The Denver Broncos and most of the other 31 teams in the NFL try their best to be successful every offseason. They all want to put their franchise in the best position to win (either this year or next) and if that means bringing in as many certified jerks as possible (cough cough - Oakland) or rebuilding a once-great defense and upgrading the QB position through trade, the end desire is always the same. John Elway has had no other plans than to put together a winning team since he took the reins from Josh McDaniels back in 2012 and he has been more successful than not in his 7+ year tenure.
He and John Fox found a way to win a playoff game with Tim Tebow, managed to lure Peyton Manning to Denver, built one of the greatest offenses of all time in 2013 and won a Super Bowl with one of the greatest defenses of all time in 2015. After PFM retired the hopes of being a winning franchise never changed. He hoped that even though they were losing a Hall of Fame QB they could keep a steady path and continue to win around a still great defense and a Gary Kubiak lead offense. We all remember what happened next...Osweiler left, Kubiak left, Lynch was never “there” and the success of the team rested on the not-so-broad shoulders of Trevor Siemien and Case Keenum. Old news, I know.
During both the good and bad years of Elways’ reign, the strategy differed very little: Pick guys who fell farther down the board than you expected in the first few rounds (BPA), try to find “gems” in the late rounds and actually build your core team through free agency. This worked when he had a HOF Quarterback who attracted the best free agents each year but obviously failed miserably when a Siemien/Keenum team brought in “top guys” like Menelik Watson and Tramaine Brock.
Elway now seems to have decided that drafting a young QB is too much of a risk and that the best way to attract free agents (#7’s preferred method of building a team) and have a “sure thing” at QB was to bring in someone who has already been there and done that. Joe Flacco fit the bill and after the trade the team did in fact land some top free agents. The cornerbacks regarded as #2 and #3 on the market as well as a highly regarded right tackle picked Denver as their destination and Zach Kerr, Jeff Heuerman and Shelby Harris all decided - or were brought back - to stay with the club.
This offseason is going exactly as the front office hoped it would and the next unknown is; what will they do in the draft?
It seems highly likely that the Broncos will go best player available in the first round and if I were a betting man I would say they trade back a few picks for more draft pieces. If they are going BPA, it’s not necessary to mock who might fall to #10 or beyond. They key is for them to find guys who can contribute right away - as they did in the 2018 draft - and to not waste a pick on a QB who is another maybe at the position.
My grade for the offseason so far: B+
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Poll
If the offseason were a breakfast cereal it’d be?
This poll is closed
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34%
Cinnamon Toast Crunch
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38%
Frosted Flakes
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13%
Rice Crispies
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13%
Vegan wheat germ supreme