Two budding stars a more intriguing watch than Broncos QB battle

The Denver Broncos quarterback battle thus far has been, as expected, underwhelming. Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater have both struggled to pull away from the other.

But even though this competition between two mediocre-at-best quarterbacks is a total snooze fest, there is a reason to watch the Broncos in training camp, preseason and the regular season.

Actually, there are two reasons, and those are the two young players out of Alabama. Jerry Jeudy and Pat Surtain II. So far in training camp these two have proven they were worthy of first-round draft pick status.

As camp unfolds each day, Jeudy has been uncoverable, and he’s doing it day after day.

Jeudy’s rookie season wasn’t the introduction to the NFL that he would have liked. He was targeted 113 times as a rookie but only caught 52 passes. He was plagued by drops that overshadowed some of his impressive work.

But last season, Jeudy “Moss’d” the New York Jets, ran a route against the Carolina Panthers that might be the best you’ll ever see and scored a 92-yard touchdown late against the Las vegas Raiders — all reasons that fans should be excited about him going forward.

Jeudy’s struggles, combined with the success of fellow rookies Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb, had some down on the Denver wideout. But as hard as Broncos Country was on Jeudy, it appears he was even harder on himself.

This offseason Jeudy was active on social media, talking about his work to improve, and so far in camp it has shown. His route running is so crisp and smooth that it looks effortless. At Saturday’s practice, he double moved and was wide open before the secondary realized what happened.

Jeudy’s wow factor this camp is not effortless. Based on what we’ve seen so far, he is ready to break out this season as one of the NFL’s must-see players. The Broncos have lacked scoring and game-breaking plays on offense in recent years, and Jeudy is setting himself to be a threat every time he is on the field.

Surtain was the ninth-overall pick in the 2021 draft. Many wanted Denver to draft quarterback Justin Fields, so Surtain is an awkward spot. Being dubbed the “safest pick” is never a badge a player wants to wear. Through no fall of his own, some are down on Sutain’s mere presence because he is a reminder that the Broncos did not draft a quarterback.

Admittedly, I’m one of those people that would have preferred the Broncos draft Fields over Surtain. However, that doesn’t mean I, and those like me, can’t get excited about the young cornerback.

At practice, Surtain doesn’t look like a rookie. Denver has thrown a lot at him. He has played outside, inside and spent a lot of time covering tight ends. In every situation the Broncos have placed the rookie, he seems completely comfortable and unphased by the situation. The moment is not too big for Surtain. Like Jeudy running routes, Surtain’s versatility seems effortless.

When rookies translate to the NFL, they generally discuss the speed of the game as the biggest adjustment. “Orlando & Sandy” co-host Orlando Franklin told me when he was a rookie in 2011 that it was so overwhelming how fast the game moved that he thought he was going to be cut in the preseason. He said how all the rookies were struggling to play fast enough with the veterans. Well, all the rookies except Von Miller. Miller stepped on the field on Day 1 and was one of the most effective players on the team.

Surtain seems to be in the same boat as the young Miller. The speed and complexity of the pro game isn’t really an issue for him.

Surtain’s versatility and football IQ isn’t the only reason to be excited about the first-round pick. Physically he is very impressive. He is very long and has some size to him. This might not be the case for everyone, but I couldn’t believe how big he was in person. Surtain can go step for step with the player he’s covering, and he’s not going to be bullied around.

After going years without drafting Alabama or SEC players, the Broncos have struck gold in the first round of the last two drafts. Jeudy and Surtain look to be two players that will play in Denver at a high level for the next 10-15 years. It’s very clear out at camp that they will be two of the most effective players for Denver this season and beyond.

Denver has a nice foundation with players like Garett Bolles, Justin Simmons, Dalton Risner and Dre’Mont Jones. As good as those players are, Jeudy and Surtain appear to be the two players that can become true superstars in the NFL.

The Broncos have lacked star power in recent years. Win or lose, fans inside and outside of Denver haven’t had a reason to tune in to a Broncos game. That has changed.

When watching the Broncos in training camp or in games, don’t watch the quarterbacks. Don’t fool yourself. You could make an argument that neither Bridgewater nor Lock is in the top 20 best players on the team.

Instead, turn your focus to the young first-round draft picks. If you focus on Jeudy and Surtain, you’ll find yourself excited to watch the Broncos. While Denver is likely to miss the playoffs, you can watch two superstars in the making.