MHR Live: Indecision 2017

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Today, Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph would not announce who the starting quarterback will be for the Broncos game against Washington this Sunday. Both Brock Osweiler and Paxton Lynch split first team repetitions in practice today.

Now, what will Broncos fans cheer for? We will break down which players Denver is planning to take extended looks at and who is likely to standout as the Broncos essentially have two paid exhibition games to close out that season.

It is not all quarterbacks though, we will talk about how Von Miller, Aqib Talib, Chris Harris Jr. Domata Peko and Derek Wolfe quietly led the Broncos to another statistics crushing year on defense that currently has Denver atop most significant defensive categories. Including the big one — total defense.

Get in where you fit it, because study long, study wrong. Join your host Ian Henson and the greatest group of Broncos fans on the internet live, right now.

An excerpt from today’s edition of The Strongside Blitz, sign-up right here:

Elway + Cousins = 5

As quickly as possible we will explain to you why the Broncos will not be pursuing Kirk Cousins with the blitzkrieg that reeled in the biggest free agency fish of all time — Peyton Manning.

First of all, they have an entirely different crew. Brian Xanders was the general manager, he was responsible for nearly every major free agency signing in the John Elway era. John Fox is also not the coach, Vance Joseph is. Fox, Tony Dungy, Tom Moore (Peyton Manning's mentors) all worked as offensive and defensive coordinators together under Pittsburgh Steelers legendary head coach Chuck Noll.

Also, Manning visited the San Francisco 49ers and John Harbaugh first. Harbaugh is just too big of a [resident of Massachusetts] and talked himself out of signing the greatest player to ever hit free agency in history.

We debunked the idea that some fans maintain that the Broncos will for some odd reason rid themselves of their Pro Bowl cornerback Aqib Talib — currently the NFL's 11th highest paid cornerback in 2018.

And those of you interested in trading Demaryius Thomas? That is even less likely. Thomas has already been paid $4.4MM for his services in 2018 and 2019. That is money that another team would owe back to the Broncos unlessDenver just wanted to eat it. Thomas is due $8.5MM in base salary with a $4MM option bonus that is triggering somewhere between now and the end of the league year.

Denver is going to have to pay that bonus before trading him, which is another $4MM that the team trading for Thomas will hypothetically owe the Broncos. That takes Thomas's total cost to $16.7MM for 2018 for any team interested in taking on the wide receiver's services.

Oh and Denver could cut Thomas, but they don't have an out until after 2018 and would eat a $12MM cap hit in 2018.

Woof.

The Broncos are currently projecting to draft ninth overall in the first round. If they stay there they will need $9,434,633 to sign all of their draft picks. Leaving them $21.565MM to spend in free agency.

ie: not enough to compensate for Cousins' services.

Denver is projected by salary site Over the Cap to receive the second highest compensatory pick of the draft — a third round pick for left tackle Russell Okung. Okung signed to the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason with an average pay per year of $13.25MM or more than the Broncos would have paid him had they simply kept him under contract.

The draft pick that Denver will receive for losing Okung is likely higher than the draft pick that Arizona Cardinals will receive for losing Calais Campbell. Campbell was announced yesterday as a Pro Bowler with former Broncos defensive end Malik Jackson. The duo have the Jacksonville Jaguars positioned as a Cinderella team in the playoffs.