Denver Broncos: When to draft QB of future

Peyton Manning is not only close to retiring, but he’s also close to another career-threatening injury. Knowing that, the Denver Broncos need to start planning for the future.

While the Denver Broncos are contenders as of now to come out of the AFC, there are a ton of concerns over the future regarding the quarterback position. After all, Peyton Manning will hang it up in the next 2-3 years and then be awarded with a plaque in the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. When Manning does indeed retire, who will the Broncos turn to?

Well there are a few options. Brock Osweiler has been the main backup quarterback behind Manning since the latter came to the team in 2012. While Osweiler has shown some potential in the snaps he’s played, it should be said that he was a guy John Fox thought highly of.

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This is the same case with third-string quarterback Zac Dysert. With Manning’s fragile neck, keeping three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster is an absolute mess. However, since Manning came to Denver, they have really failed to make improvements to the position behind Manning.

That changed this offseason when Gary Kubiak and Rick Dennison took over. Obviously, the combination will have Manning as their starter until he’s done with football, but grooming their quarterback of the future is something on their list to do. In the seventh round of the 2015 NFL Draft, the Broncos surprised some people by drafting Trevor Siemian out of Northwestern. While Siemian may beat out Dysert for a roster spot, it’s foolish to say he has the potential to be their quarterback of the future.

This is why the Broncos have to do something a little unconventional, but needed. In the 2005 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers used their first-round pick on Aaron Rodgers. They did this even though they had future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre on the team. By drafting Rodgers, the Packers got a guy who sit and learn behind Favre before coming in and being the starting quarterback.

Denver should look into copying this trend in the 2016 NFL Draft, a draft class that is truly rich with quarterback talent. In next year’s draft, the Broncos may not get top-ten worthy players like Christian Hackenberg or Connor Cook, but they could very well get a quarterback with a high ceiling in either Jared Goff, Cardale Jones, or even Cody Kessler.

Over the course of his coaching career, Kubiak has coached a few notable quarterbacks, two of which being Jake Plummer, when he was the offensive coordinator with the Broncos from 2003 to 2005, and Joe Flacco, when he was the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens just last season.

Sure Manning can still play at a high level and the Broncos not only have the mentality to win a Super Bowl, but the talent to win one as well, the fact remains that their future looks bleak if they don’t figure out what they’re doing after Manning retires. When next year’s draft rolls around, regardless of the outcome of their season, drafting a guy towards the end of the first or second round would be a smart idea.

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