The Denver Broncos have released their initial 53-man roster and the only quarterbacks on the roster are Joe Flacco and Drew Lock. Since Lock will likely begin the season on injured reserve, it stands to reason that another quarterback will be brought in.
Several quarterbacks were released on Saturday ahead of the deadline to reduce rosters from 90 players down to 53 including Kevin Hogan and Brett Rypien, who the Broncos chose to move on from.
Rypien could still be brought back as a practice squad addition, but here are four quarterbacks who might make sense in a temporary role for the Broncos.
1. Taylor Heinicke
The Carolina Panthers had a crowded quarterback room with Cam Newton, Kyle Allen, Will Grier and Heinicke, giving Heinicke long odds of making the team. He was released on Saturday.
If the Broncos needed to bridge any gap between Flacco having to miss time and Lock returning to the field, Heinicke would be a good option. He has had to come in and start games in a pinch for both the Panthers and Houston Texans during his career.
2. Kyle Sloter
If you follow social media, you likely saw that fans of the Minnesota Vikings liked this guy as much as Broncos fans did. So why can’t he make a roster — especially when all he does is perform well when his number is called?
It’s perplexing to be sure, but the Broncos could do a lot worse than bringing back the former Northern Colorado quarterback.
3. Brian Hoyer
The New England Patriots cut ties with Hoyer on Saturday after rookie Jarrett Stidham impressed in preseason.
Hoyer has experience with Broncos offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello from their time together with the San Francisco 49ers. Hoyer knows the offense and might be able to execute it better than any quarterback out there.
He’s not going to bring exciting headlines with him, but he’s just about everything a team wants in an experienced backup quarterback.
Of the four options listed here, Hoyer might be the most likely.
4. Cody Kessler
Kessler wouldn’t create a ton of excitement either, but if you’re in this position, you’re just looking for a band-aid. Kessler could be a good band-aid.
He has starting experience in a relief role for multiple teams and has completed 64.2 percent of his throws and compiled an 83.7 quarterback rating. Those are decent numbers for a backup, in an emergency role, so that’s how a signing of this nature needs to be viewed.
