For a team looking to find the proper recipe to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2015, the Denver Broncos have several major needs.
Of course, lately, the focus has all been placed on the quarterback position. What else is new? It seems that the topic of who is the team’s starting quarterback has been the main headline since the team had Peyton Manning. More times than not, there has been controversy as to who should be the starter.
This offseason has featured much of the same, but not between quarterbacks on the roster. Instead, many fans would love to see the team trade for another quarterback and move on from Lock already. When Deshaun Watson went public with the fact he doesn’t plan to play for the Houston Texans going forward, those talks ramped up.
Fans are doing everything in their power to help convince new general manager George Paton to make that move, no matter what the cost may be.
Under this idea, Watson would come aboard and magically erase all of the team’s other deficiencies. This would include a coaching staff that has been inept so far.
Though the Broncos do have some good pieces and plenty of talent, let’s be honest, this is the NFL. Every team has some pieces and talent. The phrase that a team is “just a quarterback away” gets thrown around far too often.
The Broncos are not one of those teams.
Instead, this is a team that is not only rebuilding but one that is looking to become relevant again. Bringing in Watson won’t make them instant Super Bowl contenders because when were the Texans ever Super Bowl contenders?
Instead, Paton needs to take a calculated approach and build this team up with upgrades in several key areas. Drew Lock should be the quarterback in 2021 unless the team can somehow go find Joe Montana in his prime.
Here are three areas that are a bigger concern than quarterback heading into the coming season, and these don’t even include the situations with Justin Simmons and Von Miller, which are of top priority for the team.
Cornerback
There is almost no doubt that the biggest hole on the entire roster is at the cornerback position.
The Broncos have Bryce Callahan and a number of questions beyond that. What will Michael Ojemudia look like in year two? Who is the team’s next-best cornerback and what does the overall depth look like?
The Broncos could stand to add a top-tier cornerback in free agency and take one in the first round of the draft, that’s how depleted this unit is. It’s similar to how the wide receiver position looked at this time last year and the Broncos addressed that by taking wide receivers with each of their first two draft picks.
The Broncos could sign a guy such as William Jackson III and then take a guy like Caleb Farley out of Virginia Tech in the first round of the draft. Add those two to a mix that includes Callahan and Ojemudia and this unit is instantly upgraded.
However, anything short of a scenario similar to that and it could be shaky heading into the 2021 season.
For a team that once had the ‘No Fly Zone’, the Broncos must address this position.
It’s one thing to grab onto a potential team-changing quarterback when you have the opportunity, but the Broncos should not be that quick to count Lock out. There is no way that Lock is a bigger issue than this team’s lack of depth at corner.
Forming a solid offensive line
It’s hard for a quarterback to play well behind a mediocre or less-than-average offensive line. The Broncos know that all too well as offensive line play has been average at best in the years since Manning left, but it is headed in the right direction.
The team got a huge boost last season with the improvement of Garett Bolles. Though the team suffered through a poor season on the field, his climb to becoming one of the best left tackles in the league was the story of the team’s season.
The team has also found something in Dalton Risner and Lloyd Cushenberry, two young players who should both be around for years. There is also no reason to believe that last year’s free-agent signing, Graham Glasgow, can’t be a huge contributor for years to come either.
That leaves one spot, but it’s a big one. Right tackle.
Both Elijah Wilkinson and Demar Dotson are unrestricted free agents. Ju’Wuan James is still slated to be the starter, but how many people are excited about that? The team also has Calvin Anderson, a young player with promise.
However, this is another position the team could attack in both free agency and the draft. Rick Wagner, a veteran recently released by the Green Bay Packers, makes sense. Players such as Liam Eichenberg out of Notre Dame or Tommy Doyle out of Miami (OH) could be players the team looks at in the draft.
Defensive line
The Broncos needed help at defensive line going into last offseason but after trading for Jurrell Casey and re-signing Shelby Harris to a one-year deal, it looked to be strong.
One year later, Casey is already done in Denver and Harris is once again looking for a big contract. Throw in the fact that DeMarcus Walker is also set to hit free agency and the team needs to place a big focus on this part of the roster.
Dre’Mont Jones is a guy many are excited about and for good reason. The team will also get Mike Purcell back next year, who is solid against the run. Beyond that, the only other guys on the roster are DeShawn Williams, McTelvin Agim, Jonathan Harris, Deyon Sizer and Isaiah Mack.
Hopefully, Agim takes a big jump in year two. Williams’ play in 2020 should have at least earned him a shot to be on the roster in 2021. Harris, Sizer and Mack are depth guys who will have to have impressive showings this summer to make the roster.
Re-signing Harris should be one of the team’s biggest priorities this offseason. With as much cap space as the team is projected to have, there’s no reason not to make the deal happen. The release of Casey alone can help create the space to give Harris the deal he has earned.
The Broncos could open the 2021 season with Harris, Purcell and Jones as the starters on the defensive line, but another talented pass-rushing defensive end should be added (unless Paton is satisfied with re-signing Walker) and more depth should be added either through free agency or the draft as well.
If the team fortifies each of these positions as described, finding a replacement for Lock won’t seem as necessary.