The NFL offseason is still a long ways from being comple, but we’ve got a better picture of where the Denver Broncos stand today than we did a little over two weeks ago. As of now, we know that Brock Osweiler won’t be our quarterback, that C.J. Anderson will be our running back and that the defense isn’t as talented as it was last season.
Now, at face value, that looks like a net loss for the Broncos. Going from Osweiler to Mark Sanchez or from Danny Trevathan to Todd Davis isn’t necessarily an improvement, but it doesn’t mean the Broncos are a worse team, either.
Are there areas that need to improve? Yes. Can they be improved? Of course.
Sometimes, especially during this free agency period, we tend to look for the quick fix, the big name. When we see a problem, we throw money at it, hoping an outside source will come in and make everything all better. And while John Elway has proven that to be a viable option over the last few seasons, it’s not the only option — far from it.
Maybe Denver won’t bring in many big-name free agents in this offseason, but all that really means is that the guys who are already here have to step up and make an even larger impact than they have in the past.
Here are five Denver Broncos that will have to step up in a big way next season if they want any chance of repeating as champions.
5. Max Garcia
Max Garcia was very solid as a rookie last season — solid enough that they found time to get him on the field in an unusual guard rotation — but next year will be different. Next year he will be the man.
By cutting Louis Vasquez and by letting Evan Mathis walk to Arizona, the Broncos and John Elway showed that they expect big things from Garcia. You don’t just part ways with two former All Pros if you don’t have someone worthwhile waiting in the wings. Apparently, that’s Garcia.
And if this is all going to come together like Elway hopes, Garcia is going to have to play up to a Pro Bowl level; he’s now the core of this offensive line. From left to right, the only starter from the Broncos Super Bowl who’s projected to be starting come Week 1 is Matt Paradis. As we already detailed, both guards have already left the building, and so has starting left tackle Ryan Harris; Michael Schofield, will be back, but I doubt anybody would be less than shocked if he was out there on the field for the first snap of the 2016 season.
Outside of those guys, Russell Okung is a big get, but but Ty Sambrailo and Donald Stephenson are somewhat of a question mark.
If Garcia can shore up the inside of the Broncos line and get this running game rolling in the direction Gary Kubiak envisions it going, then maybe everything else will fall in line. That’s the hope, at least.
