The final QB rankings of 2020 show why the Broncos are shopping

Aaron Rodgers was the NFL’s regular season MVP. Tom Brady earned Most Valuable Player honors in Super Bowl LV. Not surprisingly, those two finished No. 1 and 2, respectively, in NFL.com’s rankings of every starting quarterback in 2020.

There were a total of 59 different signal callers who got the chance to start a game this past season. That’s nearly two per team. And one look at the list explains why George Paton has flirted with upgrading at the most-important position in sports.

According to the site, Drew Lock was the 33rd best starting QB in 2020. Given that there are only 32 teams in the league, that’s not good news for the Broncos quarterback.

Here’s what Tom Blair, one of the four contributors to the list, had to say about Lock:

“It’s not exactly curtains yet for Lock, who still could have a shot to grow into a decent player, whether in Denver or, down the road, elsewhere. But it’s also hard to imagine the Broncos can’t find someone capable of bringing a higher floor and ceiling to the position in 2021.”

A higher floor would mean playing better than the 33rd best QB in the league. A higher ceiling would mean having the potential to be a top-flight quarterback, something few believe Lock can develop into, no matter how much time the Broncos give him.

That’s why Paton, in his first month on the job as Denver’s new general manager, has made inquiries into quarterbacks who are rumored to be available via trade. Almost all of them rank higher than Lock in the rankings.

Deshaun Watson came in at No. 4 and Matthew Stafford finished 13th. Both would be major upgrades in Denver.

So would Russell Wilson, who recently joined the list of veterans QBs who might be on the move. The Seahawks signal caller finished No. 6 on the list.

Other quarterbacks who’ve been linked to Denver also finished ahead of Lock. Ryan Fitzpatrick (No. 21) and Andy Dalton (No. 25) will both be unrestricted free agents when the 2021 league year begins on March 18. On paper, both would be a step in the right direction for the Broncos.

That said, not all of the available QBs finished ahead of Lock in the rankings. Carson Wentz came in at No. 35, Sam Darnold was No. 36 and Tyrod Taylor was No. 49.

Two other Broncos quarterbacks were on the list. Jeff Driskel (No. 52) and Brett Rypien (No. 54) both got starts this season for Denver. Kendall Hinton, who was forced to play against the Saints when the entire quarterbacks room was placed on the COVID-19 list, didn’t make the cut.

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