Denver Broncos hangover: Time to explore the unthinkable?

Changes are coming for the Denver Broncos after a historically bad start. How far will the changes reach and is anyone untouchable?

So, where do we start, Denver Broncos fans?

This one stung.

Yes, it was eerily similar to the Bears game. But this one hurt more. The Broncos held the lead. The defense seemed to finally be clicking. And then the interception by quarterback Joe Flacco happened.

With Denver up 17-3 late in the first half, the team was driving for what looked to be at least three more points before the half. Going into the locker room up 20-3 or possibly 24-3 makes this a completely different ballgame.

Instead, Flacco threw a terrible interception. The Jaguars drove down to get three points and suddenly had new life going into halftime down 17-6. The team turned in the worst quarter of football I’ve seen out of a Broncos team since Doug Williams and the Redskins hung 35 points on them in the 2nd quarter of Super Bowl XXII.

Denver now sits 0-4 this season. 0-8 dating back to last season. 4-12 in the last 16 games and 8-24 in the last 32 games. So where does the blame fall for such sustained failure? Let’s look into this and possible ways to crawl out of this rut.

John Elway

It seems almost sacrilegious as a Broncos fan to blame Elway for the franchise’s problems. After all, he did take over during the Josh McDaniels fiasco, righted the ship, signed Peyton Manning and greatness ensued to the tune of five straight AFC West titles, two Super Bowl appearances and one more Lombardi trophy added to the franchises trophy case. But in a league of “What have you done for me lately?” you have to ask, what has Elway done the last few years?

Elway received a lot of credit for drafting Von Miller and signing Peyton Manning, two cornerstones for the Broncos’ run of dominance.

The singing of Manning was a steal. No one saw it coming. But drafting Von almost looks easy consider 12 out of the top 16 picks in the 2011 draft have made a Pro Bowl at some point with multiple All-Pros like Patrick Peterson, JJ Watt, Julio Jones, and AJ Green all being drafted in that span. Not to mention former NFL MVP Cam Newton going right before Von Miller.

But take a look at the free agent signings Elway gets credit for and you start to see a lot of luck. Recent draft failings of Paxton Lynch, Shane Ray, Ty Sambrailo, Garett Bolles, Montee Ball, etc. are starting to haunt the franchise.

Emmanuel Sanders is a fan favorite and has been a huge contributor for years. But he wasn’t Elway’s first choice. The Broncos pursued and had a deal in place with Brandon LaFell. After LaFell decided to ask for more money, Elway shifted gears to Sanders. DeMarcus Ware was not only a huge pickup for his play on the field, but he helped in the growth and maturity of Von Miller during his time here.

But again, he wasn’t Elway’s first choice. Denver pursued Jared Allen after his release from Minnesota but found out the asking price was too high. Ware became the fallback. Aqib Talib became a vocal and emotional leader of the famed “No Fly Zone”. However, he was only signed after Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie rejected Elway’s offer of a long term contract.

Since Elway took over in 2011, the Broncos have had five head coaches. Some couldn’t be avoided (McDaniels had to go, Kubiak left for health reasons). Vance Joseph was hired the same year as Sean McVay. Elway didn’t even consider interviewing McVay he was so set on Joseph. Let that sink in for a minute. So how do we fix this mess that Denver currently finds itself in?

Consider Trading Von Miller, Chris Harris Jr., and Emmanuel Sanders

It pains me to even read that. But let’s look at the reality of this situation. Harris will most likely leave after this season. Sanders could leave as well. Derek Wolfe could be suiting up for a new team next year.

The idea of at least getting something instead of losing these players for nothing needs to at least be explored.

This team is in a rebuild and just refuses to admit it. The start of the Drew Lock era is rapidly approaching. And while recent drafts have helped to add much needed talent to the roster, the Broncos are more than just a few pieces from being contenders again.

Realistically this team is about 3-4 years worth of good drafts and free agent pickups from challenging team like Kansas City again. And as a fan, I have to say Von Miller deserves better than this for the prime of his career.

While they may not receive a Khalil Mack type of haul for Von, they can still add valuable draft picks needed to add more talent to a roster that is sorely lacking in depth.

This offseason will bring major changes one way or another. The team you see this Sunday will look vastly different next year. The big question is how high will the changes reach and who will be around for what is sure to be a long process of trying to return to being competitive?