John Elway will always be remembered by Denver Broncos’ fans as an all-time great. That stands even after he handed the Lombardi trophy to the Chiefs earlier this year. But Broncos fans won’t be comforted by his recent acknowledgment of passing up a franchise quarterback in 2018.
On a recent Barstool Sports “Pardon My Take” podcast, Elway revealed an interesting look back to the 2018 NFL Draft. Elway played golf with Allen and a thought occurred to him.
“I'm wondering, ‘How long is it going to take him to realize that I passed on him and took Bradley Chubb instead?' ” Elway said. “And it took him two and a half holes.’ And I loved him. But it just didn't work out. He was my type. That was probably my biggest mistake of my GM days, was not taking Josh.”
Bills QB Josh Allen may have been wildly popular in Denver
Elway bypassed the strong-armed quarterback, perhaps in part because Allen completed only 56% of his passes at Wyoming University. But it seems strange because Allen seemed to fit the mold of Elway, a mobile gunslinger who delighted Broncos’ fans for 16 years.
Instead, with the fifth overall pick, Elway settled on Chubb, the NC State pass rusher who had a hard time staying healthy. Chubb turned into a Pro Bowl player for the Broncos, but didn’t last long. His best season turned out to be his rookie year when he racked up 12 sacks. But he hasn’t reached that total again in his career.
Maybe Elway had blinders on for the quarterback position. His moves suggest the Hall of Famer played the position far better than he could evaluate it. In 2018, Elway had signed Case Keenum, who had a breakout season in Minnesota.
However, prior to the big year with the Vikings, Keenum showed little more than journeyman skills. He lasted one season in Denver, throwing for 3,890 yards but an 18-15 ratio of touchdowns to interceptions and a 6-10 record showed Elway made a serious error in judgment. Over the next five years, Keenum produced a starting record of 4-8 with four different teams.
Maybe Elway couldn’t pull the trigger on Allen because of the Paxton Lynch debacle in 2016. The Broncos used their first-round pick on the 6-foot-7 Lynch, who played only two NFL seasons and started only four games. A notable later pick that season was Dak Prescott, who the Cowboys stumbled onto in the fourth round.
The quarterback carousel has continued since passing on Allen, who has finished in the top five on the MVP voting three times over the last four seasons. Yikes, Elway.
Meanwhile, the Broncos have rummaged through a pile of non-descript signal-callers since turning their backs on Allen. The cringe-worthy list includes Joe Flacco, Drew Lock, Teddy Bridgewater, and the perhaps-past-his-prime Russell Wilson.
Plus, Denver is still searching. The Broncos drafted Bo Nix with the No. 12 overall pick earlier this year. They hope he will be the long-term answer, but journeyman Jarrett Stidham and New York Jets castoff Zach Wilson are on the roster as well.
Follow Us
Subscribe
