Bombers acquire QB Dru Brown

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

That changes things a bit.  We won't tie up big $ on a stacked QB room with "2 #1's" -- it's not the Mafia way.

So we have two different views of the situation going on:

Mafia perspective:
1. Dru is a cheap rest-of-season rental and maybe the best insurance that was a realistic possibility. 
2. Dru is in-house should Zach get injured or retire before '27.  That means we have our foot in the door for a bid on him starting in '27 -- should we want that because Elgersma isn't ready.

Dru perspective:
A. Says he will only play where he wants to start.  There is no starting job anywhere right now.  So he accepts the backup role, why?  Because he has to.
B. He knows Zach has 50/50 chance of missing 2-4 games and Dru will be the starter.
C. He knows if he lights it up in relief and Zach retires then he's probably the starter.  Even if he never sees the field in '26 he's a strong contender to be starter in '27 because there may literally be no one else for WPG in FA.
D. He'll feel far more valued and respected in WPG.

It's win-win for everyone in 2026 (except our 2 1RDP cost).  The issues start in FA27.  Only if no one else wants Dru to start will he be available as a backup.  And as a backup he'll probably be the most expensive one in the league.  We won't pay a backup more than $175-ish.  Other teams value backups more and will outbid us -- unless we start him.

Miss the playoffs and big changes will be made, if Zach comes back at all in 2027 it should be at half his contract value, which would be enough to pay for Dru Brown.  A purge of the remaining old timers would likely take place to increase the energy level if nothing else, enough younger vets would be left to take up the leadership role, which is how it's supposed to work.

The team can work with Brown as the starter, how well he does remains to be seen but I don't have high hopes he'll become an elite QB, more of a competent place holder.  Elgersma will be there to step in when Dru gets hurt or falls apart, if he shows he's the more productive of the two when the bright lights are on the transition from Zach will be complete.  If Elgersma turns out to be the next Taylor Cornelius it may take a few years before they figure out the new path they need to take, by that time O'Shea may well be done.