2021 Offseason Review: Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos

AFC West

1 Kansas City Chiefs (14-2)

2 Las Vegas Raiders (8-8)

3 Los Angeles Chargers (7-9)

4 Denver Broncos (5-11)

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Front Office

The Duke’s Upward Fall

Look, I don’t care what anyone says. John Elway is the most important figure in Denver Broncos history. Without John, we don’t have a single Lombardi. Without John, we’d be without of one of the most impressive drives in NFL lore. Without John, I might be a baseball fan. Yuck. While the past five years have been…what’s a nice word for it…unpalatable…John Elway was an objectively great executive for this team. After a near-decade of purgatory (2005’s mustachioed glory notwithstanding), Elway brought this franchise back into relevance. He secured one of the league’s most historically pivotal free agents in Peyton Manning, he architected on of the league’s most prolific offenses, he completely reinvented the defensive side of the roster after that prolific offense took a giant shit on itself in front of 111.5 million viewers, and he managed to do it all while permanently blackout. After years of trying and failing to find himself in a quarterback, John made the wise decision to promote himself—now just the President of Football Operations—and usher in a new era in Broncos Front Office personnel. Which brings us to…

General Paton Takes Over

The supposed most-coveted GM candidate in the NFL. A man who turned down prior interview requests several times, and an overall cool guy—George Paton. A 14-year Viking vet, George Paton is widely regarded as one of the smartest NFL execs around. He worked his way up to management from a lowly scouting position and prides himself on getting eyes on players as often as possible. During his time in Minnesota, he’s credited with helping the team acquire 22 Pro Bowl players in total. Once Paton relieved John of his GMing duties, he immediately got to work digging into the team, its current roster, its needs, and its fans. I’ll get into Paton’s moves a bit more later in the post but, suffice to say—we like George Paton so far. And you know what George Paton likes? DBs.

Kelly Kleine Makes History

In a very cool early move, Paton brought with him one of the league’s foremost female NFL executives, and promoted her to Executive Director of Football Operations. Having spent a decade with the Vikings, Kleine managed both collegiate and pro scouting, along with draft operations. This move marks the highest-ranking female scouting hire in NFL history. Go Kelly. Go George. Way cool.

Annnnnnnd…the Ownership Situation

I’m not going to get into it, but the team may be up for sale in the coming months/year. Hopefully it doesn’t get sold to Bezos. I have no interest in that (literal) knob owning our team. RIP Pat. We miss you immensely.

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Coaching Room

// NOTABLE DEPARTURES //

GREEK

GREEEEEEEEEEEK. After 45 years—yes, you read that right—with the Denver Broncos, Steve Antonopulous has officially retired. Greek’s impact has been felt through eight Super Bowl appearances, ten General Managers, and three and a half team owners. As the team’s Head Trainer and Get-Better Czar, Greek was beloved by all in Mile High and across Broncos Country. This video sums up Greek, the man. No words can truly sum up Greek’s impact on this team.

// CURRENT STAFF //

Vic Fangio — HC

You know, Vic’s had a bit of a rough go at it in his head coaching tenure. He’s got a 12-20 record. He’s missed the playoffs each year. He’s made some seriously questionable play clock decisions. His defenses haven’t lived up to his time in Chicago. All that said, Vic’s been dealt a bit of a shit hand. His quarterback play has been abysmal. Practically a third of his team was injured last year, including 11 on IR by October. I’m not ready to throw in the towel on Vic just yet. This season will be pivotal—does George Paton burn it all down after missing the playoffs for a third straight year, or does Vic hang his hat on (what should be) a historically great defense, despite spotty QB play? Yes, we’re resigned to that. It’s fine.

Pat Shurmur — OC

Pat, on the other hand, I’m totally cool with letting go. Did you know that Drew Lock has one of the league’s highest completions rates when rolling out of the pocket in play action? And guess which team has one of the league’s lowest play action passing percentages? Pat Shurmur is supposed to be a quarterback whisperer, but he was unable to un-lock consistency at the position last year. Here’s to hoping that Drew’s first-ever second-year system sticks. If not, I’m all for burning it down.

Ed Donatell — DC

I have no idea how much of the Defense’s marginal success is due to Ed’s or Vic’s brilliance, but we’ve managed to not suck despite having one of the league’s worst offenses two years running, and, even more impressively, we somehow held up the league’s 13th-best defense (DVOA) despite fielding practice squad corners and matchsticks on the line. The players love Ed, so Ed’s cool in my book.

Tom McMahon — ST

We Broncos fans don’t love Tom McMahon. To be honest, I don’t know enough about Special Teams coaching to give a reasonable analysis as to why we don’t like him. There was some stuff about asking punters to change the way they kick. That seems weird. We’ve also had some boneheaded mistakes. He’s certainly not getting invited to dinner by Belichick anytime soon.

Remaining (Primary) Staff

POS	COACH
QB	Mike Shula
RB	Curtis Modkins
WR	Zach Azzanni
TE	Wade Harman
OL	Mike Munchak
DL	Bill Kollar
LB	Reggie Herring
OLB	John Pagano
DB	Christian Parker
S&C	Loren Landow

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Free Agency

Players Lost/Cut/Traded

POS	PLAYER	NEW TEAM
QB	Jeff Driskel	Houston Texans
RB	Phillip Lindsay	Houston Texans
WR	DaeSean Hamilton	Free Agent
TE	Jake Butt	RETIRED
TE	Nick Vannett	New Orleans Saints
RT	Ju-Wuan James	Baltimore Ravens
OT	Demar Dotson	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
OG	Elijah Wilkinson	Chicago Bears
EDGE	Jeremiah Attaochu	Chicago Bears
EDGE	Anthony Chickillo	RETIRED
DE	Jurrell Casey	Free Agent
DE	DeMarcus Walker	Houston Texans
DE	Joel Heath	Detroit Lions
DT	Sylvester Williams	Free Agent
ILB	Joseph Jones	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
CB	A.J. Bouye	Carolina Panthers
CB	De'Vante Bausby	Las Vegas Raiders
CB	Kevin Toliver	Free Agent
SS	Will Parks	Kansas City Chiefs
FS	Alijah Holder	Detroit Lions

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// NOTABLE DEPARTURES //

The Colorado Kid Leaves Home

This one makes me sad, and I don’t think I’m alone in that. Phillip Linsday was the juice. A pure, unbridled electricity that kept this corpse of an offense animated long enough to save Broncos Country from fatal liver disease season-in and season-out. He has the mane of a lion and the heart of an even bigger lion. Sure, he wasn’t too big himself, but boy did he play big. Kid could hit. Like, seriously hit. Despite his small frame, Lindsay never shied away from contact and always bounced right back up. He’s a physical specimen who can break off a homerun on any given play. He’s shifty. He likes smelling salts. He’s everything you’d want in a runner, except for, well, you know, the kind of body that would stay healthy for a full season. Broncos Country loved Phillip Lindsay and we’re very sorry to see him go. Particularly to the Texans. God save him.

Ja’Wuan James Packs His (Unreasonably Hefty) Bags

This one…doesn’t make me sad. This was far and away John’s worst Free Agent signing as the Broncos’ GM. 63 snaps. This man made $17MM for just 63 snaps. I’m not heartless—I do feel for the guy, having torn his Achilles in May. I wish him a speedy recovery. But dear lord, if the Ravens expect to get anything near a full season out of him…*wew* The James signing marked one of the worst periods of Right Tackle play in Broncos history, a position we’ve still yet to find a solid solution for. Thank god Bolles figured out how to play Left Tackle, or we might have had utterly terrible QB play last season. Oh, wait.

No Room for BaeSean

Though there was initial trade interest in DaeSean Hamilton, the Broncos ultimately waived the fourth-year receiver after another below-starting season on the depth chart. With two promising rookie receivers drafted last year, along with the emergence of Tim Patrick as a viable WR2, there simply wasn’t enough room for DaeSean on the roster anymore. To add injury to insult, Hamilton tore his ACL during an offseason workout, effectively squashing any hope of rostering this year.

2020 FA Woes

Bouye, was 2020 a tough year for injuries (ba-dum tss). After a promising Free Agency period that saw splashy defensive additions like DE Jurrell Casey and CB A.J. Bouye, the Broncos struggled to keep their (well-paid) stars on the field. As we all know, the best ability is availability—both Casey and Bouye became cap casualties at the head of the new league year.

Players Re-Signed/Tagged/Extended

POS	PLAYER	CONTRACT	TOTAL
WR	Tim Patrick	1 Year	$3.38MM
WR	Diontae (God Peed) Spencer	2 Year	$1.52MM
OT	Calvin Anderson	1 Year	$0.85MM
EDGE	Von Miller	5th Year Option	$114.5MM
DT	Shelby Harris	3 Year	$27MM
ILB	Alexander Johnson	1 Year	$3.38MM
SS	Kareem Jackson	1 Year	$5MM
FS	Justin Simmons	4 Year	$61MM
FS	Trey Marshall	1 Year	$0.66MM

// NOTABLE KEEPATURES //

Von Miller in Six

Von’s back, baby. Hopefully forever? I’d like to hear “this one’s for Von” amidst orange and blue confetti sometime in the next three years, thus completing the triumvirate of Denver Broncos legends I’ve been lucky enough to be alive to witness make my father cry—in action! In an immediate sign of good faith to me, specifically, George Paton and the Broncos exercised the sixth-year option on Von’s $18MM salary, guaranteeing him at least $7MM this season. Should his health stay on the up-and-up, getting Von for just $18MM will look like a steal.

Boomerang Kareem

Kareem Jackson has been one of the brightest spots on in an otherwise gloomy few seasons for the Broncos in recent years. Every good defense needs a hitter—someone to set the tone for the rest of the team. In the No Fly Zone, that role was skillfully filled by both TJ Ward and Darian Stewart. In this iteration of the Broncos D, Kareem Jackson wears that badge proudly. The Broncos declined the third-year option on his contract to kick off Free Agency, so Kareem decided to test the market. With nothing interesting (enough) biting, he returned on a team-friendly $5MM deal that keeps our hitter in Denver for one more year.

Locking Down Our Lock-Down

Once again building some serious equity in my book, George Paton made the franchise-gratifying decision to offer Justin Simmons—the league’s near-best safety—a four-year, $61MM contract, making him the league’s highest-paid safety. While it initially looked as though Simmons would once again be forced to play on the Franchise Tag, Paton quickly inked a deal soon after the tag was agreed to. In five seasons, Simmons has totaled 369 (nice) tackles, 37 PBUs, 16 INTs, 2 sacks and a defensive touchdown. He’s also one of the team’s most active community members, an advocate for Black players in the league, and just an overall stand-up guy. We’re lucky to have him.

Best Hands in the League

Rounding out the excellent decision-making by this Front Office, enter: Shelby Harris. Though his teammates don’t think too highly of him as a man, they certainly think highly of him as a player. As they should. In 2019 alone, Harris notched nine pass breakups, along with 6 sacks, 49 tackles and a forced fumble. While 2020 was a bit wonky, stats-wise, Shelby has quickly become one of the predominate leaders on the team. The broncos inked him to a three-year, $27MM deal, anchoring one of the league’s most effective interior lineman without handicapping the team. So long as the team can put up with him, anyway.

Players Signed/Traded For

POS	PLAYER	OLD TEAM	LENGTH	TOTAL
QB	Teddy Bridgewater	Carolina Panthers	1 Year	$11.5MM
RB	Mike Boone	Minnesota Vikings	2 Year	$3.85MM
WR	Amara Darboh	N/A	1 Year	$0.85MM
WR	De'Mornay Pierson-El	N/A	2 Year	$1.48MM
OT	Bobby Massie	Chicago Bears	1 Year	$4MM
OT	Cameron Fleming	New York Giants	1 Year	$1.67MM
OT	Cody Conway	N/A	2 Year	$1.66MM
TE	Eric Saubert	Jacksonville Jaguars	1 Year	$0.99MM
EDGE	Pita Taumoepenu	Atlanta Falcons	1 Year	$0.85MM
DE	Shamar Stephen	Minnesota Vikings	1 Year	$2MM
DT	Isaiah Mack	Tennesse Titans	1 Year	$0.85MM
LB	Peter Kalambayi	Houston Texans	1 Year	$0.92MM
CB	Kyle Fuller	Chicago Bears	1 Year	$9.5MM
CB	Ronald Darby	Washington Football Team	3 Year	$30MM

// NOTABLE NOT-SIGNINGS //

The QB Carousel Goes Round ‘n Round

I really don’t want to talk about this. If I have to watch even one more version of some junior ESPN animator’s shitty rendition of a country fair ride featuring our failed quarterbacks, I swear to a-a-rod, I’m switching to tennis. In half as many years, the Broncos have fielded 10 starting (or pseudo-starting) quarterbacks. 10. To salt the wound, we Broncos fans—naïve as we are—thought we might come away with a shiny old Free Agent this year. “There’s a Potential Sleeper Trade Partner for Matthew Stafford…” sure, Klis. “Deshaun Watson wants to join Denver Broncos, ex-teammate says…” HA! “Aaron Rodgers to Denver…as close to a done deal as it can be…” *sigh* somebody, please, just wake me up when we’ve hit the Dalton line. The reality is, we’ve got one more season of mediocrity at quarterback until boat rocking can commence. A new GM won’t gamble away picks, players or surefire hall-of-fame cornerbacks (see: Draft Night writeup) in his first few months on the job. It’s just not happening. And until it does, I—for one—plan on getting well acquainted with the floor.

// NOTABLE SIGNINGS //

QB Teddy Bridgewater (2021 6th RD Pick > Panthers // 1YR // $11.5MM // $10MMG)

Whelp, I’m whelmed. The pre-draft trade rush for Teddy Bridgewater is at once a head-scratcher and a perfect fit for the post-Manning QB purgatory-era Broncos. For a daunting (sweet baby jeebus, let’s hope it’s only) backup quarterback’s contract, the Broncos are on the hook for just up to $4.5MM this year. That’s not terrible for 2020’s 3rd-best completer of passes. Yes, Teddy threw 11 interceptions on the season (T-9th). And yes, he only threw for 15 touchdowns (24th). PFF isn’t gospel…but a 31st-overall ranked QB rating doesn’t exactly inspire confidence after five consecutive losing seasons. Maybe Teddy can return to his former New Orlean glory. Maybe I’ll finally work up the courage to ask Emma Watson out. Dreamers dream.

RB Mike Boone (2YR // $3.85MM // $2.6MMG)

I think Mike Boone will surprise more than a few people this year. A former UDFA, a Special Teams ace, and a decisive one-cut back, Boone has averaged 5.4 yards per carry across just 40 carries in his young career. He’s also logged 523 Special Teams snaps and was well-regarded as one of the Vikings’ most reliable four-phase ST players—even earning an NFC Special Teams Player of the Week award. With high-level athleticism—balance, speed, and burst—and excellent vision, Mike Boone would have likely earned a spot as the Broncos’ clear No.2 back. But, alas. He’ll certainly contribute in some form.

OT Bobby Massie (1YR // $4MM // $1.575MMG)

Going into his 10th year, Bobby Massie has been around the block. He even held Von to zero pressures against the Chicago Bears in 2019. At 6 feet and 325 pounds, Massie’s size and athleticism have held up over the years. I’m not going to pretend like I know enough to properly evaluate tackles, but I do know someone who does—Mike Munchak, whose glowing review of Massie is enough for me. A wise man once said that the best ability is availability and, given the Broncos’ recent woes at right tackle…I’m just glad we’re no longer fielding traffic cones.

CB Kyle Fuller (1YR // $9.5MM // $9MMG)

[Enter Full House Pun Here]. Our CB room is overstuffed. And, sure, there probably won’t be a year two of this relationship. But if you’re going to burn a one-year rental on anyone, it might as well be an All-Pro CB who reached the height of his game under your current head coach. At the time of his signing, acquiring Kyle Fuller felt like (and arguable still is) a steal—the Broncos suffered catastrophic losses to their CB room in 2020, resulting in a (don’t you f*cking say it) carousel of 3rd-team and practice squad corners by December. Kyle Fuller is an excellent cornerback who is poised to lead the league in quarterback nightmares.

CB Ronald Darby (3YR // $30MM // $19.5MMG)

You know, in the chaos of our run on cornerbacks this offseason, it feels like Ronald Darby got a little lost. Sure, he may have been made redundant by our first-round pick, but Darby was a solid-to-great cornerback in Washington, giving up just one touchdown and allowing only a 54.1 completion percentage last year. Admittedly, his contract isn’t great. But with Kyler Fuller and Bryce Callahan likely to leave at the end of the season, Darby will likely play a lasting role in this secondary. Darby led the league in pass deflection is 2020 with 15. He won the CB2 job in Washington handily, despite coming in as a maybe-CB4 prospect. While he’s struggled to stay on the field during his career, he’s got a bright future in Denver under Vic and Ed.

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Draft

Pick	POS	PLAYER	SCHOOL
1.09 (9)	CB	Patrick Surtain II	Alabama
2.03 (35)	RB	Javonte Williams	North Carolina
3.35 (98)	C	Quinn Meinerz	Wisconsin-Whitewater
3.42 (107)	LB	Baron Browning	Ohio State
5.08 (152)	S	Caden Sterns	Texas
5.20 (164)	S	Jamar Johnson	Indiana
6.35 (219)	WR	Seth Williams	Auburn
7.09 (237)	CB	Kary Vincent Jr.	LSU
7.11 (239)	LB	Jonathon Cooper	Ohio State
7.26 (253)	DE	Marquiss Spencer	Mississippi State

1.09 (9): CB Patrick Surtain II

In the ninth pick of the 2021 NFL draft, the Denver Broncos select…wait, what? I’m sure that I speak for most Broncos fans when I say that, after Niners and Panthers passed on Justin Fields, I was salivating at the idea of drafting a potential top-3 prospect without giving up any picks or players. What fools we (hopefully) were. The Broncos elected to select the top player on their board, Patrick Surtain II—a surefire Hall of Famer and literal Deion Sanders incarnate, who will go on to pick off Justin Fields at least once in 2022 before the Bears eventually trade him to the Dolphins for a 5th round pick and a bag of peanuts. Speaking of salty things, I’m doing great, thanks. In truth, Surtain II was an excellent pick for us. Though we loaded up on high-performing corners in free agency, and drafted Iowa’s Michael Ojemudia in the third last year, Surtain II’s resume speaks for itself. His measurables? Off the charts. His football IQ? Honed since he was a wee lad. His accolades? Only getting started. The 2020 SEC Defensive Player of the Year has a bright future ahead of him, and the Denver Broncos are lucky to have him. Let’s just hope we show him some love—a half-decade of poor QB play does things to a fan…

TRADE! Broncos give 2.08 (40), 4.09 (114), Falcons give 2.03 (35), 6.35 (219)

2.03 (35): RB Javonte Williams

For as confused as I was about our first-round pick, Javonte to Denver felt like destiny. I spent hours watching Javonte truck ACC defenders like a sentient bowling ball in the lead-up to the draft and mocked him us no less than eight times. In his 2020 season, and despite being part of a two-headed attack with Michael Carter, Javonte ran for over 1K yards and 19 touchdowns at 7.4 yards per carry. The kicker? 75—yes, 75—broken tackles, a rate of nearly half a broken tackle PER RUSH. That’s a PFF record, by the by. But don’t just take it from me—here’s what Javonte has to say about his running style: “If I see someone in front of me, I want to go through them…” Remind you of anyone? Javonte’s linebacker upbringing is a sure contributor to his utter dad-dicking on the field, and I, for one, can't wait for this man to put the team on his back, doe.

TRADE! Broncos give 3.07 (71), Giants give 3.12 (76), 5.20 (164)

TRADE! Broncos give 3.12 (76), Saints give 3.35 (98), 3.42 (105)

3.35 (98): C Quinn Meinerz

Is there anything more loveable in this world than a delightfully large man-child who’s unabashedly proud of his delightful largeness? Nicknamed “the belly,” Meinerz is infamous for letting his pooch hang low—though nowhere near the flo—and his shirt sinch high. “Let the belly breathe” is the rallying cry/convenient excuse I can only assume I will use consistently throughout my future Dad years. Before the draft, George Paton hadn’t even seen the tree tackling video—he and the staff got a kick out of it on the big screen just before they made the call. But enough about that. Meinerz is a highly athletic small school blocker who took the Senior Bowl by storm earlier this year. With any luck, he’ll push a struggling Lloyd Cushenberry III and elevate our Center position to its former glory. We do have Munch, after all.

3.42 (105): LB Baron Browning

Another player I mocked to the Broncos several times—I was pleased to see that we haven’t given up on the linebacker position entirely…particularly with rumors of trading down in the first for JOK and Kollmann’s whiskey-swilling baritone lulling me into a false sense of anticipation all offseason. Baron Browning is an exciting prospect for us—he can play outside or inside, he’s a hard-nosed tackler, and he has a clear Predator vision for the football. Unfortunately, Browning caught the injury bug early in OTAs, and will be off to a slow start with the team. Hopefully he’ll fit right in when he returns, despite the lack of early reps.

5.08 (152): S Caden Sterns

I was a bit surprised to see that we drafted a safety here, though Caden Sterns is great coverage Safety prospect that should play a significant role in the Broncos’ defense in the years to come. He plays with great control, vision and athleticism, but, at the same time, struggles against the run. For a guy that’s built like a downhill safety, he’ll need to clean up his tackling and first-jump instincts to be able to eventually take over as a starter on this defense. Learning from the likes of Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson won’t hurt.

5.20 (164): S Jamar Johnson

I was even more surprised to see us double dip at safety in the fifth round. Who needs an interior line when the Quarterback has literally no one to pass to, am I right? Guys? In any case, Jonson is another great prospect that has potential to turn starter in the coming years (they all do, don’t they? The sunnies sure are rosy this time of year…). Johnson also did secure Teddy Bridgewater’s only interception of minicamp, so that’s something. Johnson will likely see early playing time on Special Teams. Although, in the time that’s passed since I initially wrote this, Jamar was put on the COVID exemption list. Not a good look, Jamar.

6.35 (219): WR Seth Williams

Our WR room is stacked at the moment, but another big body can’t hurt. Seth Williams is 6’2 and 211lbs of pure Red Zone intrigue, racking up Auburn’s fourth-most career receiving yards (2,124) in just three years. He’s apparently intrigued at camp and could be an excellent stand-in for our other big-bodied receivers, should we need it. I like Seth Williams. Check out this nasty little number. I initially had him pegged for a roster spot, but he’s had a pretty quiet camp so far.

7.09 (237): CB Kary Vincent Jr.

Again with the Secondary, seriously? What is up with this offseason? Last year must’ve been seriously scarring to Vic’s defensive sensibilities. Kary Vincent Jr. is a slot corner out of LSU who was initially graded as a fourth-round prospect. He’s been praised for his instinct, work ethic and football IQ, but time will tell as to whether that’s enough to bump one of the Broncos’ 48 corners off of the roster. That said, if last year taught us anything, a strong bench of practice squad players is absolutely necessary.

7.11 (239): OLB Jonathon Cooper

How can you not love a guy whose neighborhood loves him? The Broncos made it clear that they prioritized high-character guys this draft, and Jonathon Cooper is the perfect example. Here’s what George Paton had to say; “I went to the Ohio State pro day. Watched the way he competed and the way he went about his workout and took it serious. How he worked out and the type of shape he was in. Then you speak with the kid. He’s everything you want in a teammate and a player representing the organization.” We’ve seen a few flashes from Cooper in camp, particularly during the first padded practice. He’s also got a big heart. What’s not to love?

7.26 (253): DE Marquiss Spencer

At nearly 300 pounds, Marquiss Spencer could be a dominating force on the line. This behemoth of a human being recorded five sacks and 14.5 TFL in just 22 starts and has experience both as a 3-technique and 4-technique backer. Assuming he doesn’t eat one of his coaches, I don’t see why—given our line depth—Spencer wouldn’t make the practice squad.

Notable UDFA: EDGE Andre Mintze

A two-time team captain and four-year speed rusher out of Vanderbilt, Mintze clocked one of the fastest 40-yd dash times at 4.59. The Broncos are known for shining up gemstones out of their UDFA recruits, and Dre Mintze might well be the next in line. Mintze has the smarts and the work ethic (a well-decorated master’s earner), and while he does struggle against the run, his ceiling has yet to be uncovered. The Broncos gave him a sizable UDFA contract ($85,000 gtd)—Mintze may make an immediate impact on special teams.

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Projected 53-Man Roster

POS	1	2	3
OFFENSE
QB	Drew Lock	Teddy Bridgewater
RB	Melvin Gordon	Javonte Williams	Mike Boone
WR	Cortland Sutton	Tim Patrick	Trinity Benson
LT	Garett Bolles
LG	Dalton Risner	Austin Schlottmann
C	Lloyd Cushenberry III	Quinn Meinerz
RG	Graham Glasgow	Netane Muti
RT	Bobby Massie	Calvin Anderson
TE	Noah Fant	Albert Ogkuebunam	Andrew Beck
WR	Jerry Jeudy	KJ Hamler	Diontae Spencer
DEFENSE
EDGE	Von Miller	Malik Reed	Jonathon Cooper
DE	Shelby Harris	Dre'Mont Jones	DeShawn Williams
DT	Mike Purcell	McTelvin Agim	Shamar Stephen
EDGE	Bradley Chubb	Derek Tuszka
LB	Alexander Johnson	Justin Strnad
LB	Josey Jewell	Baron Browning
CB	Kyle Fuller	Ronald Darby
SS	Kareem Jackson	Caden Sterns	Jamar Johnson
FS	Justin Simmons	P.J. Locke
NCB	Bryce Callahan	Rojesterman Farris	Kary Vincent Jr.
CB	Patrick Surtain II	Michael Ojemudia
SPECIAL
K	Brandon McManus
P	Sam Martin
LS	Jacob Bobenmoyer

Position Group Strengths and Weaknesses

Quarterback—Weakness

…we’re entering year six of this nightmare. Most members of the Broncos sub are tired of supercharged negative emotions driving the conversation about our most problematic room, so let’s just look at the cold, dead facts. No Broncos quarterback has reached top-20 in the league since Peyton limped off into the sunset. Trevor Siemian—the current 4th-man up in New Orleans—boasts the strongest record and best rating among this group. At least we’ve got no shortage of options—like calling up our DB-WR PS convert (read: HERO) to the helm with less than 24 hours to prepare. Since you’re all waiting for it, let’s get this death march over with. Trevor Siemian. Brock Osweiler. Paxton Lynch. Mark Sanchez. Chad Kelly. Case Keenum. Kevin Hogan. Joe Flacco. Brandon Allen. Brett Rypien. Jeff Driskel. Drew Lock. And now, Teddy Bridgewater. By all accounts, Drew and Teddy are all tied up in this year’s competition. There have been flashes. The offense looks leagues better than prior years. And yet, quarterbacks finished their latest practice with a pair of Red Zone picks after promising, full-field drives. It’s poetic, really. Even without John, we Broncos fans are doomed to relive every ‘promising offseason with flashes of brilliance’ only to once again have our nuts kicked in by shitty Quarterback play. Is this what we actually gave up for Peyton? Is duck-slinging mediocrity meets picks-akimbo really our destiny? *sigh* If being a lifelong Broncos fan has taught me anything, it’s this—enjoy the good times while they’re rolling. The road between is dark and full of terrors.

Backfield—Strength

Okay, enough of the doom and gloom. There’s a very good chance that we’re going to be a rumblin’, bumblin’, shit-in-your-mouth-then-spit-in-your-eye football team this year, thanks, in large part, to our tailbacks. I’ve already waxed poetic about Javonte—who, by the way, looked like the dynamic Tonka truck we know him to be during his first padded practice—but Melvin Gordon certainly deserves some praise. Early camp reports note how much faster Melvin has looked this offseason, breaking off several impressive runs during the team’s first padded practice. Melvin was far and away our strongest runner last year, finishing with nearly 1K rushing yards and 10 all-purpose touchdowns. This is shaping up to be an excellent one-two punch that I’m very excited to see. Oh, and don’t sleep on Mike Boone. As coach Fangio stated a few days ago—he’s got the juice (too…miss u phil.)

Pass Catchers—Strength

Wew lawdy, look out league. If we can somehow wrangle up a halfway-decent passing game, this receiving room is going to the moon. Jerry Jeudy is consistently getting RIDICULOUS separation at camp and may soon surpass Courtland Sutton for WR1 already. Court looks great in his recovery, pulling in balls like THIS while still not at 100% (by the way, yes, I know…this QB situation is sus). Tim Patrick was a breakout star last year. KJ Hamler has the kind of speed roadrunners dream of. Even guys like Trinity Benson seem to finding the endzone in consistent fashion. We’ve got arguably the most talented room of pass catchers we’ve had since 2013/2014—if not more talented. And I haven’t even mentioned Noah Fant—who looks massive and spent time with the league’s great TE’s at Camp Kittle—and Albert O who flashed last year. We’ve got weapons for days, if we can, you know, pass the damn ball to them.

Offensive Line—Neutral

It’s hard to know how this year’s offensive line will shape up. On one hand, we’ve got one of the league’s most impressive Left Tackles in All Pro Garett Bolles. Sloth allowed just half a sack in 2020, along with just 13 pressures. He was a rockstar. He’s also a great dad. We love our big ugly (even those of us who were very ugly to him in his first few years). On the other hand, rookie Lloyd Cushenberry III had a…tough year. His play even regressed once-standout LG Dalton Risner last year. And don’t even get me started on the things we’ve allowed at Right Tackle. It just makes me sad. This is an up-and-down unit with a ton of promise (see—Lloyd Cushenberry III bulking up, playing well and handily sweeping the “competition” at C so far, along with Netane Muti biting at Graham Glasgow’s heels for a chance to eat a man live, on-air), but not a lot to show for itself. Yet. With Mike Munchack at the helm, only time will tell.

Defensive Line—Neutral/Strength

On the other side of the trenches, we’ve got a nice mixture of young and old. Shelby Harris and Mc’Telvin Agim have had a great camp so far—the former disrupting with at the LOS with those big paws of his, the latter doing the same (and even hauling one in for a pick-six). Dre’Mont Jones is expected to take a significant leap this year. Mike Purcell (though nipped by the injury bug early in camp) is one of our premiere run-stoppers. If we can stay healthy, this is a strong defensive line that can cause chaos for Quarterbacks.

Linebackers—Neutral/Strength

Bit of a tale of two houses in our linebacker group. On the outside, we’ve got a surefire Hall of Famer and his two young protégés. While Von and Bradley Chubb have only been on the field together for one full season, that season was like magic (to the tune of 26.5 sacks.) Protégé #2 Malik Reed had a phenomenal 2020 season for an otherwise unknown entity, recording 8 sacks ad 52 tackles. Von speaks very highly of Malik, who may just be another Shaq Barrett-like star in the making. Von also cheats when he fishes with Malik, which—to be taught by a future Hall of Famer—seems like an ok trade to me. On the inside, however, we’ve historically struggled to maintain balance. While our ILB core of Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell post great run-stopping grades, they’re notoriously bad at coverage, particularly against big, strong, fast tight ends. Justin Strnad is supposedly getting beat in practice, and we’ve yet to see any action from Baron Browning due to injury. So, for now, I’m cautiously pessimistic.

Secondary—Strength

If there’s one thing this team is lacking, defensive backs in not it. Last year’s unit, comprised of whacky inflatable used car promotional men and the other guys Mark Wahlberg tried out next to during that movie that one time, somehow managed to keep it together…ish. But you bet your sweet ass October through December 2020 haunt Vic Fangio’s indigestion nightmares. Despite already having one of the league’s top Slot Corners in Bryce Callahan, two of the league’s top Safeties in Kareem Jackson and Justin Simmons and having drafted Michael Ojemudia in the 3rd not one year ago, we’ve managed to add ELEVEN defensive backs in just a few short months. Now, I’m not complaining—the prospect of No Fly Zone 2.0 makes me feel all tingly in my special place—but I think Vic and Paton might have a problem. In any case, and by all account, this secondary is going to be MEAN. I mean, just look at them. They’re picking off balls left and right. They’re undercutting routes. They’ve got a guy named Rojesterman. What more can a fan want?

Special Teams—Neutral/Weakness

This unit is a bit of an enigma. Brandon “The Godfather” McManus is an excellent kicker that we’re lucky to have. Though I do love me some God Peed, we haven’t exactly figured out the return man situation. Reports from camp indicate that we may throw KJ Hamler a few…but forgive me if getting our promising new receiver clobbered doesn’t excite me. We signed an Australian punter and then cut him in favor of Sam Martin. That’s cool, I guess. Overall, I don’t know much about Special Teams, but I do know that the unit hasn’t over-performed in years. Maybe this year that’ll change!

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Unreasonably Optimistic Schedule Predictions in the Comments Below

Shoutout u/PlatypusofDeath for putting up with my hectic work schedule and making this happen each year. Shoutout Broncos Offense for shaving years off of my life. Shoutout Barrel Man—RIP soldier.

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