3 reasons the Denver Broncos might consider Cam Newton in 2020

Reason 3: The Vic Fangio defense

The third reason I think the Broncos might consider this move?

The Vic Fangio defense.

If you look at Fangio’s previous stops as a defensive coordinator before he became head coach of the Denver Broncos, it’s typically taken at least a year for him to get things going the way he wants them to, and in the case of the Chicago Bears, it took two seasons to get them playing at a high level and a third season with Khalil Mack in the fold to get them playing at a downright dominant level.

In Denver, it’s taken nine games for us to see the impact Fangio has on the defensive side of the ball.

The Broncos have one of the five best defenses in football right now without Bradley Chubb, without a big-money free agent signing (Bryce Callahan), with a guy coming out of the woodwork (AJ Johnson) at inside linebacker, and with another guy coming from a failed pro league (Mike Purcell) to star for this team at nose tackle.

This Denver defense still has some key pieces in place and players who could very well re-sign now after the season considering how well they have played in this scheme.

All of this to say, if the momentum continues trending upward for this Broncos defense as they add even more talent to the unit, a guy like Cam Newton quite possibly takes you from being a bottom-dweller in the AFC West to being a legitimate contender.

Again, this is assuming Reason 2 is in play, and we’re getting a borderline best-case scenario from Newton.

A healthy Cam Newton plus Vic Fangio’s defense? Would you buy some of that stock? Is it, at the very least, something you can see John Elway entertaining as a possibility?

I think there’s evidence throughout his history as a GM to say yes, but it’s more complicated than just snapping your fingers and signing the guy. There has to be a plan in place, mutual interest, you have to get Rich Scangarello on board, and you have to sell this to Fangio as well.

The Broncos have a young QB in Drew Lock who has upside as a franchise QB, but they also waited until the second round to get him. I don’t think that means they didn’t want him, but they didn’t want him badly enough to take him round one, and they had no way of knowing he would fall to the 10th pick of round two.

Elway lucked into a great situation there.

Even with Lock on the roster, the Broncos have to move on from Joe Flacco, a move that will save $10 million against the cap. Combined with the $17 million in rollover space from this year, the Broncos should have a good extra chunk of change going into 2020 free agency.

It’s not out of the question that Cam Newton would be at or near the top of their list should he become available, and it’s foolishness to think Elway wouldn’t consider it at all.