The Denver Broncos appear to be a sinking ship, and though there is plenty of time left in the 2021 season, some focus needs to start being placed on next year.
The Broncos still have 10 games left to play, but if we’re honest with ourselves, this season is already over. Sitting at 3-4, they are still very much in it mathematically, but watching the team’s last four games, it’s hard to imagine how the Broncos will win many more games this season.
The Broncos have a long list of players set to become unrestricted free agents after this season, and each of these players is on that list. But there is also the trade deadline this season, which is set for November 2. At least one of these guys could be gone before then.
Regardless of when it happens, the Broncos are a rebuilding team that could have a new coaching staff and new ownership in 2022. It could truly be the beginning of a new era in Denver.
That’s why these fives players won’t be back beyond this season.
Kyle Fuller, cornerback
Kyle Fuller has been the subject of many trade rumors as the deadline approaches and it seems to be no secret that the Broncos are shopping him. We have come up with some trade scenarios of our own involving the disappointing corner.
Whether or not the Broncos trade Fuller, it seems sure he won’t be back next year. He signed a one-year deal during this past offseason and has struggled mightily with the Broncos, being benched for this past week’s game against the Cleveland Browns.
But Fuller could be a good fit somewhere else. He has made Pro Bowls and has been one of the better cornerbacks of the last handful of years. The Broncos may even be able to get a good return from him, especially if a contender like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team with clear needs in the secondary, will pay up for him.
Melvin Gordon, Running back
Melvin Gordon is a player the Broncos seem insistent on using, even though rookie Javonte Williams appears to be the better back.
Gordon is in the second year of his two-year deal with the team and unless he was just outstanding, two years was all he was ever going to get. He hasn’t been outstanding, but rather very mediocre.
The former first-round pick will be 29 years old next year and could still have some gas left in the tank, but he doesn’t seem like a player the Broncos should waste any more time with unless he is willing to take a very reduced role in the offense.
Williams should be the starter sooner rather than later and the Broncos can add another running back or two in the stable behind him. But Williams has the kind of power, burst and speed you want to see a young running back run with and he has shown much more promise in the backfield this year than Gordon.
Still, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur seems to like to call Gordon’s number more often, which is one of the many reasons you could add Shurmur to this list as well.
Kareem Jackson, Safety
Kareem Jackson is still an effective player, but he’s a bit costly and the Broncos have a lot of money tied up at the safety position with the contract they gave to Justin Simmons. Plus, the team was looking to set this move up by drafting two young safeties in this past draft.
Caden Sterns is being groomed as the replacement for Jackson and he has fared well as a rookie so far. It was a bit of a surprise to see the Broncos bring Jackson back this year, but it shows what the team thought of its defense and its playoff chances when they did.
They know they will have to pay up to keep Jackson in orange and blue, so the smarter decision will be to move Sterns into that role and spend that money elsewhere.
Jackson has been one of the better defensive players the Broncos have had since signing him as a free agent in 2019, but the team should opt to let him chase the money somewhere else and get one more good pay day before his career comes to an end.
He will be 34 years old next April.
Teddy Bridgewater, Quarterback
Teddy Bridgewater has played well at times this season, but he’s also played really bad at others. Simply put, he’s not the long-term answer at quarterback for this team and if the losses keep mounting, he shouldn’t even be the starting quarterback anymore.
The Broncos traded for Bridgewater on draft night and it seemed like a move to get a competent veteran in camp to push Drew Lock. Instead, the team ended up giving him Lock’s starting job.
Bridgewater will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end and the market for him won’t be big unless a team needs a good backup, but the Broncos need to be out on him on all fronts.
Soon, Vic Fangio needs to turn the keys over to Lock to give the organization a chance to see what they actually have in him. No, that has not been accomplished yet as Lock has been given bits and pieces of what could be, but never a true, full evaluation.
His ceiling is definitely higher than that of Bridgewater and that can’t be debated. And if he is not it and the Broncos continue to pile up losses, they will be selecting with a high pick in the first round of the draft.
That pick could be used on one of these quarterbacks.
Von Miller, Linebacker
Von Miller is a Denver Broncos legend. His legacy with the team was forever set with his MVP performance in Super Bowl 50. But since that amazing game, things have slowly declined, in terms of production, games played and perhaps even effort on the field.
Miller just does not seem to be the same player he used to be and he is likely extremely frustrated with the team’s lack of success since destroying Cam Newton in that Super Bowl.
Miller has also suffered through some injuries and as of now, the most recent image we all have of him is of him limping off the field in Cleveland last Thursday night after what appeared to be a horrific injury.
It seems that he luckily avoided a serious injury, but his days as an elite pass rusher, at least in Denver, seem to be done. He is 32 years old and will be 33 next season and though the team is loyal to him, he probably shouldn’t have been back this year.
The chances of him coming back next year seem slim, even if fans want to see him play for the Broncos and only the Broncos for his entire career.
Though the team will likely have a high asking price, will another team call George Paton before November 2 to try and pry him away from the team he has played for since 2011?