The Denver Broncos are rebuilding. There, I said it. Since the first step is admitting it I am glad I have that behind me! It appears that Bronco fans feel the same way about the word 'rebuilding' as Leonidas, and the Spartans felt about the word 'submission' in the movie 300. Sadly, unlike the Spartans we really don't have a choice. Rebuilding has been the elephant in the room since Payton Manning walked out the door. It is time that Broncos Country, from John Elway and Joe Ellis, to the littlest Bronco fan embrace this fact.
If you hadn't already noticed the Broncos are essentially in rebuild mode then the trade of Emmanuel Sanders should have brought that to your attention. Sanders is an amazing football player, and fan favorite. Sadly, though he is still talented he is over 30 and on the downside of his career. The Broncos need the money that they would spend keeping him here building the rest of the roster, and they also need the draft picks that his deal brought.
Are the Broncos finished making moves? John Elway said they were, but there has also been rumors of Chris Harris Jr being on the trade block. Personally I think every player on the roster outside of Von Miller, Courtland Sutton, Phil Lindsey, Royce Freeman, Dalton Risner, and Noah Fant should be available. This is the last year of Chris Harris's contract, and I do not think he will resign here no matter what he tells you. Trading him to get something in return is better than watching him leave for nothing. Same thing with Derek Wolfe. Basically, if the player is not a core member of the long term plans of this team they should be on the market.
I can hear people saying "but I do not want to just tank for the rest of the season." It is not tanking at this point. The Broncos are 2-5, are coming off a terrible loss to a division rival, and traded away their longest tenured wide receiver for draft picks. I do not think it is tanking at this point. The Broncos need to come out, try and win every game, and then evaluate what they have in their younger players so they know which direction to go. In order to rebuild you have to know the materials you are starting with so you know what materials you still need to get in order to finish the project.
In my opinion the top question facing the Denver Broncos is, is Drew Lock going to be the type of starting quarterback we want him to be? This is why I think it is important that we give him as much playing time as he can possibly get. We need to know if he is the guy or not by the end of this season so we know which direction to go in the draft. If Drew Lock is our guy and we get a top 10 pick then we get grab an actual left tackle to pair with Dalton Risner on the left side. If Drew Lock isn't the guy we know that we have to be competitive at the top of this draft for one of the many talented QB's coming out.
Once the quarterback question is answered we can move forward with the rebuild. The Broncos should go out of their way to build both the offensive and defensive lines. If you want to build a championship team you do it up front. It doesn't matter who your QB is if your line cannot block for him, and it doesn't matter if you have Von Miller on the outside rushing the passer if the interior of your line can't stop the run or get a pass rush. The good news for Bronco fans is that with as much turnover as there is in the NFL each year you are never more than a year or two away from being back in the championship race. Denver fans always show up, so hopefully we will get to watch the emergence of the next core of Bronco players!
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Friday, March 22, 2019
The Hole In The Middle Of The Broncos
The Denver Broncos have been active thus far in the offseason, and they have addressed some important needs. Adding Kareem Jackson and Bryce Callahan to Chris Harris Jr, Justin Simmons, and Will Parks suddenly makes our secondary an absolute strength for this team again. Elway addressed the offensive side of the ball by working out a trade with the Baltimore Ravens for quarterback Joe Flacco, and then went out and made Ja'Waun James the highest paid right tackle in the league.
Kareem Jackson, and Bryce Callahan will step right into a starting roles with Kareem Jackson playing opposite of Chris Harris Jr, and Callahan being the nickelback. Obviously Joe Flacco and Ja'Waun James will be instant starters on offense, but the football traditionalist in me has noticed a huge missing piece of the puzzle for a successful football team; they are incredibly weak up the middle on both sides of the ball. They lost Matt Paradis in free agency, and Garret Bolles is the only returning starter not coming off a major injury. As of right now Conner McGovern is the starting center, but he might be best used at guard. Ron Leary is coming off injury so there is no telling if he will be able to get back to 100%, and the only other guard listed on the roster with NFL experience is Conner McGovern. Defensively they chose to let Domata Peko go, and while they have Derek Wolfe, Adam Gotsis, and Shelby Harris, there isn't much depth on the team, and they are a bit undersized. Moving back to the linebacking corps, Von Miller and Bradley Chubb make up one of the best pass rushing tandems in the NFL. The starting inside linebacking duo made up of Todd Davis and Josey Jewell are great first and second down linebackers, but are a liability in coverage. In what seems to be a ongoing theme with the Denver defense they continually get shredded by tight ends and running backs out of the backfield.
So what should the Broncos do at this point in the offseason?
Defensively I am 100% on the bandwagon of drafting either Devin White, or Devin Bush with the 10th pick in the draft. Both of these players are the type of players you want in the middle of your defense. There is a rumor I have read that Denver is also looking to make a trade with the Jets for inside linebacker Darron Lee. I for one hope this is true. Darron Lee is a sideline to sideline player that can cover tight ends, and running backs out of the backfield. Devin Bush/White and Darron Lee would give the Broncos a lot more flexibility at linebacker, and give Vic Fangio the type of inside linebackers he has excelled with in his defense. This is a deep draft for defensive linemen, and hopefully Denver will be able to pick up one or two players that can contribute next year.
Offensively they have both their left and right tackles set with Bolles and James. I would not be shocked if they brought in a veteran center either in the coming weeks, or maybe after the June 1st cuts. The Broncos are going to have to address the interior of this line with both a veteran signing, and drafting a potential starter in this draft. Three names of players who have stood out to me on film are Chris Lindstrom from Boston College, Erik McCoy from Texas A&M, and Michael Jordan from Oihio State. Something that stands out about McCoy and Jordan are they are both players that have experience playing both guard and center with McCoy being the highest rated center, and Jordan being the 4th highest rated center in this years draft. Trading for Joe Flacco solidified the quarterback position, but it doesn't matter who your quarterback is if you can't protect him.
As of right now the Denver Broncos are weak up the middle on both sides of the ball. How John Elway addresses this issue will have a drastic effect on whether or not they avoid having a third losing season in a row.
Kareem Jackson, and Bryce Callahan will step right into a starting roles with Kareem Jackson playing opposite of Chris Harris Jr, and Callahan being the nickelback. Obviously Joe Flacco and Ja'Waun James will be instant starters on offense, but the football traditionalist in me has noticed a huge missing piece of the puzzle for a successful football team; they are incredibly weak up the middle on both sides of the ball. They lost Matt Paradis in free agency, and Garret Bolles is the only returning starter not coming off a major injury. As of right now Conner McGovern is the starting center, but he might be best used at guard. Ron Leary is coming off injury so there is no telling if he will be able to get back to 100%, and the only other guard listed on the roster with NFL experience is Conner McGovern. Defensively they chose to let Domata Peko go, and while they have Derek Wolfe, Adam Gotsis, and Shelby Harris, there isn't much depth on the team, and they are a bit undersized. Moving back to the linebacking corps, Von Miller and Bradley Chubb make up one of the best pass rushing tandems in the NFL. The starting inside linebacking duo made up of Todd Davis and Josey Jewell are great first and second down linebackers, but are a liability in coverage. In what seems to be a ongoing theme with the Denver defense they continually get shredded by tight ends and running backs out of the backfield.
So what should the Broncos do at this point in the offseason?
Defensively I am 100% on the bandwagon of drafting either Devin White, or Devin Bush with the 10th pick in the draft. Both of these players are the type of players you want in the middle of your defense. There is a rumor I have read that Denver is also looking to make a trade with the Jets for inside linebacker Darron Lee. I for one hope this is true. Darron Lee is a sideline to sideline player that can cover tight ends, and running backs out of the backfield. Devin Bush/White and Darron Lee would give the Broncos a lot more flexibility at linebacker, and give Vic Fangio the type of inside linebackers he has excelled with in his defense. This is a deep draft for defensive linemen, and hopefully Denver will be able to pick up one or two players that can contribute next year.
Offensively they have both their left and right tackles set with Bolles and James. I would not be shocked if they brought in a veteran center either in the coming weeks, or maybe after the June 1st cuts. The Broncos are going to have to address the interior of this line with both a veteran signing, and drafting a potential starter in this draft. Three names of players who have stood out to me on film are Chris Lindstrom from Boston College, Erik McCoy from Texas A&M, and Michael Jordan from Oihio State. Something that stands out about McCoy and Jordan are they are both players that have experience playing both guard and center with McCoy being the highest rated center, and Jordan being the 4th highest rated center in this years draft. Trading for Joe Flacco solidified the quarterback position, but it doesn't matter who your quarterback is if you can't protect him.
As of right now the Denver Broncos are weak up the middle on both sides of the ball. How John Elway addresses this issue will have a drastic effect on whether or not they avoid having a third losing season in a row.
Saturday, March 16, 2019
All Signs Point To Denver Drafting..............
Devin Bush, inside linebacker, from the University of Michigan.
The Denver Broncos have multiple issues going into the 2019-2020 season, and I would say they have done a great job addressing those needs thus far in the offseason. Bringing in Kareem Jackson and Bryce Callahan has returned our secondary to being one of the strengths of the team, and Ja'waun James looks to give Denver it's first consistent right tackle in recent memory. As you begin to cross these holes off the list you come to one huge glaring need in a Vic Fangio defense, inside linebackers who can run.
If you look at the defenses that Vic Fangio is best known for they were his 49ers defense that featured Patrick Willis and Navarro Bowman in the middle, and last seasons Chicago Bears defense which had Danny Trevathan and Roquan Smith on the inside. Currently the Denver Broncos have Josey Jewell and Todd Davis as their starting inside linebackers. While both are pretty sure tacklers they lack the speed to cover backs out of the backfield, and tight ends. Vic Fangio's defense needs inside linebackers who can cover a lot of ground, and Devin Bush fits that criteria. He ran a 4.44 40 yard dash at the combine, but this is a player who looks even faster on film. Devin Bush was all over the field for the Michigan Wolverine defense, and he is exactly the type of player you want in charge on the field. Drafting Bush would also fit with the Broncos recent trend of drafting team captains. It is rare that you see linebackers with all the tools that Devin Bush has.
Devin Bush is one of two inside linebackers in this draft that can absolutely be a difference maker from day 1. The other linebacker in this draft that will be special is Devin White. At 6'1 and 240lbs White is 2 inches taller than Bush, and White ran his 40 in 4.41 seconds. His stock is rising in the draft and he most likely will not be there at 10 when Denver drafts. Devin Bush should be available at 10, and getting a 3 down linebacker like Bush who can has the speed to cover running backs and tight ends should be Denver's top priority.
The Denver Broncos have multiple issues going into the 2019-2020 season, and I would say they have done a great job addressing those needs thus far in the offseason. Bringing in Kareem Jackson and Bryce Callahan has returned our secondary to being one of the strengths of the team, and Ja'waun James looks to give Denver it's first consistent right tackle in recent memory. As you begin to cross these holes off the list you come to one huge glaring need in a Vic Fangio defense, inside linebackers who can run.
If you look at the defenses that Vic Fangio is best known for they were his 49ers defense that featured Patrick Willis and Navarro Bowman in the middle, and last seasons Chicago Bears defense which had Danny Trevathan and Roquan Smith on the inside. Currently the Denver Broncos have Josey Jewell and Todd Davis as their starting inside linebackers. While both are pretty sure tacklers they lack the speed to cover backs out of the backfield, and tight ends. Vic Fangio's defense needs inside linebackers who can cover a lot of ground, and Devin Bush fits that criteria. He ran a 4.44 40 yard dash at the combine, but this is a player who looks even faster on film. Devin Bush was all over the field for the Michigan Wolverine defense, and he is exactly the type of player you want in charge on the field. Drafting Bush would also fit with the Broncos recent trend of drafting team captains. It is rare that you see linebackers with all the tools that Devin Bush has.
Devin Bush is one of two inside linebackers in this draft that can absolutely be a difference maker from day 1. The other linebacker in this draft that will be special is Devin White. At 6'1 and 240lbs White is 2 inches taller than Bush, and White ran his 40 in 4.41 seconds. His stock is rising in the draft and he most likely will not be there at 10 when Denver drafts. Devin Bush should be available at 10, and getting a 3 down linebacker like Bush who can has the speed to cover running backs and tight ends should be Denver's top priority.
Thursday, January 17, 2019
A Quick Guess Who Denver Will Draft.......
This is going to be a quick post as I will go into individual positions closer to the draft, but taking a step back and trying to guess who Denver will pick there were a lot of scenarios that made sense. Taking into consideration our teams strengths and weaknesses, up coming free agents, and who is getting older and might not be what they once were is part of the draft process. Another part of the draft process is selecting players who the coaches think they can get the most out of. When you take all those things into consideration then look at coach Fangios most successful defenses, and you compare them to the Broncos current defense it becomes clear we are lacking what coach Fangio wants at inside linebacker. Right now Josey Jewell and Todd Davis are our inside linebackers. When coach Fangio coached the 49ers he had Patrick Willis and Navarro Bowman as his inside linebackers. Last year in Chicago he had Danny Trevathan, a former Bronco, and Roquan Smith as his inside linebackers.
Looking at how coach Fangio uses his inside linebackers it is probably fair to anticipate Denver will add at least one inside linebacker this offseason through free agency, as well as through the draft. So without digging into any of the offseason information who would I guess Denver drafts? With the 10th pick of the draft Denver will pick Devin White, inside linebacker from LSU. Watching his highlights I have not seen a linebacker as violent as White since Vontaze Burfict came out of Arizona State. I think Devin White probably has a better head on his shoulders than Burfict, and with Fangios love for fast, and violent inside linebackers do not be surprised if Devin White is the Broncos pick at 10. Below is a Devin White highlight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2vg38N3k40&t=78s
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