Broncos targets

[Superchop 7]

Lets talk about who you want to see on the team.

For Me.

Kenny Britt, life has humbled the kid, beat him down, he has no leverage, he knows if he messes up 1 more time he is out of the league for good, super cheap on the market, super low risk from a $ standpoint, our attitude? We don't care......BUT....this guy changes a defense, 6ft 3, 223, 4.47, 23 bench reps, 2 years removed from acl-mcl which is about how long it takes to heal. Worth it from the standpoint he can throw Richard Sherman around, maybe I just want to see the fist fight......ok...I definitely want to see the fistfight.

Jared Allen, 11.5 sacks on a lousy team, would be great pairing him with Phillips, keeping both fresh. People that think this guy can't play are clueless.

Louis Delmas, Most importantly, a leader of men, our defense needs a guy like this to fire them up. I like the player, love the influence in the locker room.

Dqwell Jackson, Big step in the right direction, gives us a chance to sign Gabe Jackson in the second, still want Broncos to draft a guy with talent.

OK, your turn.

[atwater27]

I think we have been failing at drafting and developing our own safeties, so screw it, let's get Jairus Byrd, T.J. Ward or Donte Whitner. Yeah, they will be expensive, but yeah our deep pass defense sucks.

[Dzone]

Well, we need to start getting ready for the rematch. So do we open at Seattle or do they come here?
Maybe Britt would be a good replacement for decker. I dont know too much abouthim...wonder who will replace decker, assuming he goes...Bubba caldwell? I forget who else is on the roster. tavarrres king is gone

[ShaneFalco]

if people got mad at von for smoking weed, i doubt you want kenny britt here.

I like your choice of Jared tho.

[Ziggy]

I think we have been failing at drafting and developing our own safeties, so screw it, let's get Jairus Byrd, T.J. Ward or Donte Whitner. Yeah, they will be expensive, but yeah our deep pass defense sucks.

You're right on the money here. The one thing Shanny did right later in his gm career in Denver was to trade a position that he could always draft well for one that he could never get right. The Portis for Champ trade obviously worked out well for Denver. If Elway can't draft a stud safety after using high draft picks on them, he might as well sign or trade for one. I'd love to see him bite the bullet and spend some of that cap money on one. Give me Jarius Byrd or TJ Ward with the money we save by cutting or restructuring Champ. If it takes more, use Kuper's salary and send him to rehab his endless string of injuries with another team.

[Ziggy]

if people got mad at von for smoking weed, i doubt you want kenny britt here.

I like your choice of Jared tho.

The difference between Britt and Von is that we aren't ever going to build an offense around Britt, we didn't spend the 2nd pick in the draft on him, and he won't command even half of the salary that Von will on his next contract.

[Dzone]

Just read this on k britt, he sounds like a mess. I dont think we want him. His game has dropped off and he hasnt recovered from his knee injury
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000329918/article/kenny-britt-ill-be-a-no-1-receiver-somewhere-else

[underrated29]

We don't want Britt....ive had his am an upside backup in fantasy and have watched a ton of his games the past few years.....he is done. Head case. Makes easy drops and all sorts of stuff. I'd take just about any wr over him. I'd take Terrell Owens from retirement before Britt.

[luckyseven]

Well, we need to start getting ready for the rematch. So do we open at Seattle or do they come here?
Maybe Britt would be a good replacement for decker. I dont know too much abouthim...wonder who will replace decker, assuming he goes...Bubba caldwell? I forget who else is on the roster. tavarrres king is gone

Caldwell is a UFA also so unless he does not get a great offer elsewhere he might be back but replace Decker he is not the guy. IMO

[silkamilkamonico]

Caldwell is a UFA also so unless he does not get a great offer elsewhere he might be back but replace Decker he is not the guy. IMO

IMHO Caldwell is ideal. He knows the offense, and he will likely be cheap. There isn't a WR that Denver will get in FA without significantly overpaying, which has shown to be bad business in the NFL as far as WR's in free agency go. There isn't going to be a rookie WR that is going to come in, learn the offense and be aready to make an impact next year.

All we need is someone that knows the offense and can catch an occasional ball. We already have 2 dynamic WR threats and 1 slot guy in Welker which is more than 75% of the teams in the NFL.

The is why I don't particularly like how Elway and the front office is building Denver. We already have absolutely no depth and losing a ton more in free agency this year. We had Decker's replacement in T King who they liked, and ended up releasing to get a backup LB who never played on the team. LB will stil be a need btw also.

I do not think Denver is going to have a better team next year than this year - at least on paper. It doesn't mean they can't still win the SuperBowl, and I still believe the AFC is going to be down again, but uffda it sure feels like this off season they will be patching holes in hopes to put a team together.

Everybody talks about all these free agents we can get with the amount of cap we have, but we will have so many needs just to field a team, and we are going to end up overpaying significantly for some free agents.

[luckyseven]

IMHO Caldwell is ideal. He knows the offense, and he will likely be cheap. There isn't a WR that Denver will get in FA without significantly overpaying, which has shown to be bad business in the NFL as far as WR's in free agency go. There isn't going to be a rookie WR that is going to come in, learn the offense and be aready to make an impact next year.

All we need is someone that knows the offense and can catch an occasional ball. We already have 2 dynamic WR threats and 1 slot guy in Welker which is more than 75% of the teams in the NFL.

The is why I don't particularly like how Elway and the front office is building Denver. We already have absolutely no depth and losing a ton more in free agency this year. We had Decker's replacement in T King who they liked, and ended up releasing to get a backup LB who never played on the team. LB will stil be a need btw also.

I do not think Denver is going to have a better team next year than this year - at least on paper. It doesn't mean they can't still win the SuperBowl, and I still believe the AFC is going to be down again, but uffda it sure feels like this off season they will be patching holes in hopes to put a team together.

Everybody talks about all these free agents we can get with the amount of cap we have, but we will have so many needs just to field a team, and we are going to end up overpaying significantly for some free agents.

Yoi talk about having two dynamic WRs not sure who they are. As for Caudwell I rally have not seen much if anything from him, IMO he had a harder time getting off the LOS than decker did

As for depth there has been little time to make depth and probably less money availability because no one builds a quality deep team in three years. There was very little in quality left over from the 2008 team 3 off 11 starters made to 2009. Of them Champ is a no brainer, DJ Willams not so much, and I forget the third. So our Defense since then is totally new. On offense the OL needed to be replaced, and of course the life span of RBs is less than 4 years OM average so that left a quality WR and QB so to speak, Marshall well had his lawyer on speed dial to get him out of girl friend issues, not to mention his slippage issue. Cutler has yet to lead his team to the promised land.

So basically John inherited some talent but almost zero in depth. Hrd to build that when you have to basically replace the entire team.

Has he made mistakes? Sure but IMO he is on the right path.
I think had Manning not,dropped in our laps we would have saved probably 10-12 million a year in cap space and would have had it to keep the better player and develop a bit more depth.

[Lancane]

Offense

The Broncos are pretty much set at every position offensively give wide receiver and the offensive line. Come the Draft we could well see Denver drafting two of each, as for free agency...

If there was receiver I'd like the Broncos to go after it's Golden Tate, but the chances of them dishing out the money that Tate will be offered elsewhere is unlikely. And unlike a number of fans on here, I don't believe Caldwell is the answer to replace Decker, Manning passes the ball around enough that he could have made the decision a no brainer and it's not, the man had more drops then catches when the ball came his way so the argument is foolhardy despite his knowledge of the playbook. Denver can ill afford to ignore position either, Decker, Caldwell and Holliday (who used up a receiver spot on the roster) are UFA and next off-season Thomas, Welker and Thomas are UFA. The answer for the Broncos might lie in Brandon LaFell who was originally drafted by John Fox and has been a competent receiver in Carolina in each of his four seasons in the league, he has the size and ability to be a solid number two, he could easily be had for less then a number of other solid options to replace Decker. Denver will draft a receiver or two, but if they wanted to secure the void left by Decker, LaFell is a good option.

The debate of the fandom over whether to move Franklin inside or not will probably go till training camp. It could go either way really, he's considered one of the better right tackles, but he might just be a better fit inside. Denver also needs a center to challenge Ramirez who had ups and downs all season long and one very embarissing moment on nation television in the biggest game of the year. If Denver plans to keep Franklin on the outside then I could see them going after another inner division guard like Jon Asamoah of Kansas City or they may go after another with ties to the staff like Garry Williams of Carolina who can also play outside at the right tackle spot giving them the option to stay as is or move Williams to the outside if Painter isn't ready and they want to keep Clark in reserve. Williams would also be a good signing for depth purposes. As for the center position if they really wanted to improve they could go after someone like Brian De La Puente of the Saints, but I see them giving Ramirez a shot to retain the position which means that Denver will likely re-sign Vallos or draft someone to challenge him.

[DenBronx]

Golden Tates the answer to replace Decker???

My dinner just came up.

[silkamilkamonico]

Yoi talk about having two dynamic WRs not sure who they are. As for Caudwell I rally have not seen much if anything from him, IMO he had a harder time getting off the LOS than decker did

As for depth there has been little time to make depth and probably less money availability because no one builds a quality deep team in three years. There was very little in quality left over from the 2008 team 3 off 11 starters made to 2009. Of them Champ is a no brainer, DJ Willams not so much, and I forget the third. So our Defense since then is totally new. On offense the OL needed to be replaced, and of course the life span of RBs is less than 4 years OM average so that left a quality WR and QB so to speak, Marshall well had his lawyer on speed dial to get him out of girl friend issues, not to mention his slippage issue. Cutler has yet to lead his team to the promised land.

So basically John inherited some talent but almost zero in depth. Hrd to build that when you have to basically replace the entire team.

Has he made mistakes? Sure but IMO he is on the right path.
I think had Manning not,dropped in our laps we would have saved probably 10-12 million a year in cap space and would have had it to keep the better player and develop a bit more depth.


I don't know any NFL teams that have 2 receiving options that are as explosive as DThomas and JThomas.

I would like to hear a general consensus of how people think Denver has drafted since Elway has taken over. The first draft was very good, if not stellar. The last 2 drafts, not very good IMHO.

On a side note, I think Elway has done a great job of building Denver. It will be interesting to see if he can build stability through the draft after Manning is gone, rather than building teams for right now.

Will be very interesting to see what kind of team Denver will be post Manning.

[luckyseven]

Offense

The Broncos are pretty much set at every position offensively give wide receiver and the offensive line. Come the Draft we could well see Denver drafting two of each, as for free agency...

If there was receiver I'd like the Broncos to go after it's Golden Tate, but the chances of them dishing out the money that Tate will be offered elsewhere is unlikely. And unlike a number of fans on here, I don't believe Caldwell is the answer to replace Decker, Manning passes the ball around enough that he could have made the decision a no brainer and it's not, the man had more drops then catches when the ball came his way so the argument is foolhardy despite his knowledge of the playbook. Denver can ill afford to ignore position either, Decker, Caldwell and Holliday (who used up a receiver spot on the roster) are UFA and next off-season Thomas, Welker and Thomas are UFA. The answer for the Broncos might lie in Brandon LaFell who was originally drafted by John Fox and has been a competent receiver in Carolina in each of his four seasons in the league, he has the size and ability to be a solid number two, he could easily be had for less then a number of other solid options to replace Decker. Denver will draft a receiver or two, but if they wanted to secure the void left by Decker, LaFell is a good option.

The debate of the fandom over whether to move Franklin inside or not will probably go till training camp. It could go either way really, he's considered one of the better right tackles, but he might just be a better fit inside. Denver also needs a center to challenge Ramirez who had ups and downs all season long and one very embarissing moment on nation television in the biggest game of the year. If Denver plans to keep Franklin on the outside then I could see them going after another inner division guard like Jon Asamoah of Kansas City or they may go after another with ties to the staff like Garry Williams of Carolina who can also play outside at the right tackle spot giving them the option to stay as is or move Williams to the outside if Painter isn't ready and they want to keep Clark in reserve. Williams would also be a good signing for depth purposes. As for the center position if they really wanted to improve they could go after someone like Brian De La Puente of the Saints, but I see them giving Ramirez a shot to retain the position which means that Denver will likely re-sign Vallos or draft someone to challenge him.

Not sure what the depth at OC is in the draft, but I'd guess if they could find a swing OC/OG in there that would be an option, I know that Ramirez struggled at OG in years past, but getting a true gifted OC might be the answer and moving MR to OG as either depth or starter. They are about 3 quality Players from being a great OL with quality depth not just fill in players. They should be taking at least 2 in the draft unless they can fill one in FA.

As for WR I agree with you about Caldwell, might be a warm body in depth but unless he shows something that we have not seen in games, I only hesitate with drafting them as most of them unless they are fluke take 2-4 years to get into NFL mode. WE may have to and hope one or more of them catch on late in the year so our options with the rest of the receiving corp next year is not so desperate.

[luckyseven]

I don't know any NFL teams that have 2 receiving options that are as explosive as DThomas and JThomas.

I would like to hear a general consensus of how people think Denver has drafted since Elway has taken over. The first draft was very good, if not stellar. The last 2 drafts, not very good IMHO.

On a side note, I think Elway has done a great job of building Denver. It will be interesting to see if he can build stability through the draft after Manning is gone, rather than building teams for right now.

Will be very interesting to see what kind of team Denver will be post Manning.

OK now I see what you were saying I read it as two WR's not WR and TE.

The last two drafts not being good, I see it as that line up was hard to crack to be a starter. We are getting to the point that draftees are not going to step in and play a lot, unlike when Mc D was here and then Fox came on board there was little talent to start with and rookies got a lot of time.

Beadles and Walton IIRC played every snap from first pre season game on and pretty much played every snap since until Walton was injured. They and Decker were thrown to the wolves and the only reason either of the Thomas brothers were not was injury. these last years we had some quality starters and rookies have not had to play except in depth or rotational roles.

My only complaint against John is a few to many short try out contracts, they were cheap, and that was about the best thing I could say about them.

He has made a couple of lousy decisions with MAYS being at the top of that list.

[Lancane]

Defense

Defensively Denver has a lot of work to do, they have needs at several positions and there is little security to be had other then at defensive tackle, it's pretty sad when our biggest weakness over the past two decades has become our defensive strength while the others are dependable but not stout or completely weak.

According to the NFLN the Broncos are in talks with Shaun Phillips' people. While that is promising in someways, I would prefer that Denver went after the likes of Lamarr Houston or Michael Johnson, even Willie Young would be an upgrade. I like Phillips, but he is a stop gap answer, they're banking too much on Quanterus Smith, the position has weaknesses and while Derek Wolfe hopefully returns to 100% he has gained weight and could be slated for more of an interior role where he'd be less likely to have to start and could be a better fit long-term next to Sylvester Williams for the Broncos. Matt Shaughnessy would be a solid addition to compete with Malik Jackson on the left side, however the Broncos are likely to address this need in the draft and re-sign Phillips to start on the right side.

Von Miller is expected to return to 100% and man the sam position, I see Nate Irving remaining his backup. Despite what Coach Fox has said about Irving it's obvious that is a diplomatic answer, the Broncos have reportedly set up a meeting with D'Qwell Jackson and have interest in upgrading the position, I would like to see them look at Perry Riley of Washington. Either way, if Denver does not sign someone I see them drafting a mainstay at the position. Danny Trevathan should return at the will position with either Steven Johnson or Brandon Marshall backing him up.

Cornerback is a bigger concern in my opinion, Chris Harris is returning from injury and is a RFA, a team may look in his direction, but the biggest issue is Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, should the Broncos not re-sign him the corner position for Denver will be a steaming pile of horse ****, no matter what happens to Harris. He's solid, but could be replaced which would be harder to do for the likes of DRC who was the Broncos defensive MVP of the season. Smart money would be to re-sign Rodgers-Cromartie to a long-term deal, re-sign Harris to a one year deal while restructuring Champ Bailey's contract for a nickle corner or cutting him and keeping Tony Carter and Kayvon Webster. If Denver loses out on DRC because of their decision to let him test the market despite his continual admission of wanting to stay, then Denver will have no choice but to look at Vontae Davis, Captain Munnerlyn or Sam Shields in free agency or go after the top corner available when they pick in the draft.

Quinton Carter returning should help the Broncos maintain a competent unit with Omar Bolden, David Bruton and Duke Ihenacho who is a RFA is likely to return as well, he was solid for part of the season but fell away enough that the position is in question. The Broncos are hoping Rahim Moore returns at full strength to bolster the safety position, but they are looking at Louis Delmas of Detroit who was cut for fiscal reasons. The position needs to improve, Delmas is a good safety and would bolster the position two-fold and would come cheaper then the likes of the top free agent safeties available. Denver could also make a case to walk into the season with Moore and Ihenacho the starters once more and simply draft someone to grow into the position. It's not a Smith-Atwater or Atwater-Braxton like tandem but better then some, would be better if it was Delmas-Ihenacho or Moore-Delmas, I wouldn't be opposed to Ward coming to Denver either.

In the end I will go Brandon LeFell, Garry Williams, Louis Delmas, Shaun Phillips, D'Qwell Jackson and Dominue Rodgers-Cromartie as the noteable moves Denver makes in Free Agency.

[Lancane]

Golden Tates the answer to replace Decker???

My dinner just came up.

Tate makes sense, he is a solid receiver who can also help on special teams, he is not a number one receiver like he was used in Seattle, but in place of Decker, he would be more then sufficient.

So re-swallow your dinner.

[underrated29]

LAN- what do you know of my guy Clarke that I had us taking in round two of my mock?

I don't know much about him and only found a few small plays of his. I like the guy a lot. North said he saw the guy rated between 4-6 rounds....think he will last that long or will he rise up like dontario Poe? Or fall down like vontez burfict?

[Lancane]

LAN- what do you know of my guy Clarke that I had us taking in round two of my mock?

I don't know much about him and only found a few small plays of his. I like the guy a lot. North said he saw the guy rated between 4-6 rounds....think he will last that long or will he rise up like dontario Poe? Or fall down like vontez burfict?

Will Clarke is a maddening prospect, he has the physical build, long arms, initial quickness at the point of attack, can shed blocks, good overall footwork and shows signs of dominance. On the other hand, he has a questionable motor, is too inconsistent, relies on finesse rather then his strength, stiff coming off the edge at times and allows himself to be pushed back rather then get dirty in the mud. All in all, he is about the 13th best defensive end in the draft and has a solid 4th Round grade. He has the physical ability to be a good defensive end bordering on great, he lacks elite ability but that means little if he could put it all together he could be more like Michael Johnson of Cincinnati, he's not a bad pick in the 4th or 5th Round, I'd take Lawrence and Martin over him, now if I was choosing between him and Michael Sam they are both in the same boat, can either succeed or fail, they can be coached up and can be more then they seem which is on them. Overall not a bad pick, but far too early in the second, with Denver's third pick which in some ways is more of a fourth, that I could see.

[Simple Jaded]

Personally, I hope the Broncos are done wasting draft picks on S's, even though I keep hearing about how important the position has become. Apparently impact S's are as rare as it gets.

[Lancane]

Personally, I hope the Broncos are done wasting draft picks on S's, even though I keep hearing about how important the position has become. Apparently impact S's are as rare as it gets.

If Denver lands Delmas and re-signs Ihenacho then don't expect them to draft a safety, with Moore, Carter, Bolden and Bruton also on the roster the position is pretty much covered and I won't expect them to draft another safety this off-season. As for the future? Moore is slated to be an UFA next off-season, and it will be harder to retain him amidst the other noteworthy free agents the Broncos will have, it's quite possible that, that is when Denver finally goes after a safety in the first round.

[NightTerror218]

If Denver lands Delmas and re-signs Ihenacho then don't expect them to draft a safety, with Moore, Carter, Bolden and Bruton also on the roster the position is pretty much covered and I won't expect them to draft another safety this off-season. As for the future? Moore is slated to be an UFA next off-season, and it will be harder to retain him amidst the other noteworthy free agents the Broncos will have, it's quite possible that, that is when Denver finally goes after a safety in the first round.

IMO it all depends on who falls in the draft. If a safety falls to us at 63 who knows. Carter and bolden could be expendable. Or bolden moves back to corner.

[DenBronx]

Personally, I hope the Broncos are done wasting draft picks on S's, even though I keep hearing about how important the position has become. Apparently impact S's are as rare as it gets.

Then you must not see that the ones we have now are awfull.

[Simple Jaded]

Then you must not see that the ones we have now are awfull.

If you say so, my point is I hope they sign a legit S and stop wasting draft picks. I'd rather keep the ones they have than drafting more players to make the same impact.

I guess I just don't see a huge difference between Swearinger/Cyprien and Moore/Ihenacho. Shit, I'd rather move Bailey and take my chances.