Pritchard: Excitement about Broncos lies with how team addresses QB

Jan 28, 2019, 12:59 PM Updated: Jan 29, 2019, 7:02 am

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Hiring a new head coach in Vic Fangio, and bringing in key assistants like Rich Scangarello and Mike Munchak, may have created a bump in excitement surrounding the Denver Broncos, said Mike Pritchard.

But the “Pritchard and Cecil” co-host said Monday that he wants to wait and see what the Broncos roster looks like, specifically the quarterback position, because “the players will produce more excitement.”

“If they upgrade the quarterback situation or if they draft a quarterback, maybe more optimism gets created,” Pritchard said. “But, until the roster is solidified, I don’t know how much optimism or excitement is going to be generated for the Denver Broncos.”

Pritchard’s co-host, Cecil Lammey, pointed to this time last year when the buzz around Radio Row at Super Bowl LII was whether the Broncos could land free-agent-to-be Kirk Cousins in the offseason.

“We all thought at that time, hey, they could get Kirk Cousins. Then, man, you’ve got a quarterback. You can make that run,” Lammey said. “Then it ended up being Case Keenum. So, maybe a year ago at this exact time, yeah, I was more excited about last year than I would be about this year.”

Ultimately, the lack of excitement comes down to Keenum, said Pritchard, who believes college quarterback prospect Drew Lock would create more optimism in 2019 for the Broncos than the veteran signal-caller.

“He’s done. He’s hit a limit. The best you can do with Case Keenum at quarterback is 8-8. That’s the best you can do,” Pritchard said. “Yeah, I think, you’re looking at a situation where, from a perception standpoint, people might be more optimistic about the Denver Broncos if they draft a young quarterback.”

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.