By Jordan Long
The Denver Broncos fell to 0-2 after Sunday’s 26-21 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. They look for their first victory of the year this Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During the defeat, Denver dealt with two major injuries. Wide receiver Courtland Sutton tore his ACL while starting quarterback Drew Lock will miss 3 to 5 weeks dealing with a strain of the rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder.
The Broncos only active quarterback on Sunday after Lock was Jeff Driskel. He played well against the Steelers. Driskel finished the game 18 of 34 for 256 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. His interception wasn’t his fault. Courtland Sutton had the ball go right through his hands which he should have caught. Driskel showed he can move the chains and might earn the start this week.
The Broncos didn’t have depth at the quarterback position after Driskel. The only other quarterback on the team is on the practice squad, Brett Rypien. He hasn’t seen the field in the regular season. For him to play, Denver would need to activate him off the practice squad. Instead, Denver went into the free agent quarterback market.
The quarterbacks Denver could have signed are Brandon Allen, Trevor Siemian, Colin Kaepernick, and Blake Bortles. Allen was with Denver last year. He appeared in 3 games and went 1-2 passing for 515 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.
Siemian was the Denver Broncos starter in 2016 and 2017. In his time in Denver Siemian tossed for 5,686 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions. He went 13-11 in the games he started for Denver. Colin Kaepernick hasn’t played in the NFL since 2016.
The Broncos decided to add Blake Bortles. He agreed to a 1-year deal. The financial terms weren’t announced. Bortles is a veteran in the NFL playing 6 years. The majority of his career was as the starter with the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2014 to 2018. His record is 24-49. He passed for 17,649 yards, 103 touchdowns, and 75 interceptions.
Bortles gives the Broncos added depth. If Driskel struggles, Bortles is a proven quarterback. His experience should help Denver move the chains. When Lock comes back, Denver may have to decide which quarterback to keep or they may hold on to both Driskel and Bortles for depth.
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