Denver Broncos: Why John Elway’s trades were the best offseason moves

These trades take care of short-term and long-term approach

While most of the Broncos fan base has bought into the idea that Lock could be the next franchise quarterback, there is still quite a bit unknown. Lock has started just five games, and there was a reason he was a second-round quarterback.

I certainly love his potential, but you can’t declare this guy the face of the franchise after just five games, even if it was five games that were pretty fun to watch.

This leaves Elway in an interesting position. The Broncos had several holes amongst a nice looking young nucleus of players that he was brought in mostly through the draft. As a team, you want to surround Lock with as many weapons as possible and build a defense that can limit teams like the Kansas City Cheifs as much as possible. Yet, you also don’t want to sell the farm to do so.

Worst case scenario, the Broncos go all in this offseason on winning now and for whatever reason the team struggles. Maybe Lock isn’t the guy or maybe some of Denver’s veterans regress beyond what is expected.

If Denver were to be saddled with high-priced free-agent contracts that aren’t easy to move, the impending rebuild would be much more difficult to accomplish.

On the other hand, bringing in guys like Bouye and Casey give the Broncos something to work with short-term while maintaining long-term flexibility. Again, I point back to the lack of dead money associated with these contracts and the low amount of capital it took to acquire these Pro Bowl players (a fourth and a seventh-round pick).

The Broncos, on paper, look like a playoff-contending franchise, but if, for some reason, things falter, the pivot that would take place next offseason would not be nearly as difficult to accomplish.

For the reasons outlined above, Elway’s trades were bigger and better moves than any of the free agency signings and he should be applauded for his eye toward next season and the next five years.