The Lead
As teams get ready to go from preparation to execution with their offseason planning, ESPN's NFL team reporters have provided readers with broad overviews of each team’s offseason outlook.
Broncos fans likely know what the big looming question is: Who will play under center?
"The Broncos can try to make a trade for a veteran, but that isn't a long-term solution if that veteran quarterback is in his late 30s and the Broncos are looking at this situation again a couple years from now," Jeff Legwold writes. "That also requires the quarterbacks who could make a difference in the team's fortunes — Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson or the like — to appear in the trade market. Also, neither [Nathaniel] Hackett nor [George] Paton has said if quarterback Drew Lock impacts all of this, but the Broncos will need several options on the drawing board because who is actually available will dictate what they can actually do."
And tasked with evaluating what a best-case scenario could look like, Legwold suggests one that resolves that exact question.
"They end up with a solution at quarterback that goes beyond the next two years and they didn't have to surrender all of their prime draft capital to do it. Alas, franchise quarterbacks in their prime rarely become available and the price to pay for them is almost always steep. If the Broncos come away with a solution behind center they like for next few years and they haven't cratered their ability to acquire players in the future to do it, that is indeed the best-case scenario."
Below the Fold
With the combination of quarterback uncertainty, cap space and draft capital, the Broncos are clearly one of the most-intriguing teams this offseason, as several ESPN analysts wrote recently.
"How this team crafts itself entering 2022 is a key story to watch unfold," Tristan H. Cockcroft wrote.
