Offseason Priorities for the Denver Broncos-Offense
By Joe Morrone
Sep 23, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos tackle Orlando Franklin (74) and offensive guard Justin Boren (65) at the line of scrimmage against the Oakland Raiders at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
The Super Bowl is now behind us and for everyone but the New England Patriots, who have earned the right to celebrate for a few days, the 2015 season begins now. What will it take for the Denver Broncos to be in the position of the Patriots at this time next year?
There are a few things the Broncos and John Elway must get done between now and September in order to be the team that is celebrating in February of 2016. This is a general overview as we begin the offseason, more specifics will come as we approach the new league year on March 10th. We begin today with the offensive side of the ball.
For starters, it appears that quarterback Peyton Manning will return. Reports surfaced on Sunday from ESPN’s Chris Mortensen that Manning will return for his 18th season. Mortensen is close to the Manning family and there is no reason to doubt the validity of the report.
With Manning back, the Broncos enter the offseason as one of the favorites going into 2015 and if they can take care of the following, then they will be right there when the playoffs roll around.
The number one thing the Broncos have to do is get tougher, both physically and mentally. This has less to do with adding players, and more to do with establishing an attitude. Make no mistake, John Fox is in Chicago because Elway felt the team was soft.
It will be up to Gary Kubiak and his coaching staff to instill a new attitude in the Broncos, and it has to start on the first day of the offseason training program in April. The coaches must challenge the players and push them in ways that Fox did not. The players have to do their part but the change in mentality starts with the coaches, and that’s why the likes of Bill Kollar and Reggie Herring were brought in. They are no nonsense coaches who teach hard-nosed, in your face football.
The offensive line is the number one thing that must be fixed and it starts with moving Louis Vasquez back to his natural position of guard. That also means the Broncos must find a right tackle and according to some of the players, he might be on the roster already. After the season ended, there were some players who wondered why rookie tackle Michael Scofield wasn’t playing. The reports are that he looked great in practice but the former coaching staff refused to play him on Sundays. He will get every opportunity to win the right tackle job under the new staff.
If Scofield is not the answer, the Broncos need to look towards free agency. Speaking of free agency, Elway needs to make every effort to re-sign Orlando Franklin. He started slow with the position switch to guard but was the Broncos best offensive lineman at the end of the season.
The center position must also be addressed and free agency is where the Broncos need to start. It’s too much to ask of a rookie center to come in and play for a team contending for a championship. If the Broncos can get those positions addressed and Ryan Clady returns to form after playing through pain for most of last season, then the Broncos offense will be in a much better place.
Demaryius Thomas will be in a Broncos uniform in 2015, the Broncos will either sign him or they will use the franchise tag on him. With Thomas back, the Broncos will need Cody Latimer to step up in his second season. Wes Welker will be gone and Latimer will be counted on to be the third receiver behind Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.
The Broncos are likely to lose tight-end Julius Thomas to free agency but that loss can be neutralized a little if they re-sign Virgil Green. Believe it or not, Green is a better fit for a Kubiak offense and could flourish if given the chance. He blocks which is a must for a tight-end if you are going to play for Kubiak, and would excel in a play action game.
Should the Broncos lose both Thomas and Green, then obviously that’s an area that would need to be addressed. The Broncos would most likely sign a veteran free agent and add another tight-end through the draft.
Those will be the primary areas of focus on the offensive side of the ball in the offseason. In reality, fixing the offensive line is the number one priority for this team. If they can do that and minimize the free agent losses, then the Broncos will be back for another run in 2016.
We will take a look at the to-do list on the defensive side of the ball on Tuesday.