Good morning, Broncos Country.
It seems like only yesterday that the Denver Broncos introduced John Elway as the team’s new general manager. The man who worked miracles on the field and led them to two Super Bowl victories in the late 1990s would take all the lessons he learned on the gridiron to the front office. His task? To rebuild a franchise that was on the brink of collapse after the short, but extremely destructive Josh McDaniels era. The results? A bounty of successes in a quick time frame that most general manager’s could only dream about.
In the first five years under the leadership of Elway, the Denver Broncos reached the highest of heights — securing five straight AFC West titles, two Super Bowl births and one Lombardi Trophy. It was a long road back to the top of the NFL, but unsurprisingly, Elway was able to lead the Broncos back to greatness once again, just as he did as a player many years ago. It’s almost impossible to imagine a better scenario that played out in the course of his first five years leading the team, but what’s even harder to realize is how far Denver has deviated from its winning tradition the past two seasons.
After back-to-back seasons of missing the playoffs, expectations are at an all-time high for the Broncos to reclaim their status as championship contenders. It’s not going to be an easy to execute, but have no doubts that Elway and his staff are doing their diligence and working around the clock in order to make the Broncos great again. And it’s no surprise to anyone what the first order of business to achieving that goal will be.
Priority number one for Elway and his staff will be finding a franchise quarterback who can change the identity of the offense. While a high draft pick at the position may eventually be what happens to address this glaring need, understand that a rookie signal caller isn’t Plan A for the Broncos at the position. The top line of action for Elway in this regard is doing whatever it takes to secure highly-coveted quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency — even if that means jettisoning well-known players on the roster to create the cap space to do so.
John Elway has made one mega-signing in his tenure: Peyton Manning, in 2012, when Elway was in desperate QB straits. Why @SI_PeterKing sees Elway springing big again, this time for Kirk Cousins: https://t.co/0AxOsN3xTT
— The MMQB (@theMMQB) February 19, 2018
The second order of business could actually be the hardest to achieve, and that would be bucking a woeful trend of struggling immensely in the NFL Draft. If the Broncos do acquire Cousins, cap space moving forward to make big moves may be limited — so it’s essential that the Broncos hit on a hefty number of picks in April. They can’t afford to have a limited impact from their draft classes like we have seen in years past. The top players they select in April should and must contribute at a high level immediately if the team wants to get back the championship path.
It’s not going to be easy, but Broncos Country should find comfort in knowing that the man in charge of turning this franchise around hates losing and does not like failure. It wasn’t too long ago that a similar situation confronted Elway, and all he did was take the league by storm and lead the Broncos back to greatness. This offseason will be one of great expectations, and you should expect nothing less than Elway and company to make the bold moves needed to turn things around.
They’ve done it before and they will do it again.
As always, thank you for reading and here is today’s offering of Horse Tracks.
Horse Tracks
Broncos don't have a repason to use the tag this time around
John Elway has not been shy about using the franchise tag in previous years. However, for various reasons, don't expect it to happen this offseason.
Denver Broncos aim to manage changes on coaching staff
Vance Joseph enters his second year as Broncos head coach with eight new coaches on staff as the team looks to change its culture after a rough year.
What the Broncos’ 2014 offseason spending spree can tell us about 2018
Four years ago, John Elway acquired four major free agents that changed the face of the franchise.
The Broncos need big-play help at wide receiver. Here’s five players at the position to watch at the NFL combine
A number of intriguing playmakers could be available in middle rounds.
Most of the Broncos’ draft picks in the John Elway era have one thing in common
While the NFL scouting combine has morphed into an annual spectacle for the league, with around-the-clock coverage and increased fanfare, it has been a constant for the Broncos' draft selections.
Buccaneers release RB Doug Martin after six seasons
The Buccaneers announced on Tuesday they've released veteran running back Doug Martin. Tampa will save $6.75 million on the salary cap by releasing the running back.
Ryan Shazier: I'm trying to come back, be an All-Pro
Ryan Shazier's road back from a serious spinal injury has included many stops, including visits with teammates. He joined a fellow Steeler recently and stated his goal to return to the field.
Dolphins place franchise tag on Jarvis Landry
The Miami Dolphins are doing their best to keep Jarvis Landry with the franchise. The Dolphins have placed the franchise tag on the wide receiver, the team announced.
Bears declining to pick up Josh Sitton's contract option
Veteran offensive guard Josh Sitton will get another chance to test the free-agent market next month. The Chicago Bears are declining to pick up Sitton's $8 million contract option for 2018.
Andrew Luck working on 'a little bit of throwing'
Andrew Luck hasn't been seen or heard from in quite a while, but he shed some light on where he is in his road back to the field on Tuesday. The quarterback described how he's "sort of" throwing.