John Elway and the Denver Broncos got off to a slow start in free agency, but their plan is starting to come together. Whether or not Mark Sanchez, Colin Kaepernick or mystery quarterback X ends up being the Broncos’ starting quarterback Week 1, it’s clear that Elway’s No. 1 priority was shoring up Denver’s offensive line.
The signings of Donald Stephenson and Russell Okung go a long way towards improving what was one of the league’s worst units last season; the return of Ty Sambrailo and the continued growth of Max Garcia help too.
And while the way they got there may be questionable, the Broncos’ re-signing of C.J. Anderson shows that the team is committed to winning the old fashioned way, by running the ball and playing defense.
Of course, though, there are still question marks — major ones. Several key contributors on last year’s historic defense are now gone, and the offense already had a large hill to climb before they lost both their starting quarterbacks from last season. Luckily, there’s plenty of time to make improvements. The first wave of free agency may be over, but there are several more to come, plus the draft.
With that said, here are five biggest positions of needs for the Denver Broncos:
5. Defensive Depth
Let’s talk about defense for a second, and then we’re going to move on. Sound good? Even with the losses of Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan, this group is insanely good. Sure, guys like Todd Davis and Vance Walker will have to step up into bigger roles, but that’s just how this league goes. And with the absurd amount of talent surrounding those guys, I feel confident that they’ll perform up to their fullest capabilities.
That said, pushing guys up the food chain also means that you’ve got to replenish your depth if you want to remain as durable. As we saw last year, depth is critical to a championship run. Without guys like Shiloh Keo and Josh Bush stepping in at safety when the Broncos top-three guys were in and out of the lineup, who knows if Denver would have made it as far as they did.
Likewise, when Brandon Marshall and Trevathan were dealing with injuries throughout the season, Davis was able to step up in a big way, hardly missing a beat.
But with those guys already moving into larger roles with the losses of Trevathan and David Bruton, who’s going to fill their shoes when they inevitably go down? That’s the question John Elway and the Broncos have to answer; not who’s starting, but who’s second or third on the depth chart.
Even still, the Broncos are well set up to succeed in 2016.
