FanPost

How To Play Free Agency and the Draft

Denver has many free agents this offseason and this means we will lose some of them. The players we must re-sign are Zane Beadles, DRC, Shaun Phillips, DT, and Julius Thomas. The most expendable players are Knowshon Moreno and Eric Decker. I have grown to like Moreno and his passionate play, but he simply won't be back next year. He will be looking for big money the Broncos don't have to spend, and don't need to spend. He is not even the best running back on the team. Even after the slow start, I still believe Montee Ball is the best running back taken in the 2013 draft. After early season jitters Ball has been powerful and explosive, and has been able to pick up tough yards Moreno isn't simply able to. His style of play is very similar to Terrel Davis's. He is no the fastest, but he will grind the defense down, and has shown the ability to break off big runs with his exceptional game speed. He will flourish next year, and create a much more run oriented offense. Eric Decker simply is no where near worth what he will receive this offseason. His stats indicate that he had a great year, but it was merely good. With all the weapons around him he is bound to be overlooked, and thats why these stats are skewed. Despite his large frame, he is awful at beating press coverage, and whoever buys him will be severely disappointed. AS many teams have been after buying Peyton Manning cast offs. Peyton manning made Joseph Addai, Dallas Clark, and Austin Collie!!!! seem like great players. Addai is no longer in the NFL, and the other 2 have struggled to make NFL rosters. I can already think of many far cheaper alternatives to him that can give the same type of production if not better. Sidney Rice could prove to be a great acquisition. When healthy he was a true number 1 receiver, and he will be playing with a chip on his shoulder next season when he is cut by Seattle. Or we could sign the likes of Hakeem Knicks or Jeremy Maclin to short term deals with little to no money guaranteed. The 2 Thomas's will be signed to long term deals, and I believe Zane Beadles will be as well. Despite what some think Beadles played well this year, and has made few mistakes. Which is remarkable since he was playing side by side with backups. On defense DRC is our best player other than Von MIller. He is a top 5 cover corner and will be signed long term. Shaun Phillips was a great signing last year and will be signed to a 2-3 year deal for a few million dollars. Provided we get another defensive end to truly replace Dumervil, he will be a great player to rotate in next season. This denver defense has most of the players to be a top 5 defense in the NFL, but they are lacking at 4 positions: MLB, corner, safety, and DE. We will draft a MLB in the first round and I believe it will be Ryan Shazier. He is fast, is good in coverage, and can rush the passer very well when sent on a blitz. Most importantly though, he can be on the field every down. He will put on ten pounds (which is very common to do when entering the NFL), and will retain his speed which will enable him to be a force in the running game but also to play good coverage on tight ends when needed. Even with DRC and Chris Harris this team needs another true cover corner, and Champ Bailey is not the answer. Although unlikely we may be able to sign Patriots corner Aqib Talib, as Robert Kraft has expressed he does not want to pay him big money. This would be a great signing for Denver, as we have all seen what he did to DT during the season, and this would make the Denver secondary be a force. To finish out the secondary Denver needs to add another safety, because Duke Ihenacho simply isn't the answer. Many think Denver should sign high priced safety Jarius Byrd, while I think that would be a waste of money. There are far more cap friendly safeties such as Antoine Bethea and big hitting Bernard Pollard. Each have shown their talents over the years, and have much more value for the cost. Signing one of these players would allow Denver to sign whoever they want to play opposite Von Miller. It may be Greg Hardy, Michael Johnson, or Chris Clemons/Cliff Avril depending on who Sattle decides to keep. Anyone one of those players instantly makes this defensive front one of the best in the league if not the best, which in turn aids the secondary. Denver can and will make this defense a force to be reckoned with, while leaving a third round draft pick open, for possibly running back Tre Mason. He would be a great one two punch with Ball, and with the both of them Denver will be able to grind down any defense. John Elway has a lot of work to do this offseason, and it looks very promising, considering how well he did last year. I trust Elway to make the right decisions, and fill the gaps in this team to make it truly great in all phases of the game.

Go Broncos!!!!



This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR.