When people think of the best quarterbacks in Denver Broncos history, John Elway and Peyton Manning are probably the first two who come to mind.
When those same folks remember that both of those quarterbacks were drafted by other NFL teams (the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts) it begs the question who the best quarterback the Broncos drafted has been. In more recent times, the answer may surprise most: Jay Cutler.
Broncos fans still probably dislike Cutler, who demanded a trade from the Broncos and was eventually granted his request and traded to the Chicago Bears.
Simply put, the Broncos have not drafted a quarterback better than Jay Cutler when former head coach Mike Shanahan drafted him in the first round of the 2006 draft.
Since the days of Cutler’s play almost a decade ago, the Broncos have drafted numerous quarterbacks, all of which have not had success at the NFL level that Cutler has. “Success” is used lightly here, as Cutler’s career numbers aren’t exactly Hall of Fame worthy, but Cutler’s NFL career as a starting quarterback has lasted 12 seasons, longer than any quarterback the Broncos’ have drafted since.
After Cutler forced his way out of Denver in 2009, the Broncos decided to pull the plug on his replacement, Kyle Orton, and draft college football sensation Tim Tebow. Tebow’s career as a Bronco was exciting, but as an NFL quarterback, his stats were underwhelming while under center (or rather under shotgun) as the Broncos’ starting quarterback.
Tebow will always be remembered for his miraculous 2011 playoff game, leading the Broncos to upset the Pittsburgh Steelers in Denver. But in that offseason, the Broncos traded Tebow to the Jets in favor of signing future Hall-of-Famer Peyton Manning. Tebow, unable to fully adapt to operating a NFL offense, flamed out as a Jet and was eventually released after only one season with the team.
While Tebow was attempting to make a comeback with brief stints on the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles, Cutler was enjoying his lucrative contract extension with the Bears.
The next noteworthy quarterback the Broncos drafted was Brock Osweiler. Osweiler, after waiting for so long as Manning’s understudy, got his chance to shine as the Broncos’ starter in 2015. He was eventually benched again for an aging Manning. In the offseason, Osweiler turned down the Broncos’ contract offer and opted instead to sign with the Houston Texans.
After a less-than-stellar year with the Texans, Osweiler was traded to the Cleveland Browns and eventually released as the Browns chose to go with rookie Deshone Kizer as their starting quarterback.
Osweiler now sits in the thick of the Broncos’ current quarterback quagmire, sandwiched somewhere in between 2016 starting quarterback Trevor Siemian and 2016 first-round draft pick Paxton Lynch.
Expectations were low for seventh-round pick Trevor Siemian, but Siemian was soon thrust into the starting lineup for the 2016 season. Despite playing admirably, Siemian struggled throughout most of the season as the Broncos followed up their 2015 Super Bowl championship with a 9-7 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2010.
In the 2016 offseason, the Broncos traded up in the NFL draft to select quarterback Paxton Lynch, a raw but athletically gifted quarterback that appeared to be everything John Elway wanted in his team’s starting quarterback. Lynch was unable to beat out Siemian during training camp of 2016, playing in only two games for the season. In 2017, he once again failed to win the starting quarterback job and missed more than half the season with a shoulder injury. Once he was given the opportunity to start last week against the struggling Cincinnati Bengals, Lynch was less than impressive before once again leaving the game with an injury.
While Cutler has come out of retirement in an attempt to lead the Miami Dolphins to the playoffs, the Broncos are currently in a tangled quarterback situation that could lead to a complete overhaul at the position in the offseason.
As Cutler concludes a 12-year career, the Broncos have seen two “quarterbacks of the future”
By comparison, here’s how all five quarterbacks compare, statistically:
Cutler: 148 games, 62.1% completion, 230.2 yards per game, 221 TDs, 155 INTs, 85.5 rating
Tebow/Osweiler/Siemian/Lynch: 104 Games, 56.7% competition, 152.4 yards per game, 77 TDs, 47 INTs, 76.78 rating
Cutler has been far from an elite NFL quarterback, but his 12-year NFL career has kept him in the NFL longer than Tebow, Osweiler, Siemian and Lynch combined.
The sad fact is that the best quarterback the Broncos have drafted since Elway’s retirement has only made the Pro Bowl only once, in 2008, his last season with the Broncos. This week, the Broncos will face Cutler for possibly the final time as the Dolphins host the Broncos in what is likely Cutler’s last season as an NFL quarterback.