Sean Payton and George Paton detail what they want in the Denver Broncos’ next QB

It looks like Russell Wilson’s time with the Denver Broncos is coming to an end.

The head coach of the Broncos stated on Tuesday, “We’ll be in meetings with ownership next week—Tuesday or Wednesday—and I expect that we’re going to know fairly quickly (what we’re doing with Wilson).” “I think it will happen in the next two weeks.”

Before the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, reporters had a meeting with Payton and general manager George Paton. Since his January press conference to wrap up the season, Paton had not made any public appearances. Since then, Payton’s sole public remarks have come from interviews conducted prior to the Super Bowl.

We want to see the entire landscape,” Paton said. “We had to get through our draft meetings. We had to get through our free agent meetings and evaluate with what we have. We just want to get through the process. Sean needs to see all of these quarterbacks and the coaches need to see all of these quarterbacks before we make an informed decision.”

Even Payton admits that there’s no way to know for sure which quarterbacks will pan out and which ones won’t.

“Historically speaking, we’ve had quiet, successful quarterbacks and we’ve had outspoken, successful quarterbacks,” Payton said. “We’ve had tall and short [successful quarterbacks]. So there are a lot of things that make you understand shapes and sizes and personality traits, but there are some constants that go with successful players at that position.”

Mobility is one of those things.

“I think offenses have changed a little bit and yet, we’ve never not valued a quarterback that can beat you with his feet,” he said. “That goes back to Young and Montana. Historically, that’s nothing new.”

But, of course, being able to run isn’t everything.

“At some point, teams are going to make you win from the pocket,” Payton said. “We can rush a certain way to keep a quarterback from escaping. We’re going to have to be—wherever you’re at—proficient enough on third down to take a snap, find a throw and protect that spot that you’re referencing, regardless of height. I think oftentimes, these guys are seeing through lanes, not necessarily over them. Certainly for some quarterbacks, that can be a little bit more challenging.”

The most important traits can be the toughest to scout.

“I think one thing that’s hard to measure is their ability to multitask, process and make decisions,” Payton said. “You can visit with someone and they can be intelligent, but how quickly can they deliver the information? How quickly can they get through the progression?”

Sometimes teams will know things aren’t going well early on.

“There’s no certainty or else we’d be fantastic with the draft,” Payton said. “For some when you get them in rookie minicamp, you realize, ‘Ah, I’ve been with a rookie before and just feel like this is not how I wanted it to go.’ He’s having trouble spitting out the plays and maybe it takes a while. Maybe that’s something that you realize is going to be a hindrance or set him back.”

Paton was asked about one quarterback in particular: J.J. McCarthy. The Broncos are meeting with McCarthy, a likely first-round pick, Tuesday night.

“He’s a good player, just like seven or eight other quarterbacks,” he said. “We’re still working through the process. Obviously, he’s a winner. He’s won a lot. He has talent. So I look forward to spending time with him, I think tonight.”

Paton was also asked about trying to trade for the first pick in the draft.

“I think you’d really have to love someone,” Paton said. “To move up to the [No.] 1 [pick], I don’t know if we have the draft capital to do that. We’re open for anything, but that would be hard to move up to No. 1, realistically.”

The Broncos may benefit from the fact that drafting is not a precise science. The Broncos would be stuck with the fourth or fifth pick in the QB draft if every team understood what the best pick was.

According to Payton, “sometimes it’s very difficult and sometimes it’s not as difficult as we make it out to be.” “We’ll be really good at this, and we’re kind of glad that a lot of other people aren’t,” the speaker said.