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Broncos' Biggest Remaining Need is Backup QB per Football Outsiders

The analytics maven doesn't like Denver's solutions here.
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Each year, teams look to fill their biggest needs through free agency and the draft. The Denver Broncos are no exception — they had plenty of team needs and utilized both routes to fill holes.

Sometimes the Broncos select players that fans may not think are ideal replacements. Sometimes the team will focus on certain positions in the NFL draft when fans would prefer it scrutinizes others.

But regardless of what teams decide to do, or what fans want to do, it's not possible to fill every single need in a single offseason. There's always going to be a position that could use an upgrade.

Football Outsiders, each year, examines remaining team needs in its 'Four Downs' series and Mike Tanier looked at the AFC West. His conclusion is that the Broncos are enjoying "their best offseason since they won the Peyton Manning lottery in 2012." 

However, Tanier identified one position as one the Broncos haven't adequately addressed.

His pick was the backup quarterback.

Their starting lineup is stacked on both sides of the ball. But what happens if Russell Wilson gets hurt, even for a few weeks? Brett Rypien has somehow squeezed four interceptions into just 42 career pass attempts, while 35-year-old Josh Johnson's quest to play on every major, minor, indoor, and flag football team on earth should have wound down by now.

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Tanier is skeptical about 35-year-old Josh Johnson being an ideal backup and isn't convinced that Brett Rypien — who has been relegated to third-string and the practice squad for three years — is the answer, either.

Tanier suggested the Broncos could have spent a day three pick on a quarterback who might have been able to fill in should Russell Wilson get injured.

Some might raise their eyebrows at backup QB being the Broncos' biggest position of need. I wouldn't be surprised if fans pointed to right tackle or off-ball linebacker — both positions that the Broncos haven't always featured players viewed as long-term solutions.

Still, we've seen in the past how having the right backup QB can make a difference in a playoff or Super Bowl run. Players like Bubby Brister and Brock Osweiler might not have been starter material based on their own merit, but their importance as backups in two of the Broncos' three Super Bowl-winning seasons cannot be underestimated.

Perhaps Johnson will prove to be the right backup. Maybe Rypien will fare better under Nathaniel Hackett and his coaching staff. Or perhaps the Broncos keep an eye on other free agent QBs.

Right now, Cam Newton may be the best available quarterback to compete for a backup job — unless one believes Ryan Fitzpatrick isn't ready to retire just yet. Otherwise, the pickings are slim.

But it appears likely that the Broncos will move forward with Johnson and Rypien as their backup options. Time will tell whether the Broncos have to call upon one or the other to start this season.

Of course, the best situation Broncos fans can hope for is that Russell Wilson stays healthy. When a proven starting QB doesn't miss time, the backup QB becomes less of a concern.


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