BOCA RATON, FLA. — Gary Kubiak sat down for breakfast Tuesday, and before he could eat his first bite of watermelon was asked how he was digesting the Broncos’ uncertainty at quarterback.

The Broncos are the first Super Bowl champions since the 2000 Baltimore Ravens to lose their top two players at the position, and no recent defending champion has gone this late into the offseason without knowing who its starter is.

“We are in no hurry to add a quarterback. We talk about it every day. The important thing is that we get it right, not rush it,” Kubiak said at the coaches’ breakfast at the NFL owners meetings. “It’s going to be a competitive situation. May the best man win.”

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The Broncos’ recent acquisition of Mark Sanchez allows for patience with the decision. Kubiak said Sanchez will learn Denver’s offense quickly because of his familiarity with the verbiage dating to his days at the University of Southern California. He has been a regular at the Broncos facility preparing for his opportunity since he was acquired.

The Broncos continue to explore multiple options to get a quarterback in free agency — Ryan Fitzpatrick, Robert Griffin III — and trade (though Kubiak could not discuss players under contract such as San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick, Houston’s Brian Hoyer and Tampa Bay’s Mike Glennon).

Eager to embrace the challenge of repeating, beginning with offseason workouts on April 18, Kubiak addressed multiple topics during a wide-ranging interview that lasted more than an hour at the Boca Raton Resort and Beach Club. Following are highlights:

On the locker room void created by Peyton Manning’s retirement:

“A lot of guys leaned on him, a lot of the people in the organization leaned on him. That is a big locker to fill. … It’s time for Emmanuel (Sanders) and DT (Demaryius Thomas) to take on more of a leadership role.”

Kubiak intends to move around the receivers more in the offense to create opportunities, and he said the key for Thomas to rebound is to limit drops. “He had some balls go through his hands. You go back and look at those, and his year could have been just as big. They are two great players who we have a lot of confidence in and we need to do everything we can to get them touching the football as much as we can.”

On the plan for running back C.J. Anderson after he got a big contract:

“We need to be a better offense than we were last year. C.J. played his best football at the end of the year. I don’t think he has reached the heights he can reach,” Kubiak said. “If he can stay healthy for 16 weeks, I think he can be one of the top backs in the league.”

Kubiak doesn’t rule out trying to sign free-agent Arian Foster for depth, but Foster is rehabbing an injury, putting any pursuit on the backburner.

On whether Brock Osweiler’s benching impacted his decision to leave for Houston as a free agent:

“You’d have to ask him that. I’m the guy that put him in there. I believed in him,” said Kubiak, who added he talked with Osweiler after he signed with the Texans to wish him well. “Now it’s time for us to find the next Brock Osweiler.”

On outside linebacker Von Miller’s whirlwind tour since winning Super Bowl 50 MVP honors:

“You want guys to enjoy what they did and what took place. I’m proud of Von, ” Kubiak said. He did not see Miller’s debut Monday on “Dancing With the Stars,” but wasn’t surprised he did well. He’s hoping Miller will be at offseason workouts as the Broncos try to work out a long-term contract after placing the exclusive franchise tag on the outside linebacker.

On the roles of tight end Jeff Heuerman and offensive lineman Ty Sambrailo, who will see time at guard after playing left tackle last season:

“We feel like Jeff can be a total tight end. We are counting on him a great deal with Virgil (Green). It’s a big offseason for him,” Kubiak said. Heuerman will be a full participant when the team begins offseason workouts; he had knee surgery last May. Kubiak said the Broncos haven’t ruled out bringing back veteran Owen Daniels, who was cut earlier this offseason to help clear salary-cap space.

Sambrailo could be limited in some drills as he recovers from shoulder surgery on his labrum.

On if defensive coordinator Wade Phillips ever considered walking off into the sunset after finally winning a Super Bowl after nearly four decades coaching:

“What would he do if he wasn’t on Twitter or coaching ball?”