The Denver Broncos had a poor 2020 season, one that was filled with promise.
After a 5-11 finish to the season, the Broncos fell to last place in the AFC West. They were just 1-5 against their own division and missed the playoffs once again.
The team faces some serious questions during the offseason including who will replace John Elway as the team’s general manager. Aside from that, it appears that the team will move forward with the current coaching staff and with Drew Lock at quarterback.
Looking back at the year that was, we are going to review each position group on the team from this past season and conclude each with a letter grade. There will be plenty of good, bad and ugly in what is to follow, so let’s see how each position group shakes out.
Quarterback
With Lock being hurt early in the season, Broncos fans saw a little bit of everything at quarterback this year. Both Jeff Driskel and Brett Rypien started games and then of course, so did Kendall Hinton, but it’s hard to knock him for what was an atrocious performance.
Driskel was largely quite bad while Rypien actually impressed. But the buck stops with Lock and he is the player who will be mainly responsible for this grade.
On the season, he completed just 57.3 percent of his passes and threw just one more touchdown pass (16) than he did interceptions (15). He finished with a quarterback rating of 75.4.
But it’s not just the statistics that Lock will be graded on. You have to go with what you saw on the field as well. And what you see with Lock is a frustrating mix of talented throws and incredibly bad mistakes. He throws off his back foot far too often and believes he can make the impossible throw when it’s just not there.
But he also makes some terrific throws and if you ever question whether or not the talent is there to win in the NFL, just look back to the team’s first win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Still, there was much more bad than good from the quarterback room and while Hinton did his best when thrown into the mix, it was still the fault of the group as a whole that he was put in that position in the first place, so that brings the grade down a bit more as well.
This may seem harsh but, winning in the NFL starts and stops with this position most of the time.
Grade: D+
Running backs
The Broncos were a good running team this season, it just didn’t stand out as they were trailing in games too often. The team finished 13th in the league in rushing yards per game at just a shade under 120 per contest.
Melvin Gordon was the clear lead dog and that was helped by Phillip Lindsay missing several games. Gordon rushed for 986 yards on the season to lead the team.
Lindsay, who had back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons in his first two years, rushed for just half of that in 2020 while only playing in 11 games.
Royce Freeman was relegated to spot duty here and there but was actually best on the team in terms of yards per carry with 4.9 yards per tote. The only other running back on the team to get a carry during the season was undrafted rookie LeVante Bellamy.
Gordon paced the team by carrying the ball 215 times. The trio of Lindsay, Freeman and Bellamy had 157 carries combined. It will be interesting to see how the team intends to use its running backs next season and how the carries will be divided up.
As a team, the rushing attack was decent and definitely something the team can build upon.
Grade: B-
Wide receivers
The wide receiver group was another mixed bag for the Broncos, with some surprisingly good games and some surprisingly bad games. Of course, the first thing that must be noted was the season-ending injury suffered by Courtland Sutton early in the year.
That put the Broncos in a big hole, especially with second-round pick K.J. Hamler dealing with injuries much of the year as well.
First-round choice Jerry Jeudy gave fans plenty to get excited about, but also plenty to get upset about.
Though he complained publicly about not being involved in the offense as much as he should have been, he was easily the most targeted player on the roster in the passing game. He was targeted 113 times while the next most-targeted player would be tight end Noah Fant, who had 20 less targets.
What was most troubling about Jeudy is that he caught just 52 of those targets, or 46 percent. That number needs to be a lot better. Many of those were bad throws in which the quarterback tried to force the ball to Jeudy, but he also had some really bad drops, including a game that he will never forget against the Chargers.
Tim Patrick was a nice surprise, catching 51 passes on the season and leading the team with six touchdown receptions.
Hamler had a quiet rookie year with just 30 catches and DaeSean Hamilton had the kind of year we have come accustomed to, bringing in 23 passes.
As a whole, the group wasn’t terrible but it left a lot to be desired. It obviously would have been much better with Sutton.
Grade: C
Tight ends
Fant had a solid year for the team and is a rising star in the league. He led the entire team with 62 receptions but only found the end zone three times. However, it is clear that he and Lock have formed a good connection with each other.
It was a shame to see Albert Okweugbunam’s rookie year end early due to injury, as he definitely showed some flashes of being a solid contributor in the future. He caught 11 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown but was able to play in just four games.
Nick Vannett didn’t do anything special and in my opinion, was a bit of a free-agent bust. Jake Butt had another Jake Butt kind of year, playing in just five games as he dealt with injuries.
Troy Fumagalli was a player that showed something down the stretch and though he was waived by the team and then brought back, is a guy that should be considered as being part of the team’s future.
In summary, Fant had a good year and one that he can build off of and perhaps become of the best tight ends in the league, but aside from that, there was nothing to write home about.
Grade: C+
Offensive line
In addition to helping the team rank 13th in the league in rushing yardage, the offensive line also allowed just 32 sacks on the year. That number isn’t terrific, as it’s an average of about two sacks per game, but it’s in the top half of the league.
Dalton Risner and Graham Glasgow should be a great combination at the guard spots for years to come and rookies such as Lloyd Cushenberry and Netane Muti showed they can be part of the future as well.
The issue is going to be at the right tackle spot, where the team rotated between Elijah Wilkinson and Demar Dotson this season. The team can certainly upgrade over both of those guys this offseason.
But the story of the offensive line this season was Gaett Bolles, who was exceptional this season. Not only did Bolles cut down on the flags thrown against him, but he had one of the best seasons of any left tackle in football.
Proof of that is the fact that he was chosen as a Second-Team All-Pro.
Bolles went from not having his fifth-year option picked up to signing a contract extension during the season. He had a great year and in my opinion, was one of the MVPs of the team. And yes, I truly believe that.
Grade: B+
Defensive line
The defensive played well this season when you consider that the team was without players it expected to count on for much of the season such as Jurrell Casey and Mike Purcell. In their place, guys like DeShawn Williams and DeMarcus Walker stepped up.
On the season, the Broncos registered 42 sacks. Of those, 16.5 came from a defensive lineman.
Shelby Harris had another great year, one that is going to get him a big contract from Denver or somewhere else.
Dre’Mont Jones was also great in his second year, notching 6.5 sacks while leading all defensive linemen on the team with 26 total tackles. There is a lot to build on for him.
Walker added 4.5 sacks and Williams had two of his own. The team even got something out of former first-round pick Sylvester Williams, who was brought back during the season.
Third-round pick McTelvin Agim remains a bit of an unknown, but he will be a player to watch next season.
What the team decides to do with Harris will be one of the biggest questions of the offseason. It may be tough for the team to afford him, but it would sure be nice if the Broncos can keep him around as he has become one of the most important cogs on the defense.
Grade: B
Linebackers
The linebacker corps for the Broncos was dealt a huge blow before the season even started. Von Miller was lost for the season with a dislocated peroneal tendon.
Bradley Chubb ended up getting selected to the Pro Bowl following a 7.5 sack season but it was Malik Reed that really turned some heads, leading the entire team with eight sacks.
Jeremiah Attaochu added five sacks of his own and the two starting inside linebackers — Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell played well. Johnson led the team in tackles with 124 and Jewell, who was a big surprise this year, was right behind him with 112.
There were other players who chipped in here and there such as Anthony Chickillo and Derrek Tuszka, but those were the core players. The team should be able to keep that group together for next year as well.
Perhaps the biggest offseason story (or non-story) could be what the team decides to with the contract of Miller.
But considering what this group was able to do without its best player, it was a solid collective effort. However, the team still can’t reliably cover the tight end. Stop me when you’ve heard that before.
Grade: B-
Safeties and cornerbacks
The Broncos received excellent efforts from players at both the safety and cornerback positions this season, but not a consistent effort from the secondary as a whole.
Justin Simmons has become one of the league’s top safeties and will demand a huge payday going into next season. He led the team with five interceptions on the year and added 96 tackles, good for third on the team.
Bryce Callahan was the team’s best cover cornerback, but the Broncos needed three or four guys just like him. A.J. Bouye battled injuries and was really just average when he did play. Michael Ojemudia had some good moments but made plenty of rookie mistakes, and guys like De’Vante Bausby and Essang Bassey did their best to chip in.
As a team, the Broncos gave up 237.9 yards through the air per game, ranking them at No. 21 in the league. If there is an area the Broncos must focus on this offseason, it is the cornerback spot.
At safety, Kareem Jackson had some good moments, but he wasn’t quite as good as he was in 2019. That said, he and Simmons played in every game and gave the team the stability it needed in the defensive backfield.
As a result, hardly anyone else took any meaningful snaps at the safety spot, though the team did bring back Will Parks during the season.
The safeties were good, the corners could have been much better.
Grade: C-
Special Teams
Brandon McManus had a mostly solid season, but he did miss six field goals on the year. However, five of those were from 50 yards or more. He missed three extra points as well, but fans were happy to have him when they sat through the one game in which Taylor Russolino had to kick.
At punter, free-agent signing Sam Martin was a big upgrade over Colby Wadman. He ranked 12th in the league with a 41.4-yard net average on his kicks.
Diontae Spencer can be a weapon as a return man. He averaged 15.8 yards per punt return this season and had an 83-yard punt return. He was good on kick returns as well, though Tyrie Cleveland averaged five yards per return more than Spencer.
That said, only four teams in the league had less total kick return yards this season than the Broncos. Much of that can be chalked up to the thin air of Denver and the kicks traveling out of the end zone, taking away many opportunities to return the ball.
The Broncos are expected to retain special teams coach Tom McMahon, perhaps to the chagrin of the fanbase.
Grade: B-