The Denver Broncos finally got out of the hole in 2024, a place where it seemed they could be for another several years. It seems that a bit of luck was on their side in that process.
Going back to the 2024 NFL Draft, it was clear that the Broncos needed a quarterback. After the disaster that was the Russell Wilson experiment, which left the team with a record amount of dead money on the books, finding a quarterback was imperative.
The Broncos had the No. 12 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and they watched five quarterbacks get selected within the first 11 picks. Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy and Michael Penix Jr. all went off the board before the Broncos went on the clock, but Oregon's Bo Nix was still there and that was Sean Payton's guy.
It's a very good thing that the Broncos had that No. 12 pick, one pick ahead of the hated Las Vegas Raiders.
Recently, former Raiders general manager Tom Telesco discussed the team's draft last year and stated that Nix "would have been a good possibility" with the No. 13 pick. The Raiders needed a quarterback as badly as Denver did, but the Broncos were able to beat them to the punch.
The Broncos now have Nix and their quarterback problem is solved. The Raiders have Geno Smith to go with new head coach Pete Carroll, so their outlook is better than it was a year ago, but the Broncos still hold an advantage in the quarterback department.
With the Broncos now having to face Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton in divisional games, two players they would have loved to get in this year's draft, having to see Nix in silver and black would have been unbearable.
All things happen for a reason. In 2023, the Broncos and Raiders both finished 8-9 on the season. The Raiders had a lower draft pick simply because they had a better record in the division (4-2) than the Broncos (3-3). That allowed the Broncos to get Nix and the Raiders to be still searching for their quarterback of the future.
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