Which Broncos QB Will Start Week 1? Odds For Drew Lock vs. Teddy Bridgewater

Broncos Week 1 Starting QB Odds

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The Denver Broncos have one of the most intriguing predicaments at quarterback.

With the Drew Lock experiment looking like a bust, the Broncos were expected to make a move for a quarterback either via free agency or the draft with the ninth overall pick. But hours before the 2021 NFL Draft kicked off, Denver became heavily entangled in the Aaron Rodgers debacle, which may have impacted the team’s draft strategy. The Broncos curiously passed on both Ohio State’s Justin Fields and Alabama’s Mac Jones at No. 9 overall, instead opting for Crimson Tide cornerback Patrick Surtain II.

The rumored deal that would have sent a disgruntled Rodgers to Denver remains merely noise, which leaves Lock and recently-acquired Teddy Bridgewater atop the Broncos’ depth chart. The pair are co-favorites to take the team’s first snap come Week 1 at +145 odds (40.82% implied probability), although oddsmakers appear to be leaving the door open for a potential Rodgers acquisition.

Lock, 24, made 13 starts for Denver in 2020 and completed a paltry 57.3% of his passes for 2,933 yards, 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He has generated some buzz since OTAs began, with some analysts noting palpable improvement in the Missouri product’s footwork, which has been an area of weakness for Lock.

Harry How/Getty Images. Pictured: Teddy Bridgewater.

Bridgewater, 28, was dealt from the Panthers to the Broncos ahead of the draft in exchange for a 2021 sixth-round pick. He started all but one game in his first and only season as a Panther in 2020 and completed 69.1% of his passes for 3,733 yards, 15 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and rushed for 279 yards and five touchdowns. The journeyman Pro Bowl signal-caller is under a one-year, $11.5 million deal and will become an undrafted free agent in 2022. 

Brett Rypien, 24, has the longest odds to be the Broncos’ starter in Week 1 at +1600 (5.88%). The Boise State product went undrafted in 2019 and appeared in three games in 2020, completing 27-of-40 for 295 yards two touchdowns and four interceptions. He is currently listed as the third-string QB on the Broncos’ depth chart.

“Any other” — as in any QB other than Lock, Bridgewater or Rypien — is listed with the third-shortest odds at +220 (31.25%). And while Rodgers isn’t listed by name, we can assume that the possibility of him being traded to Denver is why they’ve included this option, especially considering that the Broncos have the second-shortest odds to land Rodgers at DraftKings (+140).

A blockbuster deal for Rodgers may still happen, especially in light of the QB’s alleged recent golf date with John Elway. If a Rodgers-Broncos marriage doesn’t happen, however, expect to see some form of quarterback competition to determine their Week 1 starter.