The Denver Broncos have a roster and coaching staff that is clearly ready to be much more competitive in the loaded AFC West, but is their depth chart really a depth chart at this point? Or is it just a chart? Believe it or not, the Denver Broncos still have some weaknesses heading into the 2023 NFL Draft. Thankfully, very few of those appear to be in the actual projected starting lineup.
Still, if you want to be competitive in December and January, you need strong depth. The Broncos don't have that everywhere on their roster, which is why you're still seeing posts suggesting additional free agent acquisitions. Sean Payton knows the value of quality depth, as does GM George Paton. With just five picks in the 2023 NFL Draft and a little less than $8 million in salary cap space, how will the Broncos round out some of the weak areas of the team?
We need to take a look at a few position groups that, as of right now, would send the team into panic mode if they were to suffer any injuries to starters.
3 positions the Denver Broncos are one injury away from disaster mode
1. Cornerback
Let's just imagine, for the moment, that the Denver Broncos had to spend any amount of significant time next season without Pat Surtain II. As of right now, who are you going to replace him with that's even on the roster? Although there's really no "replacing" Surtain, what kind of depth do you have on the roster to be able to sustain an injury like that?
Okay, let's not go to such an extreme. Let's say the Broncos lose Damarri Mathis for a significant amount of time. Mathis is a good young player, but he's not on Surtain's level. Who steps into that CB2 slot? Do the Broncos even have a viable third cornerback on their roster right now (not including their guys who play nickel)?
I'm not so sure of that.
They have free agent pickup Tremon Smith, who will bring his "elite" special teams abilities to that phase of the game. They have second-year player Ja'Quan McMillian, an undrafted player in 2022 who showed some nice things down the stretch last season.
But that's really it. The Broncos don't have the kind of depth they really need at the outside cornerback position right now, which leads me to believe that could be one of the positions they are more seriously targeting with their top picks in the 2023 NFL Draft.
2. Running Back
The Denver Broncos still have to do some tinkering with the running back position. So far in the 2023 offseason we've seen the team add veteran Samaje Perine and former Saints running back Tony Jones Jr. Perine, specifically, will play a big role in the offense in 2023 but who knows if Jones will even make the final roster?
The RB1 in Denver is Javonte Williams, but his status is very much in limbo as of right now. Is Javonte going to be healthy for the 2023 season? Is it going to take him starting the season on the PUP or IR before he's fully ready to go? It should be expected that Williams will need to start the season still in recovery mode. With that being the case, what happens if something happens to Samaje Perine?
Where does it leave the Broncos? Furthermore, let's say Javonte Williams is able to start the season on a pitch count and play right away. What happens if something then happens to him? Are the Broncos going to be strong in the running game with Samaje Perine as the RB1 and someone like Tony Jones Jr. in the RB2 slot?
I'm not sold on that either.
Whether in the NFL Draft, free agency, or both, I think the Broncos need to add a couple more backs to the mix. We saw some nice things from Tyler Badie late last season, and we've seen some nice things from another player recovering from injury in Damarea Crockett. The Broncos have bodies at running back, but almost an equal number of question marks.
Perhaps the coaching staff and scouting department are more at ease about the team's depth right now, but I think this team is one injury at running back away from being in disaster mode given how much they want to run the ball this season.
3. Offensive Tackle
Of course, you can't have All-Pro caliber players in your backup slots at every position group. That's not what we're trying to say here. But capable contingency plans? Well, most of the teams that are relevant in December, January, and February are typically the teams that have players in place -- veteran or otherwise -- who can step in at a moment's notice and start important games at key positions.
That's not always the case, but the Denver Broncos are in rough shape right now at the tackle positions if anything should happen to big-money free agent Mike McGlinchey or starting left tackle Garett Bolles.
Bolles himself is coming off of an injury, and the Broncos have watched a number of their top backup offensive linemen from last season leave or sit in free agency. Namely, Calvin Anderson signed with the New England Patriots, and both Cam Fleming and Billy Turner remain unsigned.
Could the Broncos bring one of those guys back? It's a possibility, but you also can't help but wonder whether or not the tackle position is going to be near the top of the priority list in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Broncos might be looking to get Bolles' future replacement.
That's a lot to ask of a third-round pick, even a high third-round pick, but it's not out of the realm of possibility either given Sean Payton's history of finding OL talent at just about every juncture of the NFL Draft.