1. The Broncos should sign Kirk Cousins
Signing 35-year-old Kirk Cousins coming off a torn Achilles might not be as ‘long-term’ as Daniels and Fields, but there’s every reason to believe that Cousins can be an effective quarterback for multiple years if the Broncos were to sign him.
It feels like few quarterbacks receive more criticism than Kirk Cousins, and all he does in response to that criticism is throw the ball extremely well for a Vikings team that definitely misses him right now. This past season before the Achilles injury, Cousins was completing 69.5% of his passes for 2,331 yards in eight games with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions.
The Vikings got off to a slow start, but Cousins was electric from the start with the exception of a poor showing in Carolina (in a game the Vikings still won). He hasn’t had much playoff success, but Cousins is certainly more battle-tested than Fields and Daniels and for a team trying to win now with Sean Payton, that could be what they seek.
Cousins wouldn’t have Justin Jefferson in Denver, but the duo of Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton should be good enough for Kirk to put up more points than Wilson did in Denver, assuming they can get him some more protection on the offensive line.
Cousins has an argument as a top 10 quarterback in football. Fields and Daniels have the potential to be as good or even better than Cousins is right now and for a very long time, but that’s just potential. Cousins is already that guy, and would give Denver the best chance to win right now for the next couple of seasons.
2. The Broncos should trade for Justin Fields
What the Chicago Bears will do with the number one overall pick is something that will impact the landscape of the entire NFL. They realistically have three choices. Draft a QB (presumably Caleb Williams), draft WR Marvin Harrison Jr., or trade the pick for a monster haul. While two of those choices would mean Justin Fields stays in the Windy City, it feels like the first option is the most likely as the Bears won’t want to pass on a potential generational quarterback in Caleb Williams.
Assuming the Bears do indeed select Williams, that makes their current starter, Justin Fields, expendable. If Fields is indeed on the block, Denver should make a big effort to acquire him.
There are certainly questions about how good of a thrower Fields will be in the NFL as his passing stats are nothing to write home about, but his arm talent combined with his ability to do serious damage on the ground make him a player who can really thrive in the right situation. In Chicago with mostly bad weapons, a subpar offensive line, and poor coaching, Fields hasn’t been put in the best situation to succeed.
While the pieces around him in Denver probably aren’t much better, they do have a massive advantage at head coach. There’s every reason to believe Payton would get the most out of Fields and for a player with as much talent as him, that’s an exciting possibility for Broncos fans.
When the Denver Broncos acquired Russell Wilson in their blockbuster trade with the Seahawks, they thought they were going to find themselves in Super Bowl contention for several years to come. They couldn’t have been more wrong.
Wilson struggled immensely last season, leading to the firing of Nathaniel Hackett as the team’s head coach. Surely Sean Payton would fix Wilson and the Broncos would be right back in contention, right? Wrong. Wilson did play better and the Broncos technically aren’t dead yet, but the team is on the brink of being eliminated from the playoffs and Wilson has now been benched for the final two games of the season.
The reasoning behind the benching is related solely to Wilson’s contract. Denver is protecting themselves from a major Russell Wilson injury as if one would occur, releasing him ahead of the 2024 season becomes much more difficult. Jarrett Stidham is set to take over for Wilson, but he’s far from the answer in Denver. These three quarterbacks are ones the Broncos should consider with Wilson’s Broncos career coming to an abrupt ending.
3. The Broncos should draft Jayden Daniels
The way things stand right now, the Broncos are in a tough spot when it comes to drafting their next quarterback. They’re not good enough to make the playoffs which is disappointing, obviously, but their 7-8 record isn’t bad enough for them to definitely land their future star QB.
As of now, the Broncos hold the 14th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, per Tankathon. They can potentially find their way into the top 10 by losing out, but even then, it’s hard to know who will be available. The dream scenario in terms of rookie QBs would be Denver trading up to select either USC’s Caleb Williams or UNC’s Drake Maye, but a more realistic scenario would be Denver drafting LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Selecting Daniels could still require a trade to move up in the draft, but it wouldn’t take nearly as much to get him. The 23-year-old Daniels is coming off a terrific season which saw him take home the Heisman Trophy which was awfully impressive considering how tough the SEC is.
Daniels proved to be one of the top dual threats in the country, completing 72.2% of his throws for 3,812 yards in the air and rushing for another 1,134 yards on 135 attempts on the ground. Pairing Daniels with the offensive mind of Sean Payton should have Broncos fans drooling.
