Offseason Outlook: The Broncos Top 5 Needs/Wants
Free agency has finally hit, and many positions of need for the Denver Broncos are getting filled up quickly. Yet for many positions, there are still holes to be filled and much depth to be added. Last season, the Broncos were a team with potential that was never realized due to numerous reasons. Between the injuries, the close losses and the occasional offensive ineptitude, it was hard for them to fully be the team envisioned by GM John Elway. They went through three different quarterbacks, but finally landed on their potential franchise guy in Drew Lock by the end of the year. The wide receiver group went through some changes as well, with the departure of Emmanuel Sanders midseason. The offensive line wasn’t the best either, and gave up too many penalties and sacks. On defense, they lost rising star Bradley Chubb early in the year, and then went on to have a defense that could have been top five, but didn’t live up to expectations. The loss of one of their top pass rushers and the need for another top tier cornerback was evident in their play. After all that, the loss of slot corner Bryce Callahan was just too much for the defense to overcome. They were still close to finishing in the top 10, ending up at number 11 in terms of total defense. Going into next year, let’s see what can help improve this roster to the one that went to the super bowl only five seasons ago.
Denver Broncos
Needs
Offensive tackle
Wide receiver
Cornerback
Defensive Line
Safety
Wants
Find some more help to protect Drew Lock
Give Courtland Sutton a partner on the other side
Get a future partner for Free Safety Justin Simmons that will replace Strong safety Kareem Jackson
Figure out the secondary lineup, including the other boundary corner spot
Figure out the new lineup for the defensive line after several losses to free agency
Offensive Tackle
The biggest weakness of the Broncos offense last season was the offensive line. The line has not been able to protect well, get push in the running game or even stay healthy as a unit for a full 16 games. The last time they had even four offensive lineman starters for a full 16 games was in 2016, the last time they had a winning season according to ESPN.com. Their investments in the offensive line have produced middling to failing results. Right tackle Ja'Wuan James, last season's free agent target, was hurt this past year and didn’t look himself when on the field, only lasting 63 snaps this past season. Meanwhile, former first round left tackle Garrett Bolles has been a disappointment since his rookie season. He has been able to stay healthy in the last three seasons, but routinely finishes in the top three of holding penalties and has two second place finishes in that category among all players. He is a turnstile in terms of pass protection, and can’t be trusted to protect the blindisde of Drew Lock for the foreseeable future. They lost their starting center in Connor McGovern, and right guard Ron Leary battled injuries the entire year, eventually missing the last four games of the season. Luckily, they do have left guard Dalton Risner who looks to have a bright future in that spot and was among one of the best rookie lineman in the league. In free agency so far, they have signed Graham Glasgow from the Lions to be the new center in the lineup. With the interior settled and the hopeful return to form of Ja’Wuan James on the right side, the Broncos can focus on getting a true franchise left tackle in the draft. The best options for them would be Mekhi Becton or Andrew Thomas. Both have good athleticism and are strong at the point of attack. On top of that, both have prototypical frames for the position. If the Broncos can do this, then they should be able to strengthen the line enough to make a playoff push this upcoming season.
Wide Receiver
The wide receiver group last season left much to be desired in terms of production outside of Courtland Sutton, who was the only receiver on the team to have more than 300 yards receiving according to ESPN.com. They traded Emmanuel Sanders midseason, and even he only had 367 yards receiving before the trade. Sutton has started to show himself to be a true number one receiver, but now he needs a sidekick to work with. The receiver options on the team look more suited to be number three guys or just role players. DaeSean Hamilton has not panned out like most thought he would when he came out of Penn State, and Tim Patrick is a good player but better kept in a reserve role. This upcoming draft is filled with great wide receiver talent in the first four to five rounds, so they can have a pick of what they are looking for. My best guess is they need a short to intermediate guy that can work underneath while Sutton can go deep and over the middle. In that case, there are a few guys that can do that in KJ Hamler from PSU, KJ Hill from OSU, Kalija Lipscomb from Vandy and Bryan Edwards from SC. I particularly like KJ Hill and Bryan Edwards for this position. Hill has shown the route running ability and run after the catch ability to thrive underneath as a number two. He is shifty and deceptively fast in his play. On the other hand, Edwards plays like a running back when the ball is in his hands, and can be a taller Anquan Boldin type early on in his career. He can be like what Anquan Boldin was for Larry Fitzgerald his first few seasons, a guy that can play underneath and over the middle while also being a mauler in the run game at the point of attack. Both can be had in the later rounds of the draft, so as to not hurt the top priority on the offensive line.
Figure out the secondary lineup, including the other boundary corner spot
The secondary is going through a reload phase rather than a rebuilding phase. They have let most of their older, more experienced options go in free agency, and are only keeping their younger players. They did bring in one veteran option via trade in the form of cornerback AJ Bouye from the Jacksonville Jaguars. Yet, for the most part, they have guys that are under the age of 26. The new leader of the group is free safety Justin Simmons, who the last two years showed he can be the building block for a strong secondary. Now they just need to figure out the best combination that works with him. So far they have two corner spots filled by Bryce Callahan in the slot and AJ Bouye on the boundary. Additionally, they have the other safety spot filled by veteran Kareem Jackson, who is an excellent compliment to Simmons. All that is left to figure out is the other boundary corner. They can target guys like Kindle Victor and Kristian Fulton in the 2nd or 3rd round . Both are very athletic, instinctual and fast guys to put on the boundary. Fulton has more height, but Victor is more explosive shown by his game tape and the NFL combine workouts. Also, the Broncos could look into more developmental options at the safety spot to pair with Simmons since Jackson is 31. They can look at a guy like Brandon Jones or Jordan Fuller in the third round or fourth round of the draft. Both can come in immediately in three-safety sets while developing for a starting role.
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