Denver Broncos release of Jeff Driskel sets stage for Quarterback competition

The Denver Broncos have announced that they have released quarterback Jeff Driskel. Driskel was the backup for Drew Lock last season and played a stint in Lock's stead in 2020.

The move is a continuation of the quarterback carousel that the Denver Broncos have been on since winning Super Bowl 50 at the end of the 2015 season. The move is the latest development in the search for a franchise quarterback that will continue with a battle between quarterbacks Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock.

Teddy Bridgewater has floated around the league. His first team was the Minnesota Vikings, where he led them to a playoff appearance. After a devastating injury to his leg, the quarterback spent a year in recovery before eventually landing as a backup for Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.

He stayed there for two years, including putting together a decent stretch where he threw nine touchdowns and two interceptions in relief of Brees. The stint was impressive enough to land him a starting gig with the Carolina Panthers, where he threw 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, leading his team to a 5-11 record. The Denver Broncos then acquired him this offseason for a sixth-round pick.

Most interceptions thrown under pressure in 2020:🔸Drew Lock - 8🔸Teddy Bridgewater - 7 pic.twitter.com/T0lucMaxN0

— PFF (@PFF) April 28, 2021

He faces incumbent Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock, who has also had injury issues and who also put up a 5-11 record in 2020. Lock sat for much of his rookie season after being chosen in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He missed much of pre-season due to injury. When he did see the field at the end of the season, the Broncos put together the best run of the post-Manning era in which they went 4-1.

Put simply, Broncos fans were excited for 2020. However, Lock missed time for the second year in a row and also saw his play fall. During the season, Lock's best accomplishments were a fourth-quarter comeback against the Los Angeles Chargers and nearly defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in their second meeting of the season.

Looming over the Denver Broncos quarterback competition is also news that MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers is looking to get out of Green Bay and has reportedly named Denver as one of his top choices.

Mark Schlereth just reported on @1043TheFan that a deal for the Broncos to land Aaron Rodgers is “as close to a done deal as it can get”

— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) April 29, 2021

It was rumored that the Denver Broncos were close to putting together a trade package to get Rodgers added, but talks slowed down. The fate of Rodgers is now expected to be unknown going into the summer. Who will be the starting quarterback in September? It seems that the answer will be unknown in the short term.