The Denver Broncos are exciting once again
The Denver Broncos are an exciting football team once again!
Over the past years, “Denver Broncos football” and “exciting”, have not shared the same sentence. Broncos fans dare to believe it, but not only will the 2020 Broncos challenge for a playoff spot, but may be fun to watch while they do it.
Over the last few seasons, John Elway may refuse to say the “R” (rebuild) word out loud, but we can read the tea leaves. The Broncos general manager has retooled the organization on the fly following disappointing years following a victory in Super Bowl 50.
The remaining players from the Broncos last championship roster are superstar edge defender Von Miller, accurate placekicker Brandon McManus, and starting inside linebacker Todd Davis (who played a reserve role in 2015).
Following the addition of key core players in the 2018 draft class in Bradley Chubb, Cortland Sutton, priority free agent Phillip Lindsay along with the 2019 draft class consisting of Noah Fant, Dalton Risner, Drew Lock, and Dre’ Mont Jones, the Broncos went all-in in the 2020 draft.
The Broncos kicked things off by doubling down on wide receivers in the first two rounds of the draft.
The Broncos selected one the draft’s top overall talents, Jerry Jeudy, from Alabama with their top selection and speedster K.J. Hamler out of Penn State in the second round.
Jeudy is a technician, creating separation and he explodes out of his cut. Hamler, he’s a burner who reportedly ran a 4.27 before an injury prevented him from participating in drills at the combine.
The Broncos then select a perfect scheme fit in Michael Ojemudia, a cornerback out of Iowa. Ojemudia has adequate size and displays good eyes in reacting within zone concepts.
Then, to the delight of Broncos Country, center Lloyd Cushenberry III comes in from reigning national champion LSU. Cushenberry displayed power and good feet throughout the season and shined at the Senior Bowl, highlighting his talent.
With the final pick of the third round, the Broncos selected McTelvin Agim, an active and athletic defensive lineman from Arkansas. Agim showed consistent power and quickness as he bullied his way to five sacks this past season.
Early in the fourth round, the Broncos nabbed Drew Lock’s former teammate, tight end Albert Okwuegbunam. Okwuegbunam ran an impressive 4.49 40-yard dash at the combine while his tape showed the ability to attack the ball away from his frame.
In round five, the Broncos snagged coverage linebacker Justin Strnad, out of Wake Forest. His skillset is sorely needed since the departure of Danny Trevathan and the decline and release of Brandon Marshall.
Three picks later, the Broncos selected a mauler in guard Netane Muti from Fresno State. Muti, if not for injuries, would have been selected within the top 100 picks. Muti has experience at tackle, which shows up in his footwork and ability to move in space.
Lastly, the Broncos closed out with toolsy receiver Tyrie Cleveland out of Florida. Cleveland creates more competition at the bottom of the roster, which the Broncos sorely missed.
Closing out the 2020 NFL draft, the Broncos selected FCS All-American, edge defender Derrek Tuszka from North Dakota State. (Check out this article breaking down the entire Broncos draft class).
Before this year’s draft, head coach Vic Fangio and Elway have brought in key veteran acquisitions in Ja’Wuan James, Melvin Gordon, Graham Glasgow, A.J. Bouye, Jurrell Casey, and Kareem Jackson over the past two seasons.
With that type of talent coming in, the Broncos have reshaped their roster quickly to compete for the playoffs after bottoming out in 2017. This type of talent on offense provides Pat Shurmur the pieces necessary to raise a floundering offense. Scheme fit additions on defense give Fangio the tools necessary to slow down even the best offenses in the NFL.
The Broncos are trying to match firepower with the top offenses in the NFL such as the Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, all of whom they will see in 2020. They made all of these moves while still adding pieces to their defense.
Elway has justly received a lot of criticism since 2017, the first losing season in Denver since 2010 and the clubs first back-to-back losing seasons since the early 1970s. Tired of watching poor offensive play dating back to the 2015 season, Elway used his draft capital in each of the last few seasons to load up on weapons for his new franchise quarterback.
Before the draft, many in Denver have questioned whether the Broncos believed in Lock. The questions swirled around the Broncos vision in him and his draft position as he slipped to the 42nd pick in last year’s draft. If the Broncos loved him, wouldn’t they have taken him earlier?
If the 2019 draft were redone, the Broncos would move up to secure their future face of the franchise. As evidenced by the 2020 draft, Lock is the guy in the minds of Broncos brass.
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The front office along with the hard work from scouts, read the draft board to perfection two years in a row and came away with back-to-back classes that should get the rest of the league’s attention.
In the same division of the defending champion Chiefs, the Broncos have married their desire for more speed with their philosophy of bringing in players with leadership traits. This is a successful formula in creating a winner in the NFL.
This type of front office work should bring some hope and optimism to Broncos Country as this team is at the doorstep of the playoff picture once again.
In a matter of 13 months, the Broncos have rebuilt their team on the fly while addressing the long-term need at quarterback, beefing up the offensive line, and bringing in a plethora of speedy and talented skill players.
Broncos fans, this team will be exciting in 2020 once again.