Free agency is one of the most exciting times in the NFL off season. While the Denver Broncos won’t be bringing in a guy like Peyton Manning or Drew Brees to fill their void at quarterback (backup), the team does have some money to spend, as they are reportedly about $50 million under the salary cap.
Tim Tebow has been named the starter heading into training camp, but the only other quarterback on the Broncos roster is second-year man, Adam Weber. The Broncos have said that they may not part ways with Brady Quinn — which is somewhat of a shock, since he has not taken a snap in the regular season in two years. I see Quinn packing his bags for a place where he could be a legitimate starting option.
With that said, the Broncos need to look at finding two quarterbacks either through the draft or free agency. The key to free agency is not the amount of money a team spends, but how they spend it. The Broncos absolutely must bring in at least one veteran quarterback to play behind Tebow. With Tebow’s physical nature, his risk of injury is up in the Michael Vick realm.
Chad Henne could be a realistic option for the Broncos. He was a starter in Miami until he got hurt. He would be some realistic competition for Tebow, which is what the Broncos want Mark Brunell is another lefty, but he would be more of a player-coach type for Tebow. Same with Jake Delhomme even though he played under John Fox in Carolina. There’s David Garrard and Vince Young, but they’ve been dumped before, and shown problems leading under center.
The Broncos will have a difficult time bringing in a quarterback who can compete with Tebow. What veteran quarterback wants to come to Denver where fans chant Tebow’s name year round and John Fox runs a very heavy run-oriented offense?
Speaking of the run, that’s another area that the Broncos must build upon. Willis McGahee was a huge out-of-the-park hit in free agency last year, but he can’t handle 18-20 carries per game. John Fox operated a dual-back system in Carolina with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, and that’s something that Denver needs to take the pressure off the passing game. Once March 13 rolls around, expect the Broncos to hit the ground running, not passing. It’s what they do best.
Preview provided by Kim Constantinesco. For more in-depth Denver Broncos coverage, visit Predominantly Orange.