Broncos: 3 available quarterbacks better than Drew Lock

1. Deshaun Watson

Whether the Broncos are a dark horse to trade for Watson, he has his eye on them or he may even prefer a trade to them among possible landing spots when it comes down to it, the semantics don’t matter. The Broncos have to get their next quarterback move right, and the home run move is clearly Watson. The Texans will have a hard time turning down a proverbial “Godfather” offer, centered on a top-10 pick this year and what the Broncos hope will be late first-rounders past that.

With the return to health of Courtland Sutton after he missed most of 2020 with a torn ACL, the Broncos are deep at wide receiver (Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, KJ Hamler). Tight end Noah Fant could be unlocked by a better quarterback (better health would help too), and Melvin Gordon is a capable lead back no matter who is on the depth chart behind him (Phillip Lindsay is a free agent). So it’s easy to see why Watson would think Denver is a good landing spot.

If the Broncos are going to upgrade on Lock, they need to go all the way. Draft someone? That’s not a clear upgrade for 2021, probably. Jimmy Garoppolo? Hardly an upgrade, if he even is an upgrade. Cousins? Ok, there’s a case there for him as a big upgrade. Watson is the big swing Denver needs to make, with a nod to usurping what the 49ers say they’ll need to do to move on from Garoppolo. Any other move the Broncos make for a quarterback will not fully suffice as an upgrade over Lock.