The Broncos have selected six quarterbacks the past eight drafts, using two first-rounders and a second among the picks. But none panned out as expected, forcing Denver to sign Peyton Manning in 2012 and sending the Broncos back in search of a franchise quarterback this offseason.
“Believe me, I’m not done swinging and missing,” General Manager John Elway said Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine, laughing. “Misses don’t bother me. We just have to figure out a way to get it right. That is what we are working on.”
Elway said the Broncos are “not too far away” from returning to the postseason, but concedes that “obviously we have to get better at that [quarterback] position.” The Hall of Fame quarterback insists the Broncos have not decided on the route to find their next franchise signal caller, but the team has options.
They could join the bidding for Kirk Cousins. Nick Foles could hit the trade block. The quarterback choices in the draft include Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen, who the Broncos coached in the Senior Bowl.
“I think we’re going to explore all options in free agency and see where that goes,” Elway said. “Obviously, we’ve got the fifth pick in the draft, too. That will all play into it. We’ll continue to look at all of the options out there when it comes to quarterback.”
The Broncos enticed Manning with a five-year, $96 million deal in 2012, with Denver getting a Super Bowl title out of it. Elway was asked if this offseason reminds him of that one six years ago.
“We have to see where it is,” Elway said. “Even with Peyton, we weren’t a for sure thing with Peyton. That was always fluid, too, but he was our target.”