There are several quarterback-hungry teams around the league as we count down the hours to tomorrow night’s highly-anticipated NFL Draft.
We know Chicago, Washington and New England will all most likely go quarterback when their envelopes reach the hand of Commissioner Roger Goodell.
However, there are several other teams who have combed through the quarterback class and will surely strike when their time comes.
Those “secondary” teams include Minnesota, Las Vegas AND the Denver Broncos.
After ripping the band-aid off on the Russell Wilson experiment, head coach Sean Payton is surely searching for a long-term solution at the position.
Payton and the Broncos added depth to their quarterback room by trading for New York Jets bust Zach Wilson earlier this week.
You can’t really read into that trade too much since it cost Denver virtually nothing and was the defintion of a low-risk, high-reward move. (“High” might be a little too generous.)
Jarrett Stidham is currently the starting quarterback as we stand now. He’s a smart and capbale veteran – one who Payton certainly appreciates and values.
However, you know deep-down Payton wants to find “his guy” to build around.
Currently sitting with the #12 overall pick, Denver is considering both Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr.
Although risky, they may even be able to trade down just a tad and draft either one while picking up additional assests. (Although the rival Raiders would likely snag Penix with the very next pick at #13.)
However, former Broncos legend Peyton Manning seems to have pulled back the curtain on who Payton and Denver REALLY want.
Appeaing on 104.3 The Fan, Manning revealed that the Broncos are extremely high on Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
“I know Denver is very interested in him, and it sounded like a place he’d love to come to but it’s a little bit out of his control,” Manning said of the national champion quarterback.
Manning also revealed that he had a conversation with McCarthy and described him as “impressive to talk to.”
McCarthy himself hinted at Denver’s appeal during an appearance on “The Adam Schefter Podcast,” labeling the Broncos as a stylistic fit and acknowledging Payton’s guidance in the pre-draft process.
McCarthy had a spectacular college career with the Wolverines and is considered the ultimate winner. He famously boasts a remarkable career record of 27-1.
While his passing statistics don’t pop off the page like other quarterbacks, that’s due to the simple fact that the Wolverines were largely a running team under old-school head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Having said that, whenever McCarthy was called upon to make a play, he always came through.
There’s no doubt Payton would love to have a talented, unselfish quarterback who only cares about winning … That’s J.J. McCarthy in a nutshell.
Unfortunately for the Broncos, McCarthy is expected to be long gone before their pick.
Very few – if any – players have seen their draft stock sky-rocket the way McCarthy’s has in recent weeks.
There are several teams said to be deeply exploring him – including the Commanders, Patriots, Giants and Vikings.
What are your thoughts on Manning’s comments?
Do you think they were innocent? … Or perhaps calculated in some way, shape or form?
Or do you think he let valuable information slip?
What are your thoughts on McCarthy as a quarterback?
At the end of the day, what will Payton and the Broncos do???