Denver Broncos: 2017 offseason wish-list
ADDING OFFENSIVE WEAPONS
After winning the Super Bowl, it was easy to look at the Broncos’ offensive weaponry as a spoil of riches, all things considered. For years, we’d been trained to believe that the quarterback simply elevated the talent of the guys around him, because that’s exactly what Peyton Manning did.
Manning convinced us that Bennie Fowler was going to be an up-and-comer at wide receiver. That Jordan Norwood could be an effective slot. That no matter who was playing tight end, even if it was the old wily Owen Daniels, they were going to produce in this offense.
That has simply not been the case.
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The Broncos have struggled mightily to find anyone to be effective from the slot receiver position. They haven’t got the kind of depth at running back we all thought they did after drafting Devontae Booker (who hasn’t been good, really) and getting rid of Ronnie Hillman (who was far better than people lead on).
The injury to C.J. Anderson was detrimental for the Broncos, but shouldn’t have killed the offense like it did. The Broncos need guys who can move the chains at running back, tight end, and receiver, and they might have to try and find some on the cheap.
Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders are as good as it gets in the NFL for a top two wide receiver tandem. Those guys need to be getting the ball more, but there has to be talent to supplement them.
This would be the pipe dream of all pipe dream scenarios, but if the Pittsburgh Steelers decided not to franchise tag Le’Veon Bell, he would look amazing in orange and blue. The Broncos will have cap space this offseason, but they have plenty of areas they will need to upgrade. Still, Bell could be effective in any offense, as he’s a patient runner who excels as a receiver and getting yards after contact.
Latavius Murray, Christine Michael, Eddie Lacy, and Justin Forsett are all set to hit the free agent market this offseason as well. There’s also a decent chance Adrian Peterson won’t be with the Minnesota Vikings after this season, and he might be worth a look if he’s willing to sign for a reasonable price.