Weeks before the NFL Draft gets underway, John Elway has put his team in a position of strength instead of a position of desperation.
The first two weeks of free agency saw a lot more players going than coming for the Denver Broncos, causing many to question whether Elway has lost his touch. With all of the criticism the Broncos have received, though, they have actually solidified one of the weakest parts of their Super Bowl winning team, the offensive line.
Two years ago, under head coach John Fox, the Broncos offensive line was the major weakness of the offense. Elway addressed that last offseason with a combination of investing in the future, drafting Ty Sambrailo and Max Garcia, and bringing in a proven veteran, signing All-Pro Evan Mathis. Unfortunately, with the season-ending injuries to Sambrailo and Ryan Clady, his plans were thrown for a loop before they could get started.
This year, Elway has made the line a priority once again, signing Donald Stephenson and Russell Okung in free agency. And while the Broncos have lost their two top quarterbacks, a starting defensive lineman, a starting middle linebacker, a starting guard and the special teams captain, at least they can say they’ve acquired two starting offensive tackles.
These signings most likely point to the end of Ryan Clady’s time here in Denver and a shift for Ty Sambrailo from tackle to guard. Matt Paradis, the only Bronco to play every offensive snap last season, will stay the starting center, and second-year pro Max Garcia will likely step up to start as the other guard position, opposite Sambrailo.
While these five players certainly don’t automatically make up a top offensive line, they don’t leave any glaring holes heading into the 2016 season.
Boasting the league’s best defense and a suspect offense, the plan for Elway and his staff for free agency and the draft was offense, offense, offense. While free agency has only brought in two starters, it changes the entire plan for the draft.
Just before the start of free agency, many mock drafts in the nation projected the Broncos to go after an offensive lineman with their first pick. Now that the Broncos have addressed that concern in free agency, their draft board and plans can expand.
Now, instead of finding a day-one starter on the line, the Broncos have put themselves in a position where they can be very flexible in the first round of the draft.
Denver can continue to improve their weak offense, or attempt to fill the holes on defense that were left by the departures of Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan. In the first round specifically, the Broncos should be targeting the following positions: Quarterback, tight end, guard, defensive line or linebacker.
Obviously, the splashiest move would be to draft a quarterback in the first round, and that could very well happen. There are several passers who could make sense at pick No. 31, but they might be a bit of a reach. Otherwise, if the the Broncos really want to make a big-time move, there’s always the possibility of moving up in the draft – way up – to grab one of the top quarterbacks in the class.
That said, with how he’s valued the quarterback position this offseason, it would be hard to imagine Elway doing anything rash, whether that be trading picks or players the to move up into the top 10 or drafting a second-round talent in the first round. That means that guys like Carson Wentz and Jared Goff (the elite talents) and Connor Cook and Dak Prescott (the second tier) are probably off the table. That does leave Paxton Lynch, however, who could be available in the mid- to late-20s.
If the Broncos stay put at pick 31 and they don’t select a quarterback, they could very well have the ability to draft the top tight end in the draft, Hunter Henry. Henry is by far the best tight end in this year’s class and could come in and be the starter on day one. The Broncos still have veteran Virgil Green and second-year pro Jeff Heuerman, who was hurt last year and never took the field, but the addition of Henry would be an instant upgrade.
And even with the Broncos’ upgrade of the offensive line during free agency, they could still go after a guard if they felt the right player was available for them. While Sambrailo seems to be one of starting guards, they could find an upgrade for Max Garcia in the first round. Garcia was very solid in training camp last year and showed signs that he could be an every-down player, but if the Broncos wanted to upgrade the offensive line, this would could be the position that makes sense.
Last year the Broncos found out firsthand that defense wins championships. It is very possible that they could stick with this philosophy with the first round of the draft and go defense. The two positions that would make the most sense would be filling the holes left by the free agency losses on the defensive line and linebacker.
This year’s defensive line class is very deep, so the Broncos could find quality talent in later rounds, or, depending on who is available, they could get an instant impact player in the first round.
The Broncos could also fill the hole left by Danny Trevathan by using their first-round pick on a middle linebacker. The Broncos seem to be very optimistic on backups Todd Davis and Corey Nelson, as well as practice squad player Zaire Anderson, so the move for the Broncos to draft a linebacker in the first round does not seem likely.
With the two offensive line signings during free agency, the Broncos have opened up their draft board to be able to go after the best player available in the first round.
Will Elway continue to draft a defensive player with his first selection in the draft — like he has done every year since joining the Broncos — or will he give the offense the talent it so desperately needs? After the signings of Stephenson and Okung, he’s given himself plenty of options.