Denver Broncos could benefit from proposed CBA season structure

The new proposed CBA season structure may not be for everyone, but it could benefit the Denver Broncos tremendously for the foreseeable future.

The NFLPA and NFL owners have been working behind the scenes to reach a new collective bargaining agreement one year in advance of the expiration of the current agreement, and what’s being proposed could greatly benefit the Denver Broncos.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the new proposed CBA would include a 17-game regular season schedule as well as an increase from 12 playoff teams to 14 playoff teams with seven teams making it from each conference.

These reported changes haven’t been sitting well with everyone if you’ve been reading Twitter at all, but the reality of the situation is, the players weren’t getting a new labor agreement without 17 games and that’s really the end of it.

While most everyone had come to grips with the fact that 17 games would be included the talk of seven playoff teams making it from each conference is now.

How would that work? At this point, nobody really knows but what is certain is that there are positives to find from this from the Broncos’ perspective as well as the perspective of the fans.

First of all, 17 games in the regular season means more real football. This proposal, per Schefter, would also include just three preseason games instead of four, so the fans would be getting another regular season game.

That’s a win for the fans, maybe not so much for the players who are already struggling with the grind of a 16-game schedule as far as keeping their bodies right goes.

This could also mean an increase from one bye week to two, but that’s speculation at this point.

Another benefit to this for the Broncos specifically is that an increased number of playoff teams means a better shot at making the dance. If seven teams from each conference are getting into the playoffs, it means your team has a better shot of making noise in January.

Why would you not want that? From an entertainment value, it makes sense that fans wouldn’t have wanted to see Duck Hodges out there in a playoff atmosphere in 2019, but if the Broncos had been able to scrape in at 7-9 with Drew Lock, you had better believe I’d be game for them getting a shot at getting hot at the right time.

Seven playoff teams is good for the Broncos, especially with Patrick Mahomes not looking like he’s slowing down anytime soon.

This also likely means expanded rosters. Currently, teams are allowed 53 players. Having more roster spots means more jobs in the league and more opportunities for players to prove their worth. That can hurt the brand of the game if practice squad players end up taking significant snaps, but it also gives teams the chance to develop more players and get the best out of guys who might be given up on too early in their playing careers.

Although this is a lot of ‘new’, it isn’t necessarily a lot of bad, especially for the Broncos and their fans.