Stokley, DMac pose ‘Tebow offense,’ Kaepernick cures for Broncos woes

On Wednesday, Brandon Stokley needed only one word to sum up the Denver Broncos quarterback competition: “Unimpressive.”

The “Stokley & Zach” co-host’s criticism of the play seen from Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch over the first six days of Broncos training camp echo even those of head coach Vance Joseph.

“Did I like what I saw? Not really,” Joseph said on Sunday when asked about Siemian and Lynch. “Both guys had issues today. I didn’t like what I saw today. Honest. They both struggled today.”

“This is unacceptable,” said DMac, co-host of “The Drive,” as he joined Stokley and Zach Bye after practice on Wednesday.

Said Stokley: “Something has got to give here.”

Among the suggested cures for the Broncos current quarterback ailment, bringing in fresh arms, including free agent Colin Kaepernick, as Stokley suggested on Wednesday.

“I would bring in Kaepernick for sure because you’ve got nothing to lose,” DMac said. “And he’s out there, and what’s it going to hurt you?”

Kaepernick has been on the market since early March after he opted out of the final year of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers.

In 2016, the seventh-year pro played in 12 games for the 49ers, 11 as the team’s starter.

In a season likely more notable for his kneeling during the national anthem before games to protest social injustice, Kaepernick threw 16 touchdowns and only four interceptions, completing 59.2 percent of his passes for 2,241 yards.

Kaepernick finished the season with a passer rating of 90.7 (17^th), a touchdown percentage of 4.8 (13th), and an interception percentage of 1.2 (6th) — marks all higher than Siemian, who started all but two games for the Broncos in 2016.

Stokley suggested that, should the Broncos further pursue developing Lynch for the future, offensive coordinator Mike McCoy could “tailor-make” a scheme that more easily fits the second-year quarterback and Kaepernick’s skill set.

“If you look at bringing a guy like Kaepernick, his game and Paxton Lynch’s game are very, very similar,” Stokley said. “So, now you don’t have to have the two different offenses.”

However, DMac said management and owners could be cautious to bring in Kaepernick, whose political activism has been polarizing to some, if he’s a backup quality quarterback at this point in his career.

“… The reason I don’t think he’s in the NFL is no owners and management think he’s good enough to be a starter. He’s good enough to be a backup, but he brings too much stuff with him as a backup,” DMac said.

“But you can take all sorts of stuff with you if you’re good enough to be a starter.”

Could McCoy ‘go back to the Tim Tebow offense?’

Stokley also tossed out the idea of Denver returning to the same offensive scheme McCoy built around then-starting quarterback Tim Tebow in 2011, featuring a heavy dose of running.

“Do I go to the offense where we’re going to play with two wide receivers and two tight ends, and we’re going to just try to run the football,” Stokley said on Wednesday. “Because that’s the only thing that’s looking good, their running game.”

The scheme, developed after Tebow overtook Kyle Orton as Denver’s starting quarterback following a 1-4 start leading into a Week 6 bye, helped propel the team to a 7-4 record through the remainder of the regular season, the first of five-straight AFC West titles, and a playoff win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

That season, the Broncos led the NFL in rushing yards (2,632) and attempts (tied at 546) while coming in nearly last place in passing yards (31st with 2,434 yards.)

Tebow finished 28th among all NFL rushers in yards (660) and 40th in attempts (122), trailing only Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers among quarterbacks.

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.