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The Denver Broncos have released veteran quarterback Josh Johnson, according to Mike Klis of 9news.
However, Johnson’s tenure in Denver may not be over. Klis also reported that the Broncos want to sign Johnson to the practice squad.
With the release of Johnson, Brett Rypien appears to have won the backup quarterback job.
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Broncos: The Backup QB Competition Was Competitive
During the preseason, Johnson completed 66.0 percent of his passes for 349 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Meanwhile, Rypien completed 67.7 percent of his passes for 441 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
On August 28, head coach Nathaniel Hackett spoke about how difficult the decision between the two quarterbacks was.
“I give so much credit to both those guys,” Hackett said per team reporter Aric DiLalla. “They came in here, they learned a brand-new system — both of them — and they have bought in, they’ve understood what we’re trying to accomplish, they understand the intent of all the plays we’re trying to do, and you can see that with that with the efficiency that we’ve had. I think we only had that one pick today that was down in the red zone. Besides that, they were great with the football in their hands. They were efficient. I haven’t seen the stats, but I think we got a solid amount of completions and I think that’s what you’re looking for from both of those guys. So it’s going to be a hard decision to see where we go with that. Both guys have worked hard. It was great to see ‘Ryp’ come out and earn that opportunity to start and he did a fine job, too, moving the ball.”
Since entering the league in 2018, Johnson has played for a record 14 NFL teams. In addition, he played for the San Diego Fleet in the AAF and the Los Angeles Wildcats in the XFL.
Rypien was signed by the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He started one game in 2020 completing 19 out of 31 passes for 242 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Could the Broncos Target QB Tim Boyle?
KOA Colorado’s Benjamin Allbright said that he would not be surprised to see the Broncos explore other options at quarterback, and he named Tim Boyle as a potential target.
Boyle was recently released by the Detroit Lions. During the preseason, he completed 56.5 percent of passes for 274 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Hackett recruited Boyle when he was an assistant coach at Syracuse.
The Green Bay Packers signed Boyle as an undrafted free agent in 2018, and he spent three seasons with the franchise. Coincidentally, Hackett served as the Packers’ offensive coordinator from 2019 to 2021.
Even though Boyle and Hackett have a connection, signing him might not be the right move. The Broncos have a lot of depth at other positions and giving up a roster spot for a third quarterback may not be wise.
In addition, Boyle did not outperform either Rypien or Johnson during the preseason.
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