The Denver Broncos have a huge offseason ahead, and they will have at least three difficult decisions to make. In my opinion, the Broncos have what could be a very fun and aggressive offseason, but it could also be an anxiety-inducing one. With them hitting on a rookie QB and making the playoffs with house money, they have every reason to be aggressive and add players.
However, the other side of this is the team being aggressive in their endeavors, only for it to blow up in their face. One of the biggest advantages in all of sports is having a stud QB on their rookie deal, so while the reward can be huge, the risk is also there for the team. Denver did get some of their major needs done like their extensions for Jonathon Cooper, Patrick Surtain II, Quinn Meinerz, and Garett Bolles, but they will still have some difficult offseason decisions to make.
Here are three of them.
3 difficult decisions the Denver Broncos will need to make this offseason
A change coming at defensive coordinator?
The Denver Broncos defensive collapse over the last month was obvious. It seems like Vance Joseph showed his hand too much during the season and was not able to figure something out down the stretch. Besides shutting out the Kansas City Chiefs backups, the Broncos allowed 32, 13, 34, 30, and 31 points down the stretch. The 13 points came at home against the Indianapolis Colts, but the defense was flat-out bad for about a month.
Do the Broncos want to make a change at DC? And if Vance Joseph does land a head coaching job, the team would obviously have to make a change. The defensive turnaround from 2023 into 2024 was obvious, and I do believe Joseph isn't going to get fired, but you have to wonder if the defensive collapse irritated Sean Payton enough to consider making a change.
What positions to target heavily in free agency?
The Denver Broncos have playmaking needs on offense and other needs at DT, ILB, and S on defense. The roster overall is solid and in a good spot. The Broncos are oozing with young talent and that was on display in 2024. However, with the 2025 NFL Draft being deep at positions like RB and TE, could the Broncos opt to address some of their other needs in free agency?
Denver will have to figure out which positions they want to try and fill in free agency and in the NFL Draft. It can't be easy sorting out what may need addressing on the open market. My guess is that the team doesn't do much at RB or TE until the NFL Draft, but could take to the free agency market for a position like safety or inside linebacker.
Potentially prioritizing the wrong positions in free agency could leave the Broncos with some bad contracts heading into 2025.
Potentially trading NFL Draft capital?
There could be some players this coming offseason who could be traded for. It happens every year, and of some of them are proven commodities that could elevate the Denver Broncos on either side of the ball, the team may have to make a huge decision here. For example, if the frustrated Garrett Wilson wants out of New York, could Denver part with one of their top two draft picks?
The reason I believe this could be a hard decision is that the Broncos have their own first and second-round picks for the first time since the 2021 NFL Draft. They may want to use each of those picks to continue building up their roster foundation, but I cannot help but wonder if the right player could fall into their laps on the trade market.
There could be other players like TE David Njoku of the Cleveland Browns who could be on the move. Maybe even a RB like Jonathan Taylor gets moved? Perhaps even Breece Hall of the New York Jets. The advantage here is that the team can trade a draft pick, which is a huge unknown for a proven player. However, that player is going to be a bit older than an NFL rookie and will have some wear on their tires.
I do believe Denver is going to sniff around the trade market this offseason, but pulling the trigger could be tough.