With the retirement of Peyton Manning and the departure of Brock Osweiler, the Denver Broncos have an incredibly uncertain quarterback situation. The uncertainty, however, is doing nothing to dull the confidence of cornerback Aqib Talib.
Talib stated that he likes his team’s chances at a repeat in an interview with ESPN’s SportsCenter (via Troy E. Renck, of The Denver Post):
“I think as long as the quarterbacks put in the work and listen to coach (Kubiak), if we put in that same work, I don’t see why we can’t repeat.”
Honestly, as long as Denver is relatively intact, the Broncos certainly have a strong chance at repeating. In 2015, Manning and Osweiler combined for 4,216 yards while completing just over 60 percent of their passes. They also had a mediocre 76.3 passer rating and an abysmal 19-t0-23 touchdown to interception ratio. So while the Broncos quarterback situation is unsettled, it was average (at best) during their Super Bowl season.
Mark Sanchez and Trevor Siemian are the only quarterbacks on the Broncos roster, and Siemian’s NFL experience consists of one kneel down. Whether it comes via trade, free agency, the draft, or some combination, it’s a virtual certainty that Denver will add at least one more quarterback.
One name that they have been linked to is Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers. In the same interview, Talib expressed uncertainty about how Kaepernick would do in Denver but ultimately seemed optimistic.
“Who knows? We need to get him in that locker room and get him around the guys and see how it goes. (San Francisco) came to our facility last year (for dual practices during training camp), and he’s a good quarterback,” Talib said. “He has one of the strongest arms in the league, and we already know what he can do with his legs. (Kaepernick) has to be interested a little bit.”
Kaepernick has his flaws, but is certainly a more intriguing option than Sanchez or Siemian. Whether he’s willing to take the pay cut that would likely have to come with going to Denver remains to be seen.
But truthfully, even if the defense experiences a slight regression, the Broncos will have a better than average chance at winning another Super Bowl, as long as whoever is under center doesn’t make crucial mistakes with turnovers.