I WILL LEAVE: My presence is no longer needed in Broncos Nate Adkins announced in tears today….

The Broncos adding a quarterback prior to the draft, like they did on Monday by trading for Zach Wilson, was not shocking. This kind of maneuver was essentially hinted at by George Paton last month:

George Paton, regarding quarterbacks, at the league meetings in Orlando last month:

“.. Stiddy is liked by us. However, we will add. We’re not scared, though. We take a long break from playing games. Additionally, we think we’ll add a vet and check on the draft.

They moved down 49 picks in the final 50 draft selections, and they did it for essentially nothing.

Put otherwise, it was an agreement involving picks from the final twenty percent of the draft. For the equivalent of two footballs and a bag of kicking tees in terms of draft capital, the Broncos acquired a former No. 2 overall pick. They left the deal with as many draft picks as they had going into it, making it a George Paton Special.

However, there was a good reason why the former second-round choice was as cheap as loose change in the couch cushions.

Additionally, it serves as a warning that the Broncos shouldn’t fool themselves into believing that Wilson will become a

a workable long-term solution.

The previous month, Paton stated, “We’ll see about the draft.”

Even with Wilson in the picture, the response to “we’ll see” should still be “absolutely get a quarterback.”

For the past eight months, all five of the quarterbacks chosen in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft—all but one—have been on an everything-must-go basis. The number one pick in that draft class, Trevor Lawrence, is still locked up in Jacksonville.

Mac Jones: New England traded him to Jacksonville in exchange for the No. 193 selection.
Trey Lance: San Francisco traded him to Dallas for the 124th overall pick.
Justin Fields: Chicago traded him to Pittsburgh in exchange for a conditional 2025 pick that, depending on playing time, might go as high as the fourth round.
Zach Wilson was obtained by the Broncos for the price of the 209th selection.

Naturally, the fact that these deals were made three years into those first-rounders’ careers illustrates the danger of selecting a

quarterback.

However, in this case, all were chosen following the COVID-19-affected season, which made things easier for quarterbacks because they didn’t have to deal with crowd noise or other issues that usually complicate their procedure. During that COVID-19 season, Lance only appeared in one game. Wilson didn’t face any Power 5 teams during his playing career. Furthermore, Fields and Jones thrived in the comparatively unspoiled surroundings.

In hindsight, the circumstances were misleading, which added to the high failure rate of their early teams. The success rate in the draft class of 2024 need to be more in line with average.

Wilson, however, remained unwelcome until this past week, even in a market where everyone had to go. Tyrod Taylor was already signed by the Jets to serve as Aaron Rodgers’ backup

past month.

Wilson has a wealth of experience. He has made 33 starts, which is 28 more than the whole quarterback group of the Broncos.

It’s not necessarily a positive experience, though. Although his surroundings cannot be entirely blamed, it also cannot account for a performance that ranks him among the NFL’s worst starting quarterbacks.