The Denver Broncos will not be “organizing” for their first voluntary OTAs of the 2021 offseason next week.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero relayed a statement that was made by the Denver Broncos through the NFLPA which states the following:
#Broncos players become the first team to announce they'll boycott in-person voluntary workouts. The union urged players on a call Friday to take this step, as it continues to push for an all-virtual offseason. https://t.co/gvwK87aiPf
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 13, 2021
Although there certainly had to be a “majority” of votes in this instance in order for the entire team to agree not to show up for voluntary workouts, this sentiment is more in line with what the NFLPA has been saying of late than what the Denver Broncos players have stated previously.
A number of key players on the team have been outspoken about the importance of getting reps in OTAs and how that can help the team moving forward.
Here is what Drew Lock (top left), Bradley Chubb (top right), Justin Simmons (bottom left) and Tim Patrick (bottom right) had to say about the off-season workouts earlier this year: "...more reps in OTAs, more reps in training camp, and then go into a game super confident." pic.twitter.com/AF5c6pefO4
— George Stoia III (@GeorgeStoia) April 13, 2021
There is no question about it — the safety of the players and their families is of paramount importance. They have every right to take proper precautions and make sure the teams are ensuring a safe work environment.
It is interesting, however, that noted in the statement made by the team through the NFLPA is the improved quality of play across the NFL last season despite having a mostly virtual offseason.
Was that true for the Denver Broncos in particular? Let’s take a look.
Denver Broncos 2019 rankings and key statistics
Points per game: 28th/32
Points against: 10th/32
Wins: 7
Turnovers: 16 (6th best in NFL)
Denver Broncos 2020 rankings and key statistics
Points per game: 28th/32
Points against: 25th/32
Wins: 5
Turnovers: 32 (32nd in NFL)
These two rosters were obviously not the same, and injuries played a major factor along with COVID protocols affecting things, but it’s clear that while the overall quality of play of the league may not have diminished, the Denver Broncos, in particular, were hurt by the changes that they — and the rest of the league — were forced to make by losing on-field reps.
Typically at this point in the offseason, teams gather to lift weights and get in some conditioning work. There will be another set of OTAs in May and we’ll see if the safety protocols suit the players better at that particular point in time.
With the way so many Denver Broncos players talked about how OTAs would have helped last year, it’s hard to believe they would collectively vote to opt-out of all offseason activities the team has planned, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
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The Seattle Seahawks already followed suit with the Broncos, and we’ll find out soon enough how many other teams will do the same.