Despite having missed the postseason for a third consecutive year in 2018, the Denver Broncos are not expected to be in rebuild mode in 2019. With a top-10 defense and new coaching staff that was hand-picked by John Elway, the feeling around Dove Valley is that this is a team that has the makings of a winner.
To an extent, the Broncos have good reason to be feeling confident. Denver has a solid foundation on defense and for the first time since Wade Phillips left for Los Angeles, the Broncos will have the kind of coaching staff that knows how to consistently scheme around their all-world edge rushers.
That being said, if the Broncos want to make serious strides as a franchise this season, the biggest factor is going to be improving the passing offense.
Denver ranked eighth in the NFL lasts season with 588 total pass attempts, including a career-high 586 from Case Keenum. But, even with the slight increase in pass attempts from 2017 when Trevor Siemian and Brock Osweiler combined for 566, the Broncos only improved by one spot in the league rankings for passing yards (No. 19).
So, what needs to change next season for the Broncos to be more effective through the air?
While much of the fanbase would like to blame Keenum or Vance Joseph for Denver’s lackluster passing offense and say that a simple quarterback change will turn things around, the reality is the Broncos were ineffective through the air for a multitude of reasons.
Keenum was definitely not the same quarterback that nearly led the Vikings to the Super Bowl in 2017-18, but he also did have the same kind of talent around him.
Getting more consistency from the offensive line would certainly help; and considering Denver brought in Mike Munchak after nearly hiring the Hall of Famer for the head job, the Broncos should see improvements in the trenches.
According to Pro Football Focus, the big uglies were not even Denver’s biggest problem in the passing offense though. Even with a clean pocket, Keenum ranked 28th with a 92.3 QBR and Denver’s pass catchers led the NFL with 29 open pocket drops.
Inexperience at the wide receiver position probably played a factor, as Denver had to rely on a group of rookies to shoulder the majority of the production. But, it’s tough to blame the offensive line for Denver’s poor passing performance when the skill players are not making plays for the QB.
Moving forward, it will be interesting to see how the Broncos adjust. Whether the team drafts a quarterback or not, Keenum is on the hot seat and the Broncos faithful will expect better results from him and the wide receivers in 2019.
