Broncos Mailbag: Should free-agents-to-be Marcus Mariota, Mitchell Trubisky on team’s offseason radar?

Denver Post Broncos writer Ryan O’Halloran posts his Broncos Mailbag periodically during the season. Submit questions to Ryan here.

Why wouldn’t offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur call one play-action pass after a good Javonte Williams run?

— Rod Williams, Buffalo, N.Y.

Rod is making me do my homework to answer this question. Sticking with the Bengals game specifically, the Broncos ran Williams again for four yards after his 14-yard carry and ran him for one yard after his 10-yard attempt.

Play action is all about the situation — time of game, score of game, down-and-distance and location on the field.

When can we expect to hire a new offensive-minded coach like Eric Bieniemy? Wouldn’t that be a great steal from Kansas City?

— John Walker, Des Moines, Iowa

If the Broncos move on from coach Vic Fangio, I do agree they need to go offensive-minded after two defensive-minded head coaches (Vance Joseph preceded Fangio). But I also believe the Broncos need either a coach with previous head-coaching experience or a coach with previous play-calling experience. Bieniemy has neither.

We are cleaning house at the end of the year. I can’t see Vic Fangio returning next year after that terrible loss to the Bengals. Can we land an Eric Bieniemy or Byron Leftwich? Does George Paton return to his Minnesota pipeline and steal Klint Kubiak? Who’s our next head coach?

— M. Scott, Wichita, Kan.

Vic Fangio, maybe? Let’s not close the book on Vic just yet — the Broncos are 7-7 with three games remaining and if Paton feels good about retaining him at 9-8/no playoffs, the hot boards can remain unwritten.

If the Broncos are to go big-game quarterback exploring this offseason, my lean is they need a coach with play-calling and head-coaching experience to manage the circus that Denver would become if Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers or a rookie first-round pick is acquired. Think John Fox with Peyton Manning.

Kubiak, son of former Broncos coach Gary Kubiak, who grew up in the Denver suburbs, is in his first year as a play-caller so he likely will be a part of next year’s cycle if Minnesota has success.

Broncos Country is dreaming about Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers but there is no guarantee they’re even available in the first place. If they go the draft route, any prospect they pick may require a year behind a starter before being ready. If so, there aren’t many stop-gap options on the free agent market (Las Vegas’ Marcus Mariota might be intriguing) so they might trade for one. Which credible trade would you make? Would you be intrigued by Mitch Trubisky or Gardner Minshew to compete with the new guy?

— Yoann, Beine-Nauroy, France

The current list of 2022 free-agent quarterbacks: Jacoby Brissett (Miami), Tyrod Taylor (Houston), Trevor Siemian (New Orleans), Trubisky (Buffalo) and Mariota (Las Vegas). Doesn’t exactly move the needle, does it? Minshew will be entering the final year of his rookie contract with Philadelphia.

Would Paton feel comfortable pairing, say, Trubisky with Liberty’s Malik Willis? Or Mariota with, say, Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett? That shouldn’t be the Broncos’ Plan A and I would be shocked if that’s the case.

Ryan, I don’t see Teddy Bridgewater returning to the Broncos moving forward, especially after that brutal hit on Sunday. Where do we go from here? Do we just coast with Drew Lock for the rest of the season and hope for the best in free agency and the draft? How about throwing in Brett Rypien and see what we have? Heck, I’ll pay to watch Kendall Hinton again back there with a proper game plan. Can’t hurt, right?

— Ron, Fort Collins

The Broncos are back to the Quarterback Drawing Board and that was the case even when they acquired Bridgewater from Carolina in late April. This was a one-year arrangement.

Bridgewater is a free agent after the season and Lock and Rypien remain under contract.

I wouldn’t mind seeing what Rypien could do if given a full week of practice work with the starters.

Let’s keep Hinton at receiver.

Hey Ryan, let’s take a look ahead at the draft. Of the potential first-round quarterbacks — Sam Howell, Matt Corral and Kenny Pickett — who do you think would best fit the Broncos? Do you think George Paton will pull the trigger and get one of them?

— Miles, Parker

Paton has seen each of those quarterbacks in person this year and if the Broncos have a pick in the mid-teens (or higher), they will be in position to select one of them (or Liberty’s Malik Willis) since it doesn’t appear teams will be trading way up for any of the passers.

I’m intrigued by Pickett, who was a Heisman Trophy finalist for the Panthers this year.

Has Albert Okwuegbunam taken over the top tight end spot from Noah Fant? He’s been impressive.

— Mike Williams, Golden

In the seven games since Okwuegbunam returned from injured reserve, he has 22 catches. Fant has played six of those games (he missed one on the COVID-19 list) and he has 23 catches. That’s a good 1 (Fant)-1A (Okwuegbunam) combination at tight end.

On Sunday, Fant played 60 snaps (57 yards on a team-high four catches) and Okwuegbunam played 30 snaps (team-high 58 yards on three catches). It does seem like the Broncos have figured out some medium-range routes to take advantage of Okwuegbunam’s abilities.

Denver Post Broncos writer Ryan O’Halloran posts his Broncos Mailbag periodically during the season. Submit questions to Ryan here.

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