Broncos emphasize young player development under coach Gary Kubiak

[Denver Native (Carol)]

Tucked away in the corner of the Broncos' media room, wedged next to a copy machine, sat a rolled-up banner featuring departed free agent Julius Thomas. Thirty feet away, Owen Daniels, a tight end known for his work ethic and toughness, met the media. Was this Broncos offseason going to be different? The symbolism last Wednesday made the change impossible to miss.

A year ago, the Broncos went big in free agency and came up huge. They signed safety T.J. Ward, landed pass rusher DeMarcus Ware and cornerback Aqib Talib and finished their shopping spree snagging wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. The moves worked, with all four players earning Pro Bowl honors.

Signing those four came at a heavy price, though, as it left the Broncos with limited salary cap space this March, which led to the loss of several key players. The Broncos therefore moved judiciously, adding complementary veteran players last week at value prices: Daniels, defensive end Vance Walker, safety Darian Stewart and offensive lineman Shelley Smith. If last year was about showing green to players, this offseason is about the new coaching staff getting green players to show their worth. The free agents will help plug holes, but to get to the Super Bowl, the homegrown talent must bloom.

rest - http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_27714582/broncos-emphasize-young-player-development-under-coach-gary

[Denver Native (Carol)]

from same article:


The Broncos' draft class all but disappeared last season, save for first-round cornerback Bradley Roby. Receiver Cody Latimer caught two passes for 23 yards and was relegated to the scout team as he struggled to digest the playbook. While coaching in Baltimore, Kubiak met with Latimer before last year's draft.

"I really, really liked him," Kubiak said. "He has a lot of athletic ability."

There's no arguing the success of previous coordinator Adam Gase's offense, but it wasn't rookie-friendly. Latimer admitted "it was more challenging" than he expected and that he would get down on himself.

http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_27714582/broncos-emphasize-young-player-development-under-coach-gary

[Denver Native (Carol)]

from another article:


The departures of John Fox and Adam Gase were hastened, in part, because of their hard-line stance not to use three of Elway's draft picks last year. He wanted wide receiver Cody Latimer in uniform and on the field, and he wasn't thrilled that offensive linemen Michael Schofield and Matt Paradis never got a look.

full article - http://www.denverpost.com/paige/ci_27714583/paige-broncos-rely-many-players-instead-few

[SoCalImport]

The question is, did the rookies not see the field because of Fox's bias or because they weren't good enough? Thankfully we have the man's reputation for not playing rookies to fall back on. That and the whole water under bridge/in Elway we trust thing.

[NightTerror218]

Rarely has Fox started a rookie unless injuries pushed him.

[Rick]

It will be essential to see what we have with young players if we want to stay out of the sign other teams players game on a yearly basis.

We don't need to give 10 mil in the future to a Ware or a Talib if we know a McCray or a Webster is able to step up.