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The Denver Broncos are on a high rarely seen in the post-Manning era. The defense is playing well, the offense is minimizing mistakes, and Denver is winning just a bit more than they're losing. With the win over the Chargers on Sunday and the pending Chiefs showdown, now is a tough time to talk about the future of the quarterback position in Denver.
However, the standing idea in Denver has been that Bridgewater would be a one-season quarterback or a bridge to something better over a season and change. If the Broncos are doing well with Bridgewater, should Denver look to make a jump similar to the Chiefs' Alex-Smith-to-Patrick-Mahomes upgrade?
Should the Broncos replace Teddy Bridgewater with Russell Wilson in 2022?
Teddy Bridgewater's 2021
Once upon a time, Teddy Bridgewater was a rookie quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings who showed some flash but suffered a non-contact leg injury that took him years to fully recover from. He bounced around to a few different stops, including the Saints, the Panthers, and finally Denver. Meaning, several other teams had him in their clutches and ultimately declined to continue with him.
Now with the Broncos, Bridgewater has matched his career record for passing touchdowns in a season. At 15 touchdowns and five interceptions, Bridgewater has outperformed the last ten or so quarterbacks who have played for the Broncos since Peyton Manning retired. With such a long drought, does it make sense for the Broncos to suddenly abandon the best thing working for them?
Russell Wilson's 2021
With Russell Wilson's future in Seattle potentially in doubt, it certainly is tempting for Denver. Instead of playing at an equal level to the rest of the AFC West, the Broncos could jump into a Kansas City-level dominance. At least, going into the season, it seemed apparent that this would be the outcome.
Wilson has had as painful of a 2021 season as anyone. Wilson's Seahawks are 3-8 and sitting in the basement of the NFC West. The one-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback is now the face of a 3-8 season. He also caught the injury bug this season as the rough offensive line of the last decade is finally catching up to him.
Russell Wilson's finger injury could be a one-time thing. On the other hand, it could be the beginning of a pattern of injuries. If the Broncos were to trade for Wilson, they'd be taking on the potential for an injury-prone quarterback, which would lead to plenty of problems. In 2021, Wilson has 1811 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions.
After the season Bridgewater has had, he is going to command some money and will not be happy with benching. It will be tough to keep both quarterbacks around at the same time, so the Broncos will have to choose one or the other. Will they stick with the lower floor, higher ceiling Bridgewater or will they risk it for Wilson?
If they're willing to take a shot at Wilson, does that mean they'd also be open to getting Aaron Rodgers or Deshaun Watson?
