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Horse Tracks: Broncos needed a makeover on defense

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By Scotty Payne
Jamie Squire

The Defense Needed A Makeover?:

Heading into the offseason the Broncos focus was to improve the defense from last year. Their plan was to get healthier, get younger and get faster.

"We were aging some," head coach John Fox said this week. "We wanted to get younger, we wanted to get faster -- you know, like you do every year. We're a much younger defense at this point. We needed to retool that side of the ball."

Well first the Broncos are getting healther. Linebacker Von Miller is reportedly "Way Ahead Of Schedule", Chris Harris told our own Kyle Montgomery that he is also "ahead of schedule", and Wolfe should be good to go for Training Camp.

They got younger too. Cornerback Aqib Talib is 28 years old, and Safety T.J Ward is 27 years old.

ESPN's Jeff Legwold says that the youth movement should continue as the Broncos approach May's NFL Draft.

The Broncos will also take a long look at defensive backs in the draft, and perhaps edge rushers and inside linebackers as well. Speed and youth are priorities, so their depth chart should have a decidedly younger feel when they finish training camp this season.

Another big piece that was added to this defense was future Hall Of Fame pass rusher DeMarcus Ware. Ware will play opposite of Von Miller giving the Broncos one of the best, if not the best pair of pass rushers in the league.

Denver Broncos GM John Elway put Ware in the same category as quarterback Peyton Manning in terms of why the team believed signing him was good business.

"I like getting Hall of Fame players with chips on their shoulders," Elway said, which was the same thing he said when the Broncos signed Manning in 2012 after the quarterback had had four neck surgeries and missed the 2011 season.

Head Coach John Fox views Ware as the answer to the question they never answered in 2013. They never really replaced Elvis Dumervil's role on the defense.

And we put a guy(Phillips) in there, but we never really replaced (Dumervil), we didn't rejuvenate so to speak," Fox said.

The Broncos wanted to greatly improve their defense in 2014, and they went out and just did that. They're still not done yet. The NFL Draft is a little over a month away, and don't be surprised if they go defense with the majority of their selections.

The Broncos have the makings of a very very good defense in 2014.

Andrew Mason Mock Draft 3.0:

Mason once again mocks Wisconsin Inside Linebacker Chris Borland to the Broncos.

Here's what he had to say about the pick.

In this scenario, I think they could entertain a trade-down of a few picks and still get Borland, who has the steadiness, smarts and technical proficiency to be a starter from Day One. It will depend what quarterbacks remain on the board -- and on this mock draft, Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo remain available. Offensive line and cornerback are among the possibilities, too. This will be one of the hardest selections to project -- and that's probably what John Elway wants.

I like Borland, but not in the first round. There's to many questions surrounding his height, and short arms for me to feel comfortable with taking him in the first round. Would Borland really be an upgrade over Nate Irving? Also is he a three-down linebacker?

Here's his highlight tape again for those interested.

Would you take Borland in the first round if you were John Elway?

The Eagles release receiver DeSean Jackson:

The Eagles decided to release the receiver after reports of alleged gang connections were reported, and killed any trade value he did have.

Jackson issued a statement denying these allegations

"First I would like to thank the Eagles organization, the Eagles fans and the city of Philadelphia for my time in Philly. I would also like to thank coach Andy Reed [sic] for bringing me in. Secondly, I would like to address the misleading and unfounded reports that my release has anything to do with any affiliation that has been speculated surrounding the company I keep off of the field. I would like to make it very clear that I am not and never have been part of any gang. I am not a gang member and to speculate and assume that I am involved in such activity off the field is reckless and irresponsible. I work very hard on and off the field and I am a good person with good values. I am proud of the accomplishments that I have made both on and off the field. I have worked tirelessly to give back to my community and have a positive impact on those in need. It is unfortunate that I now have to defend myself and my intentions. These reports are irresponsible and just not true . I look forward to working hard for my new team. God Bless."

So now Jackson is a Free Agent, and is getting interest from at least six teams.

One of those teams interested comes from the AFC West. That team being the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have Andy Reid who drafted Jackson, and probably knows him better then anyone else in the NFL. The Chiefs are also looking for a receiver after missing out on Emmanuel Sanders who signed with the Denver Broncos.

The Chiefs do have limited cap space, but the fact that they're pursuing him shows that they believe they can sign him.

Some Bronco fans believe that the Denver Broncos should look into signing the recently released receiver even after re-signing Andre Caldwell, and signing Emmanuel Sanders.

Do you guys think the Broncos should look into signing Jackson?

Horse Tracks:


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