The Broncos already know everything they need in order to pick a QB

Buckle up, Broncos Country. The next two months are going to feel like “Groundhog Day.”

Rinse and repeat. Over and over and over again.

The past few days have been a preview of what is to come when training camp begins. What has transpired during the team’s mandatory minicamp this week will continue day after day during practice, roll into the three preseason games and not let up until a decision is made.

Every throw will be tracked. A daily winner will be declared. And the current leader in the clubhouse will be charted.

Welcome to “Teddy vs. Drew,” the latest installment of a Broncos quarterback battle.

For those who are already tired of hearing about the competition between Bridgewater and Lock, bad news was delivered on Wednesday. It’s not going away any time soon.

“If you’re going to put a percentage on it, the evaluation and comparing of the two is 2-3% these last few weeks,” Vic Fangio said after the team’s second minicamp practice when asked how much of the competition has been completed. “The 97-98% of it has yet to come.”

So Lock’s big day on Tuesday? It didn’t mean much. And Bridgewater’s slight edge on Wednesday? It probably meant even less.

The coaching staff has barely even started their grading process. It’s only just begun.

It’ll continue when training camp opens on July 27. It’ll drag on, day after day, through Denver’s first preseason game on August 14. It most likely will still be happening when the Broncos take the field for the second exhibition on August 21. Heck, it might even stay on the docket through the final tune-up on August 28.

Fangio and Company could drag this thing out to the 11th hour, waiting until the week leading up to the team’s regular-season opener on September 12 against the Giants to make a decision. During all that time, every snap will be reviewed by the coaches, players, media members and fans.

Who’s winning? And who’s losing? The questions will be asked and answered on a daily basis, often multiple times.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, it shouldn’t go that direction. The entire process is completely unnecessary.

The Broncos could name their starting quarterback right now. Without another rep at practice or a single snap in a preseason game, Fangio could finalize his depth chart at the most-important position in sports.

Not because either quarterback has “won” the competition during OTAs and minicamp. It’s been a coin-flip up until this point, with both Bridgewater and Lock having good moments and bad ones.

The Broncos could make their selection now because they already know what they have in each quarterback. It’s highly unlikely that anything is going to change with either signal caller in the next two to three months.

Lock is going to remain a roller coaster, with big ups and crazy lows, while Bridgewater will be steady and consistent. One will be Space Mountain. The other will be the People Mover.

The Broncos just have to decide which ride they’re in the mood for this season. They simply have to determine their offensive philosophy in 2021.

If they’re looking for mistake-free football, where a drive ending in a punt is okay, then Bridgewater is the guy. He plays a brand of football that won’t put Denver’s defense in a tough spot, forcing the opposition to march 80 yards for touchdowns instead of being set up on a short field. He’s the quarterback for a team hoping to win 17-13.

If they’re looking for some big plays, particularly ones that come off schedule, and are willing to live with a mistake or two, then Lock is the guy. He plays a brand of football that will feature some “wow” moments, but he’ll also turn the ball over and force the Broncos defense to bail him out on occasion. He’s the quarterback for a team hoping to win 24-20.

It seems a shame to waste the young talent on the offensive side of the ball with a dink-and-dunk, conservative offense. But it also seems silly to not play to the team’s strength, which is clearly their defense.

Thus, the decision. Which style do the Broncos want to play this season?

Pat Shurmur provided a hint on Wednesday. During his post-practice press conference, Denver’s offensive coordinator explained how he evaluates quarterbacks.

“There’s the hard data. You want to get more completions and you want less interceptions. You want to throw touchdown passes,” Shurmur said. “I’m kind of looking at when this guy is in there, are less bad things happening? When he makes a mistake, is it catastrophic or is it something we can correct?”

The second part of the answer is the key clue. Bridgewater makes mistakes that result in punts. Lock’s errors lead to interceptions. That suggests that the veteran will get the nod.

If that’s the case, then why wait to make the decision? Is there anything that can occur during training camp and the preseason to make the Broncos think that Lock has changed his ways and become more careful with the ball? What scenario would have to unfold that would suggest that Bridgewater isn’t the “safer” option?

So why carry on the charade? Why endure the same questions day after day? Why subject the quarterbacks to scrutiny on every throw?

Picking a starter allows the team to avoid a major distraction. It also allows the offense to build continuity, something that was lacking a year ago and was oft-cited as the reason for the team’s struggles.

Let the offensive line get used to one cadence. Let the wide receivers and tight ends get comfortable catching passes from one QB. Let the running backs get accustomed to taking handoffs from one signal caller.

This isn’t hard. The Broncos know what they have in Bridgewater and Lock. They need to simply pick a lane and go with it.

Follow @jamesmerilatt