Five Offensive Dark Horses for the Denver Broncos
Jan 12, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos tight end Virgil Green (right) is pursued by San Diego Chargers safety Eric Weddle during the 2013 AFC divisional playoff football game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Broncos are a team littered with offensive talent. So much so, that they were willing to let three key contributors from a year ago simply walk in free agency, not even making them offers. Those players would be Eric Decker, Knowshon Moreno, and Zane Beadles.
Despite making it to the Super Bowl a year ago and losing plenty both offensively and defensively, the depth on both sides of the ball is astounding and the Broncos have a great group of young players that are ready to step into new roles this season. Here are five guys that I view as ‘Dark Horses’ to make significant contributions to the Broncos’ offense this year, or make strides in terms of production.
Nevada. Virgil Green. 1. player. 45. Virgil Green was a player who fell in the 2011 NFL Draft for what was speculated to be injury reasons, and with the lockout that year, his development was significantly hindered, as was the development of another raw TE prospect in Julius Thomas. While Thomas made all the headlines last year for his breakout season, Green was a guy who played the 2nd most snaps of any Broncos tight end, even before Jacob Tamme who filled in as a slot receiver when Wes Welker was injured. Green’s blocking ability was not exactly what he was known for in college, but now that he’s adjusted to the style of the pro game, has two years under his belt with Peyton Manning as the QB, and saw what his fellow draft-mate Julius Thomas did with some increased reps in the passing game, he is ready for a bigger role. With the Broncos’ current cap situation, it would make sense for them to do some thinning out at the TE spot, and I could see Virgil Green being the biggest benefactor of that.. TE