Right after the Super Bow a year ago I wrote 50 Bold predictions for the 2020 season. As you would expect, some of them look laughable in hindsight such as my prediction that Drew Lock would receive MVP votes. Others look far better, such as my prediction Trevor Lawrence would land with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
With 2020 more than a month old now and the NFL season coming to a close, now is a perfect time to look ahead to what the new league year will bring.
“Bold”
1. The Broncos will not sign a quarterback who started more than nine games in 2020.
2. Drew Lock will lead the 2021 Broncos in pass attempts.
3. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will not play in Super Bowl LVI.
4. Von Miller will notch 10+ sacks.
5. Justin Simmons will be a Bronco.
6. Deshaun Watson will win MVP.
7. Jurrell Casey won’t be a member of the 2021 Broncos.
8. Drew Brees retires from the Saints.
9. George Paton picks up Bradley Chubb’s fifth year option
10. Dak Prescott will play for the Dallas Cowboys.
Dak Prescott curiously excluded from Dallas Cowboys’ hype video for 2021 season https://t.co/h2TouTh3TB
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) February 8, 2021
Impudent
11. Bud Dupree does not return to the cap strapped Pittsburgh Steelers.
12. Xavier Rhodes makes twice what he earned in free agency last year.
13. A.J. Green plays his final season outside of Cincinnati.
14. Justin Fields falls out of the top five picks in the 2021 NFL Draft.
15. Trey Lance plays more than Jordan Love in his first season in the NFL and looks bad.
If Justin Fields fell to 9, would you want the Broncos to consider him? https://t.co/aaMN7tMKfv
— Joe Rowles (@JoRo_NFL) February 9, 2021
16. Derrick Henry hits the wall.
17. Sammy Watkins resigns with the Chiefs for peanuts.
18. Matt Nagy will be the first coach fired in 2021.
19. Vic Fangio will be the second coach fired in 2021.
20. Mac Jones looks better than Zach Wilson in year one.
1. Lawrence
— Ryan Morgan (@Mr_RyMo) February 10, 2021
2. Mac Jones
3. Zach Wilson
4. Justin Fields
5. Trey Lance https://t.co/bi56UN7VYP
Brash
21. Micah Parsons goes in the first 16 picks of the NFL Draft.
22. The Pittsburgh Steelers do not make the NFL playoffs.
23. Somehow the Saints do .
24. Troy Hill becomes a member of the Denver Broncos.
#Patriots draft target: Penn State LB Micah Parsons. At 6-3, 245 pounds, Parsons is a dream LB for BB. Plays on & off the line, terrific instincts+range, cover/blitz ability. Total package.
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) February 8, 2021
Having a read and chase off-ball LB like Parsons would do wonders for the Pats defense. pic.twitter.com/Q39kY9shSc
25. Melvin Gordon does not finish with 1,000 yards rushing.
26. Justin Herbert suffers a sophomore slump that’s hidden by “QBWinz.”
27. Tom Brady vs. Bill Belichick reaches comical proportions as the Patriots flounder again.
28. Mike McCarthy is fired on Black Monday.
29. The San Francisco 49ers make the NFC Championship game.
30. Mike Zimmer is canned after the Vikings offense tanks their season.
Melvin Gordon cost the Broncos talent elsewhere. https://t.co/aQ5EtYmV8t
— Joe Rowles (@JoRo_NFL) February 9, 2021
Daring
31. Cut from the Chargers, Chris Harris Jr. signs with the Kansas City Chiefs.
32. Kareem Jackson makes his first Pro Bowl.
33. Alexander Johnson doesn’t lead the Broncos in tackles.
If ...
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) February 4, 2021
Deshaun Watson becomes a Bronco
Then ...
Kareem Jackson for Broncos Ring of Fame
34. Jaylen Waddle is the first Alabama receiver drafted.
35. Nick Foles starts more games than Cam Newton.
36. George Paton drafts a running back.
37. Denver will not spend big in free agency, leading to unrest among Broncos Country.
38. The Tennessee Titans finish the year with one of the 10 worst records in football.
39. By season’s end a certain divorce in Seattle looms large.
40. Joe Burrow does not finish among the top 12 quarterbacks in year two.
By pass block win rate, 10 of Russell Wilson's final 11 games had *worse* pass protection than Mahomes in the Super Bowl (67%).
— Computer Cowboy (@benbbaldwin) February 9, 2021
just. lolhttps://t.co/HU6RZ04tT4
Brazen
41. The Arizona Cardinals make the playoffs.
42. Trevor Lawrence wins OROY without breaking a sweat.
43. Micah Parsons gets votes for DROY, but Baron Browning wins it.
44. Jerry Jeudy makes the Pro Bowl.
45. Dre’Mont Jones gets snubbed after a breakout season.
Is Jerry Jeudy the reason Drew Lock struggled or a burgeoning superstar?
— Joe Rowles (@JoRo_NFL) February 10, 2021
Just trying to keep up things shift quickly in the offseason.
46. Josh Allen and Shaq Barrett vs. Bradley Chubb becomes a huge debate in September.
47. Fangio’s defense finishes the year as a top 10 unit by DVOA.
48. Derek Carr locks in his status as the second best quarterback in the AFC West.
49. Drew Lock gets benched during the 2021 season but regains his job by season’s end.
50. The Denver Broncos do not make the playoffs or finish with another top 10 pick.
Your Broncos’ News
Denver Broncos hire assistant coach; sign defensive lineman - Mile High Report
The Denver Broncos have signed a defensive tackle and hired a strength and conditioning coach on Thursday.
Source: Deshaun Watson ‘intrigued’ by the Broncos - Mile High Report
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports the Broncos make Watson’s list. Sounds like the Jets don’t.
Who should the Denver Broncos chase in free agency? - Mile High Report
With the 6th most cap room in the NFL, George Paton has a chance to add talent to the roster.
Potential cap cuts from around the NFL that should intrigue the Broncos - Mile High Report
One team’s dead cap is another team’s treasure.
Throwing deep and quarterback accuracy in the NFL - Mile High Report
Does throwing many deep passes negatively impact NFL QB accuracy?
Underdogs
Then, in July, the lockout ended. The very next day, I got an invitation to Broncos training camp. I had to fly out to Denver immediately.
It was actually kind of bittersweet because, yeah, I was getting the opportunity I had wanted so badly … but I had to leave Leah behind in Kansas. It was definitely a rough stretch. I was working hard to make the team in Denver, and when it got stressful — which was a lot — I would just call Leah. She was somebody I could talk to. Someone I could lean on. Over time, she became the core of my support.
Report: Jets hire Steve Scarnecchia as chief of staff - ProFootballTalk
There, according to the Falcons’ media guide, Scarnecchia was “responsible for coordinating the Falcons meeting and practice schedules and football calendar, managing the football budget and orchestration of team and staff events as well as providing administrative assistants to the coaching and operations staff.”
Scarneccia has stayed in the background since 2010 when he was fired by the Broncos for filming a 49ers walkthrough before a game in London. The NFL fined the Broncos $50,000 and coach Josh McDaniels $50,000 for the incident.
NFL News
Do Denver Broncos fans like Tom Brady now? - Mile High Report
In the afterglow of Super Bowl LV, it seems like we do
J.J. Watt can still be a major force for the right NFL team
Now that the Texans have released J.J. Watt, some lucky NFL team is about to get a great pass-rusher at a bargain price.
Cal McNair: We expect Deshaun Watson to remain a Texan - ProFootballTalk
“There is a lot of misinformation out there, I’ll leave it at that,” McNair said. “Today we want on focus on J.J. Deshaun is our quarterback, he is a Texan, and we expect him to remain a Texan, and we’ll leave that.” Word earlier this week is that the Texans are holding firm when it comes to not trading Watson, but there’s been little sign that he’s come around to a more positive view of the organization. His comment regarding Watt’s departure doesn’t suggest that this move is going to change his mind, but it’s status quo on his front for the time being.
2021 NFL draft: With Jags watching, Trevor Lawrence shines at pro day
Did Lawrence need this session to, um, solidify his draft stock? Likely not. The Jacksonville Jaguars own the first overall selection, and it would be considered a massive upset to see them select any other player. Still, other teams came ... just in case. Representatives from the owners of seven of the top 10 selections were reportedly in attendance: the Jaguars, Jets, Dolphins, Falcons, Eagles, Broncos and Panthers also were there. According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, more than half the league — 17 teams — had representatives at Lawrence’s event.
As contract decision looms, Ben Roethlisberger has not met with Steelers - ProFootballTalk
Roethlisberger told Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette today that he has not met with the Steelers.
Fritz Pollard Alliance: Chris Doyle hire a ‘failure of leadership’ by Jaguars
Fritz Pollard Alliance takes aim at the Chris Doyle hire in Jacksonville - ProFootballTalk
“At a time when the NFL has failed to solve its problem with racial hiring practices, it is simply unacceptable to welcome Chris Doyle into the ranks of NFL coaches,” Graves said in a statement released on Friday afternoon. “Doyle’s departure from the University of Iowa reflected a tenure riddled with poor judgment and mistreatment of Black players. His conduct should be as disqualifying for the NFL as it was for the University of Iowa. Urban Meyer’s statement, ‘I’ve known Chris for close to 20 years,’ reflects the good ol’ boy network that is precisely the reason there is such a disparity in employment opportunities for Black coaches.”
Chris Doyle resigns from Jaguars a day after taking the job - ProFootballTalk
“Chris Doyle came to us this evening to submit his resignation and we have accepted,” Jaguars coach Urban Meyer said in a statement. “Chris did not want to be a distraction to what we are building in Jacksonville. We are responsible for all aspects of our program and, in retrospect, should have given greater consideration to how his appointment may have affected all involved. We wish him the best as he moves forward in his career.”
Doyle departed Iowa last summer with a $1.1 million separation agreement after he was accused of making racist comments and belittling players. He denied any “unethical behavior or bias” based on race.