3 things to watch for as the Broncos travel to Seattle to play the Seahawks |

August 14, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Whop Philyor (16) tries to catch a pass against Denver Broncos defensive back PJ Locke (37) in the third quarter at US Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Broncos meet the Seattle Seahawks for their second preseason this week, and some of their players are at crucial moments in their careers.

What will these moments mean for the Denver players, team and the 2021 season? Let’s take a look.

Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater

As in previous years, this discussion seems to have to start in the quarterback position.

Both Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock will compete against each other on Saturday night, with the starting quarterback job at stake. Based on head coach Vic Fangio’s comments from the beginning of the week, it feels like we can already know the Broncos regular season on Sunday or Monday that the quarterback starts.

That means the performance of the two quarterbacks against the Seahawks should be decisive.

If Lock sets the world on fire again, he’ll almost certainly be the starter. Sure, Bridgewater was the better quarterback throughout training camp, winning joint training sessions against the Vikings first team defenses, but two dominant, public appearances by Lock will be too many to beat.

However, if Bridgewater wins the day, the quarterback competition should quickly favor him instead.

PJ Locke and Jamar Johnson

Safety wasn’t one of the most talked about position battles before training camp, but it has quickly become one of the most fascinating competitive spots in the entire squad

Kareem Jackson and Justin Simmons make up the last list. That much is undeniable. Caden Sterns has already looked like one of the NFL Draft’s biggest thieves and has become a coaching favorite, so he’s not going anywhere either.

On the other side of that coin we have Trey Marshall, who was already sixth in the team’s safety and then injured his ankle in the first game against the Vikings. Marshall didn’t have much hope of making the list, and his injury appears to have dashed any remaining hopes.

This means that Jamar Johnson and PJ Locke are competing for – in all likelihood – one last place in the squad.

The argument for Locke is that he is now ready to play. He’s spent more time, had better training camp (mainly due to the time Johnson missed) and has already proven his ability to influence special teams.

The argument over Johnson is positive and the investment Denver made in him when he called it up. There’s no denying he is behind Locke right now, but that’s more health than performance. Even if he might be behind Locke now, this should not be the case for long as he will have a good start in the league sooner rather than later.

Tim Patrick and Bryce Callahan

What’s wrong with Tim Patrick and Bryce Callahan?

Both have been featured frequently in trade rumors for good reason.

Last week the focus was on Callahan after General Manager George Paton said the Broncos would take calls from other teams on their cornerbacks. While it is possible that the calls were for Michael Ojemudia, most assumed it was Callahan, as Patrick Surtain II, Kyle Fuller, and Ronald Darby are all fairly non-negotiable for a variety of reasons.

This week the focus is on Patrick and it feels like a trade is about to start rolling at any second.

Initially, Patrick was kept out of the game against the Vikings. A little strange, sure, but reasonable considering there is no reason to risk him getting hurt. He was then incapacitated on both Monday and Tuesday, and although he attended Wednesday and Thursday, his role had been curtailed to a suspicious degree.

There’s no reason to keep an activated Patrick on the sidelines or keep him on the scout team throughout the exercise unless you try to keep him in bubble wrap. Why should the Broncos keep Patrick in bubble wrap? You deal with him.

And honestly, they should. Patrick may be an initial wide receiver for the Broncos, but the rise of KJ Hamler makes that less and less likely. Also at this point, Patrick is known to be hired for a year, and keeping him could result in the release of Seth Williams and / or Tyrie Cleveland, who could replace Patrick’s role for the next four and three years, respectively. Plus, the deterioration in Patrick’s role in 2021 means that his value will likely only deteriorate, so the Broncos may not be able to receive a high quality compensation selection even in return.

It’s certainly painful, but it seems best for everyone involved to sell Patrick to a WR-needy team like the New Orleans Saints or the Baltimore Ravens.