Denver Broncos

On the eve of the 2021 NFL draft, the Denver Broncos made a move to add to their quarterback depth chart by acquiring Teddy Bridgewater. 

The Carolina Panthers announced on Wednesday they are sending Bridgewater to Denver in exchange for a 2021 sixth-round draft pick. 

Per NFL reporter Josina Anderson, the Broncos will adjust Bridgewater's current contract so that he can become a free agent after this season. 

With their sixth-round pick (No. 191 overall) off to Carolina, the Broncos have eight draft picks right now. Their current slate of picks are at No. 9 (first round), 40 (second round), 71 (third round), 114 (fourth round), 152 (fifth round), 237 (seventh round), 239 (seventh round) and 253 (seventh round). 

     

Updated Broncos Depth Chart

QB: Drew Lock, Teddy Bridgewater, Brett Rypien, Jeff Driskel

RB: Melvin Gordon, Royce Freeman

FB: Andrew Beck, Jeremy Cox

WR1: Courtland Sutton

WR2: Jerry Jeudy

WR3: Tim Patrick, KJ Hamler, Daesean Hamilton

TE: Noah Fant, Albert Okwuegbunam

LT: Garrett Bolles, Calvin Anderson

LG: Dalton Risner, Austin Schlottmann

C: Lloyd Cushenberry III

RG: Graham Glasgow, Netane Muti

RT: Ja'Wuan James, Quinn Bailey

   

LDE: Shelby Harris, Jonathan Harris

NT: Shamar Stephen, McTelvin Agim

RDE: Dre'Mont Jones, DeShawn Williams, Deyon Sizer

OLB: Bradley Chubb, Malik Reed

ILB: Alexander Johnson, Austin Calitro, Justin Strnad

ILB: Josey Jewell, Josh Watson

OLB: Von Miller, Derrek Tuszka

CB: Duke Dawson, Nate Hairston

CB: Kyle Fuller, Bryce Callahan

Nickel CB: Ronald Darby

FS: Justin Simmons, Trey Marshall

SS: Kareem Jackson, P.J. Locke, Chris Cooper

Depth chart info provided by Ourlads and Over the Cap.

There has been speculation about the Broncos potentially looking to acquire a quarterback at some point in the NFL draft.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the addition of Bridgewater doesn't take the Broncos out of the quarterback sweepstakes in the first round on Thursday. 

There are five quarterbacks expected to be taken early in Round 1. Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson are assumed to be the first two players off the board, with Justin Fields, Trey Lance and Mac Jones all potential top-10 picks. 

The Broncos have the ability to stand pat and wait for one of those options to fall, but they can also get aggressive in a potential trade up if they don't want to risk another team making a move. 

George Paton, the first-year general manager in Denver, was the Minnesota Vikings assistant general manager when the team selected Bridgewater with the final pick in the first round of the 2014 draft. 

Drew Lock is currently penciled in as the Broncos starter, but it seemed likely the team would find a way to add competition this offseason. The 24-year-old ranked last out of 35 qualified quarterbacks in completion percentage (57.3), tied Carson Wentz for most interceptions (15) and ranked 29th with a 48.8 QBR in 2020. 

Bridgewater started 15 games for the Panthers last season. The 28-year-old set career highs with 3,733 passing yards and 15 touchdown passes. 

The Denver Broncos reportedly could remain in the market for a quarterback in the 2021 NFL draft, which starts Thursday night, despite trading a sixth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers to acquire veteran signal-caller Teddy Bridgewater on Wednesday.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported details of the deal and the Broncos' plans:

Panthers are trading to QB Teddy Bridgewater to the Broncos for a sixth-round pick, as @TomPelissero reported.

Panthers paying Bridgewater $7 million, Broncos paying him $3 million, per source.

Trade does not take Denver out of QB market Thursday night, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 28, 2021

Denver, which owns the No. 9 overall pick in the draft, currently has four quarterbacks on its roster: Bridgewater, incumbent starter Drew Lock, Jeff Driskel and Brett Rypien.

The Broncos still have little long-term certainty at the NFL's most important position, though. Bridgewater and Driskel are unrestricted free agents after the 2021 season, Rypien will be a restricted free agent next offseason and Lock has two years left on his deal.

Lock looked like a potential solution with some promising performances late in his 2019 rookie campaign, highlighted by a three-touchdown game in a win over the Houston Texans, but he struggled in 2020 with 16 TDs and 15 interceptions.

Bridgewater figures to compete with Lock for the starting job should the depth chart remain the same, but it sounds like a quarterback remains a possibility at No. 9 despite the predraft deal.

It's hard to forecast which of the top QB prospects, if any, will be available by the time Denver is on the clock.

Clemson's Trevor Lawrence is a virtual lock to go first to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and BYU's Zach Wilson is the expected choice of the New York Jets at No. 2.

The San Francisco 49ers are likely to take a quarterback at No. 3, and now the Panthers at No. 8 are firmly in the market for a field general despite the acquisition of Sam Darnold earlier in the offseason. The Atlanta Falcons (No. 4) may also seek an heir apparent for Matt Ryan.

Add in the possibility of teams trading up and there's no guarantee any of those five coveted quarterbacks will still be an option for the Broncos at the back end of the top 10.

If Denver goes a different direction in the first round, perhaps a prospect to help a defense that ranked 21st in yards allowed last season, a quarterback is a definite possibility in the middle rounds.

The Carolina Panthers reportedly have agreed to trade quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a sixth-round pick.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported Carolina will receive the 191st overall selection in the deal. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported the Panthers will pay $7 million of Bridgewater's salary, while the Broncos will take on $3 million. 

NFL reporter Josina Anderson reported Denver will adjust Bridgewater's contract to allow him to hit free agency after the 2021 season.

Bridgewater spent the 2020 season in Carolina after signing as a free agent. He threw for 3,733 yards and 15 touchdowns against 11 interceptions, providing steady but ultimately unspectacular play despite a solid supporting cast.

The writing on the wall for Bridgewater's tenure came when the team traded three draft picks for Sam Darnold in April. While Darnold has struggled during his three NFL seasons, the 23-year-old provides upside that is not quite there with Bridgewater.

The Louisville product was a starter his first two NFL seasons in Minnesota before suffering a catastrophic knee injury in 2016 that cost him nearly two full years. He spent two seasons as a backup under Drew Brees, looking solid in relief during the 2019 campaign, before reaching a three-year, $63 million deal with the Panthers last offseason.

Carolina spent much of the 2021 offseason focused on landing a top-tier quarterback. Darnold has not shown much ability to be such a high-level performer, but coach Matt Rhule is apparently more willing to take a risk on molding a younger player than staying with Bridgwater's steady hand.

Becoming a veteran journeyman who spot starts or acts as a bridge to a younger player may be Bridgwater's NFL destiny. His lack of downfield arm strength is limiting to an offense, and while he's a solid enough rusher, he doesn't bring much dynamism to the field.

The Broncos' trade for Bridgwater signals the likely end of the Drew Lock era. Denver has shuffled through quarterbacks since Peyton Manning's retirement, unable to find even league-average play. Bridgwater's competence alone will be an upgrade.

The Denver Broncos still believe in quarterback Drew Lock. Just not enough to officially name him Week 1 starter. 

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Denver general manager George Paton said he's looking to create a QB competition in training camp either via the draft or free agency. 

"As you know, he has a lot of talent," Paton said of Lock. "I think he's becoming a better pro, but we're still going to look at the quarterback position. I've said since I got here, we want to bring in competition; that's the goal, and we plan on doing that."

That includes trading up in the draft if the right player is there. Paton confirmed the team would look to move up from the No. 9 overall selection, but it might take a seismic draft day shift for the "right guy" to be there. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars are expected to pick Trevor Lawrence No. 1 overall, followed by Zach Wilson, Justin Fields and Trey Lance—though the exact order is to be determined. 

Should any of those players fall, it's easy to imagine a number of teams like the Broncos, Chicago Bears and New England Patriots would try to move up. If Denver chooses to look at free agents, they'll likely be picking between Josh McCown, Blake Bortles and Nick Mullens among the remaining passers on the market. 

Either way, Lock is going to have to earn his reps this season. 

The No. 42 overall pick out of Missouri in 2019 started 13 games last season, passing for 2,933 yards, 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions for a 75.4 passer rating. Paton just wants to make sure he has someone else in camp who can push him.

"We do like Drew Lock," Paton said. "What we don't want to do is force it and bring a guy in, overpay a guy to come in and maybe he's not as good as the guy we have, you know, maybe he's not good enough to compete. We want to get the right guy, and we still have time."

The Denver Broncos are a popular candidate to trade up in the 2021 NFL draft, but they aren't actively looking to make a move at this point.

Broncos general manager George Paton told NFL Network's James Palmer they haven't made any calls about moving up from the No. 9 spot. 

Paton's comment does refute a previous report connecting the Broncos to the No. 4 pick in a deal with the Atlanta Falcons. 

Per Woody Paige of the Denver Gazette, Paton has "Mile High regard" for Ohio State's Justin Fields and North Dakota State's Trey Lance. 

One reason that Paton may not want to play his hand right now about possibly trading up is that there are still questions about how the board will shake out. 

Assuming that Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson are the first two players selected, it remains unclear what the San Francisco 49ers are going to do at No. 3. They still haven't decided between Fields, Lance and Mac Jones, per NFL.com's Peter Schrager. 

If Fields or Lance goes to San Francisco, it could increase Denver's sense of urgency to make a move since only one of the quarterbacks it's reported to hold in high regard will be available.

If Jones goes third, the Broncos have a little more wiggle room to work with if they really want Fields or Lance. 

The Broncos may not want to go into 2021 with Drew Lock as the No. 1 quarterback on their roster. He followed up a promising rookie season in 2019 with a bad 2020. The 24-year-old ranked last in completion percentage (57.3) among 35 qualified players and tied Carson Wentz for most interceptions in the NFL (15). 

Denver has missed the playoffs in each of the past five seasons and hasn't posted a winning record since going 9-7 in 2016. 

The Denver Broncos are reportedly among the teams that could target a quarterback high in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated described the Broncos as a "sneaky quarterback-hungry team" heading into next week's draft.

The Jaguars, Jets and 49ers are set to take quarterbacks with the first three picks, leading to several speculating that the Falcons could trade out of No. 4 if another team wants to leap up for a signal-caller. Denver has the ninth pick in Round 1.

That the Broncos would be categorized as "quarterback-hungry" is no surprise. The team has tried and failed to find competency at the position since Peyton Manning's retirement after the 2015 season. Denver's team quarterback rating of 72.5 was the lowest in the NFL, and the team has ranked in the bottom 10 in each of the last four seasons.

The Broncos haven't had an above-average team quarterback rating since 2014.

Drew Lock served as the primary starter last season but has failed to show much promise since being taken No. 42 overall in 2019. Lock threw for 2,933 yards and 16 touchdowns against 15 interceptions last season, showing no signs of progress despite the Broncos heavily investing in skill-position talent during the draft and free agency.

Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler, Tim Patrick and Courtland Sutton have the makings of a strong wide receiving corps, to go along with Noah Fant at tight end. If the Broncos can find more consistency on the offensive line and nab a franchise quarterback, they'll be well set up for the future.

It just remains to be seen whether the Broncos see that quarterback among the 2021 crop. 

The Denver Broncos have reportedly received calls from teams interested in trading for wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton.

Mike Garafolo of NFL Network said teams have targeted Hamilton because of Denver's depth at wide receiver.

From NFL Now on @nflnetwork on a WR to watch for a possible trade in the coming weeks: #Broncos WR DaeSean Hamilton. pic.twitter.com/X5d2280srI

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) April 15, 2021

A 2018 fourth-round pick, Hamilton has not impressed in three NFL seasons. He posted 23 receptions for 293 yards and two touchdowns in 2020. While the Broncos' quarterback situation would not help the development of any receiver, Hamilton was overtaken on the depth chart by former undrafted free agent Tim Patrick and rookies Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler.

Pro Football Focus gave Hamilton a 58.4 grade for the 2020 season, which puts him at about replacement level. With the Broncos welcoming Courtland Sutton back into the fold after he missed 2020 with a knee injury, it's possible Hamilton would enter the 2021 season on the cut line.

Teams may still look at Hamilton as a buy-low candidate given his brilliance at Penn State. Hamilton finished his career as the Nittany Lions' all-time receptions leader with 214, though it's worth noting he didn't exactly build up steam during his career in Happy Valley. He set his career high with 82 receptions as a freshman and never topped 53 again.

The Broncos likely would not be able to get much more than a Day 3 selection or perhaps a conditional 2022 pick should they decide to trade Hamilton. However, given Hamilton's shaky standing on the roster, that may be enough to make the move. 

The Detroit Lions have become the fourth NFL team to opt out of offseason workouts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In a statement released by the NFL Players Association, the Lions cited "no acceptable resolution to our union's negotiations with the NFL over comprehensive COVID-19 protocols" as their reasoning for not participating in offseason workouts:

A statement from the Detroit Lions players: pic.twitter.com/Ew2piOTMIk

— NFLPA (@NFLPA) April 14, 2021

Detroit's decision comes one day after players from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos announced they would not take part in voluntary workouts. 

The NFL and NFLPA have yet to agree to terms on COVID-19 protocols for the offseason workout period. The league has taken steps to encourage all employees to get vaccinated, though it is not a requirement. 

In a memo from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to all 32 teams (h/t NFL Network's Tom Pelissero), any club employee who refuses to get the vaccine without a "bona fide medical (reason) or religious ground" will have restricted access. 

Here’s the full NFL memo, which also says teams must report weekly the number of employees who are vaccinated, as conversations with the NFLPA continue on the thresholds at which protocols on testing, PPE, travel, etc., can be relaxed. pic.twitter.com/FXuIhFP6Vh

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 13, 2021

Goodell also encouraged teams to open their stadiums and training facilities as vaccination sites for players, staff and family members. 

The NFL announced last month that it will have relaxed regulations for the draft, including up to 10 people with no mask requirement in the war room, so long as team employees have been fully vaccinated. 

Some teams have historically held a voluntary workout period prior to the draft, followed by organized team activities in late-May and early-June, with a mandatory minicamp in mid-June. 

Members of the Denver Broncos issued a statement Tuesday through the NFL Players Association announcing they won't take part in in-person voluntary offseason workouts.

A statement on behalf of the Denver Broncos players: pic.twitter.com/b7ZQZ1Z7PY

— NFLPA (@NFLPA) April 13, 2021

"COVID-19 remains a serious threat to our families and to our communities, and it makes no sense for us as players to put ourselves at risk during this dead period," the players said. "Positivity rates in our city are higher than they were at this time last year and we know players have been infected at club facilities in recent weeks."

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, players from the Seattle Seahawks "will be issuing a similar statement through the union."

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo shared a statement from NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith and union president JC Tretter, who advocated for the NFL to adopt a similar offseason program as 2020:

From NFLPA executive director De Smith and union president J.C Tretter to their players just now, continuing to advocate for an all-virtual offseason program. pic.twitter.com/Q1ozPe9liT

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) April 13, 2021

According to The Athletic's Lindsay Jones, the Broncos made their decision following a Monday night call "led by" Brandon McManus and Justin Simmons.

Jones noted Von Miller and Drew Lock are among four players with workout bonuses in their contracts, and they'll have the flexibility to attend voluntary workouts.

One more comment re:Broncos not showing up for offseason workouts...
I'd bet players who have workout bonuses show up in whatever capacity they can. They going to forfeit 6 figures in a bonus? Hell no

— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) April 13, 2021

The Denver Post's Ryan O'Halloran reported more teams are expected to follow Denver's lead. Not every squad has so few players with those kinds of bonuses written into their contracts, though.

Teams with the most players with workout bonuses

Bills- 28
Chiefs- 25
Jaguars- 24
Packers- 19
Dolphins- 13
Bears- 11
Vikings- 11
Patriots- 10
Raiders- 9
Bengals-8
Giants- 8

Wash., Cowboys and Texans have a lot of base salaries tied to workout participation. Id guess every vet

— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) April 13, 2021

Voluntary workouts can begin as early as Monday.

ESPN's Adam Schefter shared a memo from the NFL on Tuesday regarding COVID-19 vaccinations. The league suggested teams should use their stadiums or practice facilities as vaccination sites and outlined that "Tier 1 and 2 employees (other than players) should be expected to be vaccinated unless they have a bona fide medical or religious ground for not doing so." 

In a memo sent to teams today, the NFL is encouraging players and personnel to get vaccinated. Team facilities were safest place to be in the community. NFL believes it will make it even safer and help return to normalcy - no testing, won’t have to wear a mask or tracking device. pic.twitter.com/DTsOlRmgDk

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 13, 2021

The NFL also stated teams that "reach a certain threshold" of vaccinations could have COVID-19 health and safety protocols relaxed.

That would be a significant contrast from the 2020 offseason, when in-person contact was extremely limited prior to training camps. And even when players returned to their team facilities, they still had to follow masking and social distancing guidelines.