Denver Broncos will massively regret not selecting QB Justin Fields

As fans, we love to talk about what could have happened. Headlines are stuffed with how the Chicago Bears could have had Patrick Mahomes or how the Philadelphia Eagles could have had Justin Jefferson. Soon enough, we may hear all about how the Denver Broncos could have had Justin Fields.

On the night of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Broncos had a tough decision to make with the ninth overall selection. With Justin Fields, Patrick Surtain, and Micah Parsons still on the board, Denver chose to bolster a position of strength and selected Surtain.

Now, Surtain is an extremely skilled prospect, but a trade for Teddy Bridgewater the day before the draft doesn’t solve Denver’s glaring quarterback problem. Bridgewater has revealed himself to be a high-floor, low-ceiling type player. It’s almost impossible to compete in a division with Patrick Mahomes with this type of quarterback.

The Denver Broncos have a significant hole in their roster at quarterback.

The Broncos actually have a very talented roster going into the 2021 season. The offense is filled with young pass-catchers such as Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and Noah Fant, and the defense has improved as well.

George Paton, the Broncos GM, made a splash in his first year by signing cornerbacks Kyle Fuller and Ronald Darby. Keep in mind that Denver already has arguably the league’s best nickel cornerback in Bryce Callahan.

So why select another cornerback instead of Fields?

Quarterback is, by far, the most important position in football and PFF ranked Drew Lock as the second-worst starting QB last year. He tied for first in interceptions (15) and ranked last in completion percentage (57.3%).

The Broncos currently roster two quarterbacks who are clearly unable to lead them to a deep playoff run. No matter how talented the team may be, the NFL is very obviously a quarterback league. And right now, the Broncos find themselves with a quarterback deficiency.

The Denver Broncos will eventually need to fix the quarterback position.

Justin Fields may not have sent the team into playoff contention in his rookie season, but he offers long-term potential at a position where the Broncos have none.

Denver has a talented enough roster to keep them from holding a top-five pick in next year’s draft which is bad news if they want to start fresh with a top quarterback prospect.

It’s becoming more and more likely that the Broncos will be in a situation similar to that of the Washington Football Team in last year’s draft. The WFT had no shot of making a deep playoff run, but they were competitive enough to get the 19th pick of the draft.

None of the top five quarterbacks fell to pick 19, and the WFT is currently forced to employ a three-way quarterback camp battle that offers little to no multiyear upside. If Denver wants to land a top quarterback in next year’s draft, a trade will likely be needed.

It could have been much less complicated for the Denver Broncos.

Landing a franchise quarterback is no easy feat in the NFL. For a lot of teams, it requires a large sacrifice through a first-round trade (i.e. San Francisco 49ers) and it’s very tough to do through free agency or trade.

Denver had one fall right into their laps. Fields performed extremely well against some of the toughest defenses in college football and demonstrated his pro-readiness week in and week out.

Barring a trade for Aaron Rodgers, the Broncos will likely find themselves with a ton of quarterback questions at the conclusion of next season. Will they resign Teddy Bridgewater? Will they roll out Drew Lock for one more year? Will they target a prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft?

It could have been a whole lot simpler for the guys in orange and blue had they just drafted Justin Fields.