Is John Elway Preparing For The Future?
By Tylor Walden
Jan 13, 2015; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos executive vice president of football operations/general manager John Elway speaks to the media at the Broncos training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
The Denver Broncos have not made much of a splash in free agency this season, but maybe that is the way John Elway and the new coaching staff would like it.
During the last three offseason’s, the Denver Broncos have, in the opinion of most individuals out there, won free agency. It all started when Peyton Manning signed with the Broncos back in 2012. Having a future Hall of Fame quarterback under center draw attention to various free agents for the past few years. Jacob Tamme even followed Manning to Denver shortly after the quarterback signed with the Broncos. Then Wes Welker came along in 2013, who helped out Manning in setting numerous passing records. 2014 saw Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward, Demarcus Ware, and Emmanuel Sanders suiting up in the orange and navy blue.
It’s now 2015, and it seems the Broncos have lost more players than signed. Terrance Knighton, Orlando Franklin, Julius Thomas, and Rahim Moore to name a few are now on different teams. The biggest free agent acquisition that the Broncos have signed, by name, is Owen Daniels. The rest are players whom are not mentioned a whole lot because they are not the first names that come to mind.
Seeing the minimum of signings makes me believe that the Broncos are going to use their in-house talent of players and the draft to build their team this time around rather than focusing on free agency. Does this mean that the Denver Broncos are preparing to contend in the future?
That could be a real possibility. It takes more than few key players to win a game. Football is a team effort and it takes all 53 men on the roster to win a game. Granted not all of them play every game, you get where I am getting at. As Mike Klis mentions, it is more about how valuable the player can be to a team rather than the name automatically making the team better.
Let’s face it, Peyton Manning is not going to be around much longer. John Elway is doing what he can to make sure the Broncos have the best team not just for 2015 but for years to come when Peyton Manning hangs up his cleats in the near future. Just because the Broncos are not spending more than what they have in free agency this year than they have in the past does not mean they are not going to contend. It is not about what you do in March or April. It depends on what you do in December, January, and February (granted the team reaches the Super Bowl) that makes all the difference.
John Elway knows what he is doing Broncos Country. Just because the team has not signed a flashy player who has a name that we all know right off the bat does not mean we are going down the drain. Let the teams who have signed the big name players have all the fun now. But remember, it takes more than one big free agency signing to become a complete team. As the old saying goes, “There is no I in team.” Just believe that John Elway knows what he is doing. Because in the long run, being quiet in free agency does not mean we won’t see the Broncos competing for a title.
Remember, In Elway We Trust.