Three offseason priorities for Denver Broncos

[Denver Native (Carol)]

Denver's loss at Kansas City last week ensured that both Super Bowl teams from the previous season would fail to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2003.

The Broncos and Panthers organizations still boast the front office leadership, veteran coaching staffs and talented core of players to inspire faith in their potential for a return to 2015 heights with a few adjustments.

Let's examine three offseason priorities for the Broncos:

1. Take another stab at revamping the offensive line: As a virtual coach on the field, Peyton Manning's pre-snap machinations and quick release masked an overmatched offensive line in 2015. Once Manning called it a career, general manager John Elway made it a priority to upgrade the blocking, signing bookend tackles Russell Okung and Donald Stephenson in free agency.

To put it bluntly, the overhaul backfired in Elway's face. Stephenson and backup Ty Sambrailo have teamed to make Broncos right tackle the offensive-line equivalent of Cleveland Browns quarterback this season. Okung and the guard tandem of Michael Schofield and Max Garcia have been liabilities at times in their own right, leaving first-year starting signal-caller Trevor Siemian to swallow the poisonous concoction of shoddy pass protection and a derelict ground "attack."

Okung's four-year, $48 million contract is essentially a one-year commitment with an escape hatch if Elway balks at picking up the option for an additional four years. The Broncos can also choose to release Stephenson before his $4 million salary becomes guaranteed in mid-March. Cutting ties is the easy part. Finding capable replacements -- especially at left tackle -- is the challenge. The best course of action might be to renegotiate Okung's deal and lure a free-agent right tackle such as Detroit's Riley Reiff or Baltimore's Ricky Wagner.

rest - the other two priorities http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000766074/article/three-offseason-priorities-for-denver-broncos

[NightTerror218]

Top priority are the trenches period.

[underrated29]

RT
TE
OG
DT
DE
ILB
CB
WR
RB


The good news is we have nearly 40 mil and 10 draft picks to take care of that. We are going to be really good, really good next year, if we can Land a stud at RT, TE, DE.DT and ILB.....With the money in FA and 6 picks in the top 100 we should be able to find those 5 starters. 1-2 in FA and 2-3 in the draft....Im so pumped for next year. As long as Elway goes John MF Elway on FA like he usually does. Draft too! Bam!

[Nomad]

#1 - Be sure to sign Wade Phillips to a new contract.

[dogfish]

1. get tackles
2. get guards
3. get more tackles


seriously, he's not far off. . . i would have said beef up the O-line, plug the run D, and find a running back who can actually run fast. . . TE, ILB, slot receiver and return man are obvious secondary concerns. . . i don't think it's tough to see where we're lacking-- now we just have to wait and see what john's going to do about it. . .

[underrated29]

RB is super deep this year. We can get a really good one in the 6th rd. Fast and sexy.

[NightTerror218]

I am 100% onboard for drafting mcCaffery. He is a great Return guy too. Issue is he is not the biggest but he has homerun speed. But i do not think i would take him over a OT in round 1. Maybe snag in round 2 if available.8

I am liking Derby. He did well for coming over mid season. Green is a great blocker. He was looking good in preseason. I just dont think the TE was giving a chance....DT and Sanders were always stared down l. Green usually had to chip and then run route so he needed more time to get open than what OL allowed.

[Al Wilson 4 Mayor]

I am 100% onboard for drafting mcCaffery. He is a great Return guy too. Issue is he is not the biggest but he has homerun speed. But i do not think i would take him over a OT in round 1. Maybe snag in round 2 if available.8

I am liking Derby. He did well for coming over mid season. Green is a great blocker. He was looking good in preseason. I just dont think the TE was giving a chance....DT and Sanders were always stared down l. Green usually had to chip and then run route so he needed more time to get open than what OL allowed.

McCaffrey is a 4.5 guy. My concern is that his speed will look average at the next level. He would be an ideal 3rd down back, or slot receiver and punt returner. I just don't want to see us spend a pick on him earlier than the third.

[underrated29]

McCaffrey is a 4.5 guy. My concern is that his speed will look average at the next level. He would be an ideal 3rd down back, or slot receiver and punt returner. I just don't want to see us spend a pick on him earlier than the third.


My concerns too. Reminds me of the guy from CU Jeremy Bloom I think he was. Everyone was up on that guy, he went undrafted or 3rd rd, irrc..LOL big diff there but he was out of the league in not too long.

Mac may be that fast, I do not know, I just......Im apprehensive.

[NightTerror218]

My concerns too. Reminds me of the guy from CU Jeremy Bloom I think he was. Everyone was up on that guy, he went undrafted or 3rd rd, irrc..LOL big diff there but he was out of the league in not too long.

Mac may be that fast, I do not know, I just......Im apprehensive.

Ever seen him play? Dude has wow factor. Reason he was heisman runner up and broke barry sanders all pyrpose yards record. Great vision and when he is gone he is not caught on big plays.

[Cugel]

Okung's four-year, $48 million contract is essentially a one-year commitment with an escape hatch if Elway balks at picking up the option for an additional four years. The Broncos can also choose to release Stephenson before his $4 million salary becomes guaranteed in mid-March. Cutting ties is the easy part. Finding capable replacements -- especially at left tackle -- is the challenge. The best course of action might be to renegotiate Okung's deal and lure a free-agent right tackle such as Detroit's Riley Reiff or Baltimore's Ricky Wagner.

This is exactly what I have been saying for some time now. I expect Elway will let Stevenson walk, will attempt to re-negotiate Okung's deal and sign perhaps 2 Gs and draft one.

Then next season, the Broncos OL would look like this:

LT: Okung
LG: FA
C: Paradis
RG: FA
RT: FA

Any of these players might be a draft pick, but I doubt a rookie OL starts and is able to improve things. Also, if they get rid of Clancy Barone and get a coach who can, I don't know, actually coach OL maybe they might get some use out of Michael Schofield and Max Garcia.

For instance, they might stick with Garcia at LG and pick up a RG, RT. Or Schofield might develop as a G. Remember that they've moved him all over the line and he's never excelled anywhere. But, Mark Schlereth keeps emphasizing that it's impossible to move a young guy all over the line and expect him to just step in and play. It takes a year or two to learn a position.

Michael Schofield still has some potential to develop, the coaches believe, if they could just stick him at one position, even as a backup and let him learn that instead of moving him around. Better coaching would help with that.

The real problem with the OL this season has been that it's a different guy every week. Last year it was Schofield every week who was the problem. Now Okung will have a decent game one week, and be a fire hazard the next. Same with all the others except Paradis, who has played seriously injured and is looking like if healthy he could be a decent player.

One thing I know, Gary Kubiak and Elway are not going to rest content until they have the running game fixed. Just because it didn't work the first time doesn't mean they are going to just give up.