Nate Davis Ranks Broncos Last in Offseason Rankings

Nate Davis of USA Today Sports released his offseason rankings for all 32 teams. Very interesting to see where he ranked the Denver Broncos in this list.

So, let us recap the Denver Broncos offseason. Lost Brock Osweiler, Malik Jackson, Danny Trevathan, among others. John Elway resigned a few key free agents. He made quite a bit of splash signing Russell Okung. He surprised a lot by signing Mark Sanchez. However, with his work ethic, he became well liked by the Broncos.

Then came the draft. The Denver Broncos drafted Paxton Lynch, which got fans really excited. Then prospects like Justin Simmons, Connor McGovern, and Will Parks were drafted right afterwards in the ensuing days.

I thought, as well as the majority of Broncos Country, the team had a pretty solid draft. For the players that they lost, they did a solid job at filling in the holes when needed.

So, on Tuesday, Nate Davis from USA Today released his offseason rankings post draft. I was shocked to see where he had the Denver Broncos.

He had them ranked 32^nd out of 32 teams?! Say what? If you do not believe me, you can read it here. Here is a little blurb on why he ranks them at that position.

“After investing four years into Brock Osweiler, losing him was not part of John Elway’s master plan. It forced the acquisition of QB flameout Mark Sanchez and a Round 1 gambit on Paxton Lynch.”

A first round gambit on Paxton Lynch? Mark Sanchez a flameout? Are you serious?

Paxton Lynch has been with the Broncos for only five days and he’s a gambit? I honestly have no words. As for Sanchez, I am giving him a pass for two reasons. One, his dedication to the Broncos to prove that he can be the top option at quarterback for 2016. Two, minus the two AFC Championship appearances with the New York Jets, he has been on some really bad teams. (No offense New York of Philadelphia fans.)

And has Nate Davis forgotten that the Denver Broncos are returning nine of their eleven defensive starters from the Super Bowl 50 championship team that won the big game three months ago? I’m telling you the Broncos, despite winning a championship, are still getting no respect.

I’m serious. Teams will release their best players because they cannot afford them and no one bats an eye. The Broncos decide they are not going to dish out money to Malik Jackson, Brock Osweiler, among others and everyone loses their minds.

One thing that really irked me this offseason was Malik Jackson’s comments about the contract situation with the Broncos. He said that “he [Elway] could have afforded him and Osweiler.” Elway is not the type of General Manager to just hand out stacks of hundreds.

The Broncos salary cap situation was not in good shape. Just say Jacksonville could afford you. Sorry that Elway couldn’t afford what you were asking. And as for Brock, sorry that Kubiak benched you for Manning, one of the greatest quarterbacks to play the game, because his team needed a spark and was not getting it from you.

And your hissy fit that you threw on the sideline during the regular season finale reminded me so much when J.D. McCoy from Friday Night Lights was not pleased with his team’s performance and yelled at coaches and players. And like Coach Eric Taylor did when he benched McCoy for Matt Saracen, Kubiak decided to bench Osweiler for Manning.

So being benched decided that you were no longer going to be the face of the franchise and ignored every member associated with the Denver Broncos? Someone please tell me who Brett Osweiler is?

Also, please tell me why Broncos fans are still defending their Super Bowl win? Can this franchise not enjoy a huge moment in their history without the media bashing them for the numerous amount of reasons?

And as for our 32nd ranking in Nate Davis’ offseason power rankings, here is a bit of a reminder of what Elway has done since he came to Denver as a front office man.

Elway took this team after the screw up that Josh McDaniels made and turned the franchise around five years later. It took Elway five years to take a team from 4-12 and the second overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, to a team that has won five straight AFC West titles, two AFC Championships, and one Super Bowl victory.

Next: What does drafting a punter mean for Britton Colquitt?

I am pretty sure he knows what he is doing. If I were to ask any other member of the Denver media or a Broncos blogger, they would say that Elway’s offseason was a success.

So, apparently, not retaining our top players in free agency, drafting a quarterback that has been ridiculed by the media, and taking a chance on a quarterback from Memphis that has a bright future places us in the failure category.

Well Broncos Country, it looks like it is once again time to prove all of the doubters wrong. Perhaps once the success comes, we will all be sipping our tea like Kermit the Frog like we did last year.