We’re so close, guys.
In 10 days, the Denver Broncos will begin training camp, and we can start talking about real football. Not football that counts, but football nonetheless. No more speculation and nonsense; there will be real men on real football fields throwing real footballs.
It’s about time!
And with that said, many of the questions we’ve been asking ourselves for the last six months will actually begin to get answered. If we want to know how a player is performing, all we have to do is watch them; preseason games may be glorified scrimmages, but they teach us a whole heck of a lot more than mid-June speculation.
So, with so much riding on the line, here are the five biggest questions surrounding the Denver Broncos as they head into training camp:
Is there a quarterback competition?
The short answer is yes, but it may just be that the question is phrased incorrectly. In reality, the question we should be asking is whether there is a legitimate quarterback competition?
If that’s the question, my guess is that no, no there’s not.
And this can go a couple of different ways. For one, Gary Kubiak and John Elway may have made their choice that Mark Sanchez is their starting quarterback day one and that Paxton Lynch will be slowly worked into the starting lineup down the line. In that scenario, he’ll get the majority of the first team reps, he’ll be on the field for two-and-a-half quarters of the Broncos’ third preseason game and he’ll take no more than a few snaps in the fourth game.
And that scenario makes sense. Sanchez is far, far and away the most experienced of Denver’s three quarterback options, and if they have any indication that he’s going to win the starting job, they should stack the deck in his favor from the start; he’s not going to be playing at his best if he’s truly splitting reps with Trevor Siemian and Lynch.
They could also stack the deck in Lynch’s favor, too, though. Remember, for however good you think Lynch may be, Elway did not trade up in the first round to select a quarterback he didn’t see as the franchise’s future starter. If he wants him to start Week 1, he’ll start Week 1.
Is DeMarcus Ware healthy?
Aside from Von Miller, there wasn’t a defensive player in the NFL that had a better playoff run than DeMarcus Ware. He was … other worldly, really. He looked like he was 26 again, not 33 and dealing with a serious back injury.
But that’s exactly what he is: 33 and dealing with a serious back injury.
All you have to do is read this June quote from John Elway to understand just how severe the concerns are.
“Yeah, there’s always a concern with that,” Elway said, via The Denver Post. “Especially with the back, because you never really know. And he’s such an integral part of it and his leadership qualities, so obviously we’re hopeful he can get that going. We’re going to manage him, and we knew that coming in this year, to take care of him. Yeah, there’s a little bit of a concern there.”
He didn’t even try to spin it! He didn’t say, “Oh, we’re not worried about DeMarcus. He’ll be ready by training camp,” or “Everybody’s dealing with something at this point in their career. He’ll be fine.”
No. Instead, he said that there was legitimate concern over whether Ware will make it out onto the field.
Now, I have no doubt that Ware will play this season, and I have no doubt that he’ll be effective when he’s on the field; the question is how long can he stay out there?
I don’t know that answer, and it doesn’t appear as if Elway and the Broncos do, either.
What’s the deal with Aqib Talib?
Riddle me this one, Roger Goodell: What do you do with a guy who may have accidentally shot himself in the leg, but we can’t be sure because he was too drunk to remember and no witnesses were around or coherent enough to explain what the heck happened?
That’s a toughie.
The truth is that, while we’ve seen plenty of gun cases in the past, this is a very unique situation.
It’s clear that Talib was probably doing something he shouldn’t have been doing. But can you really punish a guy for getting shot in the leg? Isn’t a bullet wound punishment enough for being stupid?
There have been reports that the Talib incident was sparked by an argument at a nearby club, but Talib says he was shot at a park and that whatever happened had nothing to do with a nightclub scuffle. And unless there’s proof otherwise, it’s hard to imagine Goodell can use that in his decision — though, we are talking about Roger Goodell.
And that’s without even discussing the legal ramifications. It wasn’t that long ago that Plaxico Burress found himself in prison for a similar situation. While Talib was in Texas (where gun laws aren’t nearly as strict as New York), it’s unclear whether he’ll be charged with any sort of crime.
Luckily, health doesn’t seem to be a concern, as he was seen walking around limp free on Monday at T.J. Ward‘s charity golf tournament.
As of now, he’ll be expected to start Week 1 versus the Carolina Panthers, but that could change with one ruling from Roger Goodell.
Who will be this year’s surprise cut?
The NFL is a cold-hearted league, and unless you have millions of dollars in guarantees left on your contract (and sometimes even then), you’re one misstep from the waiver wire. And that includes veterans, pro bowlers and sometimes even future Hall of Famers.
So which Broncos are in risk of losing their job this offseason?
For me, the easy answer is Ronnie Hillman. Yes, the Broncos just re-signed him a few months ago, but Denver would only owe him $500,000 if he was cut before the season, and that scenario became a lot more likely when John Elway selected Devontae Booker in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. If Booker outperforms Hillman, the Broncos could easily decide to save $1.5 million, cut Hillman and ride with C.J. Anderson, Booker and either Juwan Thompson or Kapri Bibbs (who are significantly cheaper) in the backfield.
If you’re looking for a true surprise cut, though, the answer is Mark Sanchez.
The Broncos are scheduled to pay Sanchez $4.5 million this season, but if he’s let go before the start of the season, they’ll only owe him $1 million, saving them $3.5 million. While it’s a long shot, there’s a way in which it makes sense.
Say that by the end of training camp the three quarterbacks — Sanchez, Lynch and Siemian — are all on relatively equal playing ground. Wouldn’t, at that point, Denver consider rolling the dice with Lynch in Week 1? And if they’re going to turn the keys over to Lynch so early, do they really need to spend $4.5 million on a backup when they can work with Siemian at $500,000? Throw in the $1 million in dead cap that you’d take on from cutting Sanchez, and you’re still saving $3 million.
It’s not likely, but it’d definitely count as a surprise.
Can the Denver Broncos repeat?
Well, this is the most important question of all, isn’t it?
Here’s what I’ll say: Yes, of course the can, but it’s not likely.
Now, that sounds negative, but it’s the truth. The Broncos weren’t likely to win the Super Bowl last year, either. Don’t forget, there was a high likelihood that the Broncos weren’t going to even make the playoffs at halftime of Week 16. Without a gutsy comeback and some All-World level performances from Von Miller and the rest of the Broncos defense, there’s no way Denver wins the Super Bowl.
But … they did, and that’s all that matters.
And, if I’m being honest, I think they have just as good of a shot to win the title this year — probably even better.
The defense will likely be worse — it’s hard to imagine they can be any better — but they’ll still be great. And, more importantly, the offense is going to be much improved. Say what you want about Sanchez, but it’s going to be difficult for him to be any worse than Peyton Manning was last year, especially with a renovated offensive line in front of him.
Like all championship teams, it’ll take a good deal of luck to be playing in February for the second year in a row, but it’s definitely on the table.