32 Teams/32 Days: Denver Broncos

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32 Teams/32 Days Denver Broncos Team Review

*Disclaimer: Most of this was written pre free agency and pre Watson allegations. I’ve decided to include what was written before because. ONE. To get a look at my thoughts then and now. TWO. Because it was a lot of work. I had to delay putting this out because I had shit come up in my life. It most likely won’t be the best 32/32 you’re going to read but I did what I could. I hope it's somewhat informational if not entertaining.

So, the talk of the town in Denver Broncos country is DeShaun Watson. Could we get him? I think…Maybe. We don’t have the most to offer, but I think there is a possibility that it could happen. I don’t speak for everyone, but we have to look at three options. That’s Watson, Drew Lock, or someone else. Damn, maybe even Lock as as the starter with someone to push him(Fitzpatrick, Newton, Dalton, etc). The offensive skill players the Broncos possess as of now can be a game changer depending on the quarterback this upcoming year. Watson makes them a playoff contender. I’ve even seen some analysts(probably shitty or homers) give them the Super Bowl nod with him at the helm. Vic Fangio has been on a 50/50 hot seat depending who you are, and we have a lot to look into. I personally still like to live In the days of 2015. Remember when elite Brock Lobster was slinging the rock? Or maybe when Trevor Semien came in and killed it? Ahh. Oh yeah. God damn Peyton Manning in his last year. Tall, looking over the line(the way Elway likes), just taking that noodle of an arm to Super Bowl 50. That has been gone for longer than we actually would like to remember. But let’s talk about how we’re getting that back this upcoming year.

Stats

Overall Record 5-11

Home Record 2-6

Away Record 3-5

Div Record 1-5

Conf Record 4-8

Yards Per Game 349.4(Off) 385.6(Def)

Pass Yards Per Game 215.7(Off) 237.9(Def)

Rush Yards Per Game 119.9(Off) 130.0(Def)

Points Per Game 20.2(Scored) 27.9(Allowed)

Staff

This year John Elway decided to step down as the General Manager, but will continue his role as Team President. He has stated he will not be interfering in any of new GM George Patton’s (formerly of the Minnesota Vikings, not the United States Army general) decision making. We will see. John Elway has brought 3 Super Bowls to Denver, 2 as a football player, and 1 in the front office. He’s know for his somewhat shitty drafting, specifically of the tall, white, quarter back(see Brock Oswieler, Paxton Lynch, Drew Lock). So this is a new exciting time. Probably not. Head Coach Vic Fangio will be going into his 3rd season with a sweet, coach leading, 5-1 Vegas odds to be first coach fired this season. Time to defy the odds Coach. Offensive Coordinator Pat Shurmur is returning. I’m the furthest thing from an X’s and O’s guy, but I believe he’ll bring a lot of 3/4 WR sets and play action, as well as a zone running scheme. There’s been some talks of Coach Fangio possibly giving up defensive play calling duties. That would fall to Defensive Coordinator Ed Donatell. I believe that would include a predominantly 3-4 defense, mainly zone coverage, and obviously other situational packages. I really have no clue and this is just from small observations. I would get into every coach by position if I had the knowledge, but I unfortunately do not.

Free Agents

I should have probably disclosed this from the very beginning, so I’m just going to throw this in right here. I have absolutely no clue what I’m talking about. I’m a huge Broncos fan, as well as a huge NFL fan. I don’t know a lot of front office talk, barely know any upcoming prospects, and my takes are probably hot garbage. So roll with the punches with me folks, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

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• Von Miller OLB(Re-signed)
• AJ Bouye CB(Cut)
• Jurrell Casey DL(Cut)
• Justin Simmons FS(One of the best safeties in the game. Absolutely need to re-sign/franchise)(Re-sign)
• Kareem Jackson SS(Great 2 in the 1-2 punch that is him and Simmons. Vital in Watson recruit)(Re-signed)
• Elijah Wilkinson G(One of my flaws I mentioned before is idk a lot about line play)(Cut)
• Will Parks S(Idk.)
• Tim Patrick WR(Would love to resign. Coming out party last year. Has 2 first names)(Signed)
• Phillip Lindsay RB(Not so rad year. Liability in pass blocking 2 first names)(Cut)
• Jake Butt TE(I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen him play. Probably gone. Cool name)(Cut)

There is most certainly more Free Agents to add to this list, and I’m sure some are big difference makers as well. But unfortunately I just don’t know enough about them to comment on them. I know, I’m a bummer. Anyways. Boom, next topic.

Quarterback

Which is right back to Quarterback. Obviously I’ve been typing this up over the span of a few days so I get more news and insight as time passes. Apparently the Broncos are ready to throw whatever it takes to get Watson. And if that falls through(I’m prepared for that) they are looking at other “tops” on their list. Besides Dak(doubtful), Russ(surely were part of the “1/3 of the league who inquired” but I don’t think he’s really available), or someone like Matt Ryan(I hear that would screw the Falcon’s cap, then again I don’t know what that really means). I have always made myself attempt to like Drew Lock. It’s time that I realize he’s just not the truth. I also do not expect him to make the Josh Allen 3rd year leap. After reading a bunch of stats I barely understand, I truly believe almost any somewhat experienced guy can make our offense better. Some of those stats include.

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• 63.5 Overall Grade from PFF(32nd out of 34 QBs)
• 57.3 % Of Passes Completed(34th out of 34 WTF)
• 48.8 Quarterback Ranking(29)
• Anddd tied for 1st in INTs (Only fumbled 3 times. What a guy)

So to end “The Shit On Drew Lock Power Hour” I’m just gonna mention a few guys that can realistically help out under center.

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• Jameis Winston(Eyes are fixed, lets sling the rock buddy)
• Mitchell Trubisky(NVP. Has played in games before. Has been to playoffs twice. Idk.)
• Jacoby Brissett(Experienced vet. Has looked solid in the past. Not Drew Lock)
• Ryan Fitzpatrick(Who even knows what he’s capable of. Could push Drew to play better)
• Andy Dalton(Almost got them Boys into the playoffs. Also a vet presence who isn’t Flacco)
• Cam Newton(Yeah idk. He’s a playmaker. Former MVP. We’ve won an SB with a noodle arm)
• Honorable Mention: Sam Darnold in some crazy 3 way trade where the Jets end up with Watson and we get not Watson. Unfortunately, Sam is one of the only QB’s Lock has a better QBR than. So, probably going backwards.

Okay, so that’s it. The rest of my write up should go a little smoother. Quarterback is just such a big deal, especially for this team, that I couldn’t stop my fingers from shutting the hell up. That being said, I would love to see Drew Lock succeed. He’s shown flashes of being pretty good, but I just don’t see it happening. Theres always the draft, but at the 9th pick I’m not sure we’re getting any of the top guys without a trade. Go for Watson, go for a big name Free Agent, or draft a kid(or acquire a vet) and put the pressure on Lock. Coolio

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• As mentioned before, these were my feelings pre Free Agency, I will update my thoughts on the current situation toward the end!

Skill Positions(RB,WR,TE)

I actually think we’ve got a really good thing going on with the offense right now. It’s another reason I rambled on about the previous subject. Let’s try to utilize the talent we have instead of wasting another year. Now I say this as a fan of the Broncos. In comparison to a high powered offense team, maybe I sound crazy. And I am. So let’s dive into this group of guys. Last year we acquired Melvin Gordon. With Phillip Lindsay already on the team, we knew there would be a running back by committee situation going on. Lindsay, although good, is on the smaller side. He’d be more of slick pass catching guy(which he did not do so well at) and Gordon would take more of the heavy load. Turns out Gordon ended up with a pretty damn decent season. He was 14 yards short of 1000 yards rushing, and 1 TD short of 10 rushing. You do the math. Lindsay was banged up as usual, missed quite a few games, blocked like shit, and is an upcoming free agent. He’s a local guy and the fans love him(I myself am not from Colorado). I do not believe he will be back, and Gordon will have the job this upcoming season. That being said, Royce Freeman probably isn’t the most exciting back up. Maybe someone like Tevin Coleman or Mark Ingram can help Melvin split up the back field. I don’t think we’re too concerned in the RB field right now so I can’t see us looking for a top FA’ such as Kenyan Drake or Aaron Jones. As I mentioned before, I don’t have a lot of insight regarding the draft, but maybe an RB in a later round with one of our 9 picks.

The most exciting part of the skill players, and maybe the whole team right now, has got to be the wide receivers. Courtland Sutton going down early last year was a heartbreaker. The way he played in 2019, and possibly being the guy to help Drew Lock grow, only gave me hopeless thoughts moving forward. And I was right. But for other reasons. Because we got a pretty good look of what we have to work with our other guys. Enter Jerry Jeudy. I think this kid is going to be a legit top guy in the league. His route running is unbelievable, he’s got pretty good speed, and number of cornerbacks have said he’s one of the tougher guys they faced last year. With quite a few rookie WR standouts in the league last year, Jeudy barely cracked the top 5. I suppose that could be considered a disappointment, but it also leaves tons of room for improvement, especially depending on the quarterback situation. He did have 26 receptions of 15 plus yards(2nd most for a rookie) this year. Here’s the kicker, Jerry dropped the ball 12 times out of 64 catchable balls. If Lock can accurately get you the ball, catching it would be nice. The good news is, that stat is more common for a rookie to have, as well as to fix. Which leads me to the other half of the rookie duo who dropped a combined 19 passes, K.J. Hamler. Thats right, Hamler himself had 7 drops(out of 37 passes). So now I’m just shitting out dropped pass knowledge. Moving on. Hamler is a speedy guy, he ran a 4.27 at the combine, and caught 21 passes from the slot as well. Thats a really good sign for the potential number 3 guy, behind the likes of Sutton and Jeudy. Free agent Tim Patrick had a good mid to end year run. He ended up with 6 TD’s out of nowhere(in my opinion) and I think he’d be a solid guy to keep on the team. As I just noted, he’d most likely be the 4th guy on the depth chart, which isn’t too damn bad.

And last but not least in this group, shout out Noah Fant. I remember last year wasn’t too hot for him, and looking over his numbers, this year only increased by about 20 receptions and roughly 100 more yards. He had 3 touchdowns in each of his first two years, but I think he just looks better. I hate to link everything to Mr. Lock, but he doesn’t bring out the best in everybody. Tight ends are hard to come by(ha), and I personally am happy with Fant being ours. Hes a big, fast, athletic dude and I think he’ll be an integral piece of this offense. Behind him we have Albert “O” Okwuegbunam, Nick Vannett, and Jake Butt. Two of those guys have cool names for different reasons. I can’t really give too much of an opinion on these players other than that.

Offensive Line

As I feel has to be annoyingly mentioned almost every subject, my in depth knowledge is severely lacking. So if O-line play is your jam, I apologize that this part will be really basic. The projected starting line up as of now would be

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• Garret Bolles LT
• Dalton Risner LG
• Lloyd Cushenberry C
• Graham Glasgow RG
• Ja’Wan James RT

The little I do know, I believe there are rumors about releasing James, but I really have no lead on that. I hear that would be quite the dead money scenario. Garrett Bolles has looked tremendous considering in the past years if there was a flag on the play(specifically a good offensive play), it was most certainly holding…offense..number 72…million yard penalty. 9th down. On a line ranked 25th by PFF, Bolles was the number 3 overall tackle in football. The number one ranked tackle last year, Trent Williams, is a free agent that could help shore up the right side. Other available O-line free agents include tackles Andrew Villanueva(would either have to move sides, or switch with Bolles) , Ricky Wagner, Taylor Morton, and Darryl Williams. As far as the guards go, Graham Glasgow and Dalton Risner seem to be in between formidable and not very great. I really don’t know what to say other than they could be better. Risner is young, and Glasgow is going into his 6th year. So, there’s that. Four time pro bowler and first team All-Pro Brandon Scherff is available this year. Another guard that Denver can take a look at is Joe Thunney. Rookie Lloyd Cushenberry(dope name) will return this year at Center. He looked like a rookie. Ups and downs, maybe some promise. The job is his. Overall the “experts” say the line isn’t very good other than Bolles, and depending on Free Agency, a lot of shuffling positions may happen.

Defensive Line

Big shocker I’m sure but, the other side of the line will be somewhat similar to the former. It’s not a strong suit of mine(if anything is), so I’m going to focus on 3 guys we have, and one who is gone. After only 3 games last year before injury, the Broncos released Jurrell Casey. At 31 years old, last year he was still a somewhat exciting acquisition. It sucks to see him go, but I think there’s a lot of promising stuff happening with the defense going forward. Dre’Mont Jones is a pretty solid player coming off the left end of the line. He had 7 sacks last year which is tied for 9th in the league, which isn’t too shabby considering he’s not one of the bigger names on the defense. Let’s hope to see him get his name up there this season. Mike Purcell is the big boy in the middle for the line. He was also another guy who got hurt and was only able to play 6 games. Averaging 2 solo tackles a game when he did play, here’s hoping he can make it through the year with a higher output. With his first season under 16 games played since he’s been a Bronco(11), Shelby Harris is back and ready to go. With quite a bit of passes deflected at the line, and a few sacks, Harris should be a beast up front this upcoming season. He has a PFF grade of 88.3(I know its not everyones favorite stat), which puts him in the top 25 for interior linemen. Deshawn Williams who is slated to be his backup this year, was ranked number 4 for the position last year. Im sure the coaches will figure out how to get all of that skill on the field at once.

Linebackers

Back when I originally started this write up, I had Von Miller as good as gone. I had written that he is a legend, for this team, as well as the sport. I had come to terms that it will probably be fine if he leaves, although it would suck. But now that he is back, I’ve completely flipped flopped. I’m glad he’s back and think he is still going to kill it. I don’t need to explain much about Von other than he is a beast of an OLB. He is getting up there in age, but he still brings a lot to the defense in leadership, as well as skill depending on how his rehab of almost a year for his injury went. The guy who was supposed to be lethal as Von’s other half, Bradley Chubb, has to put down this year. He only missed 2 games last year, but this comes after missing 12 the year prior. Damn, we had quite a few injuries the last few seasons huh? He was drafted to be another Miller, if not at least a nice 1-2 combo. I think he has the skill, and with the way the defense is turning out this offseason, he should be set in a prime place to do what the team needs him to do. On the interior we have Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell. Johnson was tied 12th with 93 solo tackles and 11th with 32 assists. He came out with a total of 124 combined tackles(top 11) with 2 forced fumbles. On paper that seems pretty solid to me, but PFF(again just relaying) and some other analysts don’t think he looked that great. As iv’e mentioned with other players, I think the defense coming together this year will put other players in prime position to succeed. Jewell is some what similar in terms of rankings with tackles, but a few spots lower, and a similar grade. I’ve liked him the last few years, and I think he’ll end up playing some good football. They were both the top 2 leading tacklers on the team(which ILB’s seem to be a lot), so sometimes the eye test is better than the grade. What do I know(nothing)? I do think that ILB is a spot that will probably be covered in the draft, whether its find a solid backup or the future.

Secondary

This is now probably the position group I’m the most excited about. As I mentioned a million times, this has been written split between free agency. So at the top you’ll see I mentioned I thought Justin Simmons(absolute must) and Kareem Jackson(would love to have) were necessary. And not only do they get signed, but Kyle Fuller goes ahead and comes aboard? I think this secondary should be spectacular. Simmons should become one of the best free safeties in the game, if he isn’t already considered one of them. 90 tackles, 5 picks, and a forced fumble last year are just the stats. You can tell visually that when he’s on the field that he’s a big time difference maker. Most of Kareem Jackson’s numbers are in the top 20. Highly graded(80.4) and a great punch in the mouth playing next to Simmons. I also mentioned above that he was a good piece in getting Watson in(which I will comment on toward the end) but that is probably somewhat irrelevant at this time. As I’m sitting here10 days or so ago , scrolling to see all the free agency buzz, I never see anything new for the Broncos. Von is back, Simmons franchised(later signed), good stuff but nothing to cRaZy! I see Fuller gets released. Wow that’s kinda cRaZy, but who cares really, not gonna affect Denver. BOOM! Fuller gets signed to the squad. Now I know his year wasn’t so hot last year. The Bears weren’t great(still made the playoffs) and its been different there since Fangio left. But here they are together again. Fuller paired up with any combo of Ronald Darby, Bryce Callahan, or Michael Ojemudia should be nice. Darby signed for 10 million a year so I’m guessing he’ll be getting the nod.

Special Teams

Leading points scorer Brandon McManus will continue doing his thing this year. He went 28-34 for Field Goals, and 24-27 for Extra Points. I’m sure he’ll have even better numbers this year if the team can put itself in better offensive positions. Finally we get to my specialty. Punting. Just kidding. Punter Sam Martin had 65 punts, for 3040 yards, with a longest of 69(nice!). He only had one blocked and now returned touchdowns, so I guess I’ll say he’s a fantastic punter. Keep up the good work Sam! WR Dioante Spencer should be returning kicks and punts again this year. Against Carolina, he had an 83 yard punt return touchdown in a game we looked pretty damn good against. No problems with him continuing to take that role.

The Draft(And Other Run On Nonsense)

Along with every other subject I’ve been pretending to know stuff about. College football is definitely not my thing. I watch the bowl games, I know SOME of the names, and I generally learn more about the guys as the draft comes up. This year is no different. Considering Drew Lock is still the number 1 QB on the team, and a lot of the people I mentioned above are signed, or have sexual assault allegations against them, the draft could be a place to find someone. With the San Francisco 49er’s trading up to 3, I expect some combination of Trevor Lawerence, Zach Wilson, and Mac Jones to be gone way before our pick at 9. I don’t know if taking a more raw talented QB such as Justin Fields, or Trey Lance would be in the cards. But I know it would definitely be a sexy pick. Drafting a quarterback in a later round to replace a quarterback that was drafted in a later round also doesn’t seem like a great decision for a new GM. Unless they scout talent better than me or John Elway. Which I hope is the case. It may be best at this point to keep Lock and sign/trade for maybe a Gardner Minshew or Marcus Mariota type guy. If not to have a competition, to at least put some fire under Drew’s ass.

I would also like to use this run on paragraph to address the Deshaun Watson situation. As I mentioned a few times I had to take a break from writing this. And I wasn’t as focused on being on reddit every 4 minutes F5ing for a few weeks. And I actually heard about the Watson stuff later than most. It was quite disappointing to hear about. I have no opinion on whether he is guilty or innocent. Theres a lot of speculation and I choose not to comment on it here, nor really in public with others. I don’t even read the articles anymore. I was really excited to have Las Vegas have odds of him really landing with the Broncos. So all in all, I’m not crucifying anyone until all is said and done. But from a sports standpoint, excluding the beginning of this article(which I wanted to be seen), I won’t be including him in any future plans for Denver.

Ok, now continuing with something more positive. As I mentioned earlier I believe that ILB would probably be a position to look for in the draft. And as well as Jewell and Johnson were able to stack up total tackles. Having someone who can play in the middle, while also showing good coverage skills is necessary. Micah Parsons, Owusu-Koramoah, and Zaven Collins have all show ability to cover running backs and tight ends.

Prior to signing Kyle Fuller and Ronald Darby at CB, I was almost certain(surTain), that Patrick Surtain would be our pick at number 9. I praised Fuller quite a bit earlier, and I still do. But he will be 30 years old next season, as well as fellow cornerback Bryce Callahan. While I think that there could be a small battle for the opposite side of Fuller’s position, I feel as if Surtain can come in and start day one. As I’ve mentioned his contract before, Darby will probably have the job.

Mike Boone has since been signed as a number 2 guy to Melvin Gordon. The Broncos may want to look into some later rounds for a future star at RB. More depth for the defensive line, a blocking tight end, and a possible Von Miller replacement down the road are all things I hear could be helpful. These things are above my eye test level, and pay grade. So I’m just relaying some info at this point.

What’s Changed in the Last Month?

As I promise to stop mentioning, this was written in basically 3 week intervals. So let's catch up on all the different things that happened since I had my restart. ALMOST ALL THE QUARTERBACKS I SAID WOULD BE GOOD ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE! So that’s a pretty big bummer. I’ve said it before(2340 times) and I’ll say it again. At least a savvy vet to sit behind Drew would have been ideal. I doubt that a quarterback is coming home in the first round. So moving forward, Drew Lock season baby! I hope he has the Josh Allen 3rd season step I said he wouldn’t. Hopefully the pass catchers can help him out a lot this year. Other than Kyle Fuller, Ronald Darby, and Mike Boone, there isn’t too much new blood. No new lineman, no new receivers, no new linebackers. I’m very happy to see Von back in orange and blue this year. I feel like overall the offseason hasn’t been an extreme F5 for the Denver Broncos. Most certainly not an F5 off the top rope from Brock Lesnar. And I really thought quarterback would be a huge goal for us to figure out. New general manager George Patton may be looking at his cards closely though. Maybe he can draft a a bunch of difference makers. In a division with the Chiefs(yikes), Chargers(soon to be yikes), and Raiders(give them some defense and they can be good), I would LOVE for this team to be anything but last in the division.

Well, RIGHT ON! This is pretty much all I have to say during my glorified shit show opinion piece. I’m sorry for anyone who wanted the last 32/32 of the year to be a certified banger. Go Broncos! Go Football!