’s a win-win situation for the Broncos.

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