As the Denver Broncos concluded the 2017 regular season, expectations weren’t met. However, Denver has a great chance of correcting areas that need fixed.
2017 was a year that many Denver Broncos fans would like to put behind them. The Broncos finished 5-11 and the season felt wasted.
Vance Joseph will be back as the Head Coach in 2018 and many staff members will be new faces. Many fans expressed their frustration over the retaining of Joseph, but I believe we must look at things from a different perspective.
Yes, the Denver Broncos were hard to watch often at times in 2017, but the roster is still full of quality and championship caliber players. Von Miller, Chris Harris Jr, Darian Stewart, Demaryius Thomas, and Emmanuel Sanders are just a few names.
Denver will be forced to address the quarterback position this off-season that provides them with a long term solution. After hearing John Elway talk to the media today about what they have to improve on, quarterback is the key priority.
John Elway on the QB position: “We know we have to get better at that position”
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) January 2, 2018
Reasons For Broncos Fans To Hold Their Breath
What can bring the Denver back to contention starting in 2018? The Front Office is bringing in new members of the coaching staff following the termination of 6 Broncos coaches yesterday
- New Coaches, New Culture
- The ROI on Athlete Buy In
- Keeping Key Veterans On The Roster
- Grow together, not apart
These are key areas that I look at in terms of Denver rising back up towards contention.
Bringing in new coaches at certain positions is a risky move, but it could also be refreshing as Vance Joseph stated there needs to be a culture change in position rooms.
New ideas help players and coaches evolve in the NFL’s cruel business aspect. Getting players to buy in is especially important, even more critical after 2017.
What is the return on investment for the Broncos in 2018? Tough times are a great measure of growth later on down the road. If Denver can right the ship next season, 2017 will be a distant memory.
It will be critical for the Broncos to keep veteran guys around to build the identity of this team going forward. Aqib Talib is a guy the Broncos cannot let go. They may approach him to restructure his contract in order to stay in Denver.
Next: Broncos Have Ben McAdoo on their QB Coach Radar
Find a way to keep Talib, who in my opinion is the swagger of the Denver defense. He’s 100 proof as a player and he brings it.
And lastly, the Broncos must grow together and not apart. Watching the season progress in 2017 showed that some players had grown apart from the process rather than together.
The Broncos defense will be better in 2018. Despite the results of many games this season, Denver’s defense finished third overall.
Now is the perfect time to step back and re-adjust and prepare to return to glory in 2018.