Next 3 moves Broncos must make after firing Vic Fangio
By John Buhler
2. Decide who stays and who goes between Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock
Besides replacing Fangio, the other big thing Paton needs to figure out is who will remain in his quarterback room between Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock. While both could go, as Bridgewater is an impending free agent and Lock is in the final year of his rookie deal out of Mizzou, odds are, one will probably stay either as a high-level backup or a glorified stop-gap.
Bringing back Bridgewater feels like treading water in the midst of another rebuilding process. Then again, he did play some of the best ball of his career backing up Drew Brees on the 2019 New Orleans Saints. Lock is not a trusted NFL starter, but he still offers more upside of a proven Bridgewater. More importantly, Lock on an expiring contract offers some interesting trade value.
Ultimately, both cannot return to the Broncos quarterback room, as that will illustrate the franchise did not learn anything from the final year of the Fangio era. If Paton wants to bring back one of them, that is fine. If he wants to completely reshape the quarterback room, that is totally understandable. The only thing he cannot do is re-up with Bridgewater and then not trade Lock.
No matter what Paton decides between Bridgewater and Lock, he must acknowledge neither quarterback is the long-term answer in Denver under any capacity.