Denver Broncos: Which starter would fans most like to replace?

If you could replace just one starter for the Denver Broncos, who would it be?

It could be a player on offense or defense. The Broncos have what most feel is a far superior lineup than the one that finished out the 2019 season with the additions of Jerry Jeudy, K.J. Hamler, Graham Glasgow, Melvin Gordon and Jurrell Casey.

But like most any team, there are going to be weaknesses.

So if you could replace any of the team’s starters, which one would it be?

Some of the most likely candidates would be Garett Bolles or one of the cornerbacks. We have talked before about how cornerback is still an issue for the team, so it’s understandable as to why someone would pick that spot.

Bolles is going to be nominated simply because many fans just loathe him.

But if you were to ask me, my answer, without any hesitation, is the tackle on the other side, Ja’Wuan James.

James is far and away a bigger question mark than Bolles because he just can’t stay on the field due to injuries. For that reason, he is also grossly overpaid.

James signed a four-year, $51 million deal last March to become the league’s highest-paid right tackle. The Broncos got him for three games last season. He hasn’t played a full season since 2016.

Those are alarming facts.

Entering the 2020 season, he will be the fourth highest-paid player on the roster with a cap number of $13 million, according to Over the Cap.

You can point to all of Bolles’ penalties if you like, but at least the team gets durability and constant effort out of him. I’m taking him over James by a lot.

Just for a better look at the potential answers to this overall question, here are the team’s projected starters as of right now.

QB- Drew Lock

RB- Melvin Gordon

WR- Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, K.J. Hamler

TE- Noah Fant

OL- Garett Bolles, Ja’Wuan James, Lloyd Cushenberry, Graham Glasgow, Dalton Risner

DL- Shelby Harris, Jurrell Casey, Mike Purcell

LB- Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, Alexander Johnson, Todd Davis

CB- A.J. Bouye, Bryce Callahan

S- Justin Simmons, Kareem Jackson

As you scour that list of names, which player jumps out at you as the most replaceable? Does anyone really stand out above James, given the facts mentioned above?

James is the biggest question mark in the starting lineup and should be on a short leash this season in terms of the rest of his career in Denver. If he can’t stay on the field, the Broncos need to find a better option.