John Elway has won Super Bowls as both a player and an executive in Denver, and that’s bought him an extremely long leash. But it’s time to start seriously questioning his ability to run an organization. Other than convincing a Hall of Famer quarterback to join the team, what has he really accomplished?
Elway has tried every possible means of finding a quarterback: the draft (Brock Osweiler, Paxton Lynch), free agency (Case Keenum) and now a trade for Joe Flacco.
The rest of the roster has remained relatively stable, but with one flop after another at quarterback, Elway needs to be on the hot seat. And this offseason could potentially be his last chance. If he can’t finally fix the offense, it’s time for Denver to move on.
Here’s a look at the positions Elway and his staff should focus on this offseason to get the Broncos pointed in the right direction again.
Quarterback
The acquisition of Joe Flacco isn’t a solution, but it probably did buy Elway some more time with ownership. He can sell them on the addition of a former Super Bowl MVP, even if we’ve seen more than enough evidence that Flacco’s historic playoff run in 2012 was an outlier in his career.
I wrote more in depth on the Flacco acquisition here, but the gist of it is this: it’s not exactly clear that he’s an upgrade over Keenum.
Even if Flacco does stabilize the Broncos’ quarterback play, he probably isn’t here for the long haul. None of his contract in Denver is guaranteed, which means the Broncos are likely just renting him for the year before cutting him loose. Although he is under contract through 2021, so they’ll have the option to keep him if he exceeds expectations.
Since Flacco is just a short-term fix, the Broncos are still in the mix for quarterbacks in the draft. Elway obviously has a thing for immobile pocket passers who can throw downfield, which eliminates Kyler Murray from the conversation. Dwayne Haskins and Drew Lock are the most obvious fits, and both could potentially be first-round options.
Offensive Line
The Broncos offensive line allowed Keenum to be pressured on 30.9 percent of his dropbacks a season ago, the fifth highest rate in the league according to Sports Info Solutions.
To make matters worse, right tackle Jared Veldheer and center Matt Paradis are unrestricted free agents. That leaves left tackle Garrett Bolles as the only stable lineman under contract.
According to Sports Info Solutions, Paradis had the sixth lowest blown block rate among the 40 centers with at least 200 snaps in 2018. Attempting to re-sign him should be a priority this offseason.
Left guard Ronald Leary is also under contract, but he’s coming off a shaky season shortened by an ACL tear. He will likely return to his role, but the team could save $7.5M by cutting him, making him a cap casualty candidate.
Given Flacco’s immobility and Elway’s tendency to target that type of quarterback, the Broncos should invest a considerable amount of resources into the offensive line this offseason. Re-signing Paradis would be a start, but finding upgrades at right tackle and both guard positions should be on the radar screen as well.
Cornerback
Bradley Roby is a free agent, but he’s coming off a rough year and the team is probably ready to move on. According to Sports Info Solutions, Roby allowed 11.2 yards per target in man coverage, the third worst rate in the league.
Denver used man coverage at the second highest rate in the league under Vance Joseph last season, but new head coach Vic Fangio also slightly favors man coverage. The Bears used man coverage at the 11th highest rate, according to SIS.
With those numbers in mind, Roby might not be an ideal fit in Denver anymore.
In limited playing time, 2018 third-round pick Isaac Yiadom allowed just 6.6 yards per target in man coverage. It’s possibly Yiadom is ready to step into Roby’s shoes. But with Tramaine Brock also hitting free agency, the Broncos will still need to add depth in the secondary.
Tight End
Former third-round pick Jeff Heuerman never panned out and hits free agency this offseason. Jake Butt, who the Broncos had high hopes for after snagging in the 2017 draft, also looks like a bust due to injuries. Butt suffered his third ACL tear this season. He’ll be given a chance to compete if he’s healthy in time for training camp, but the team can’t count on him at this point.
Flacco has always had success targeting tight ends in Baltimore, so it would make sense for Denver to provide him a weapon at the position.
It’s a deep draft class at the position, so Denver could potentially add a weapon on draft day. However, with such glaring holes at quarterback and offensive line, tight end should definitely take a back seat in the early rounds.
Perhaps Denver could invest in a relatively cheap free agent—maybe even Flacco’s former teammate in Baltimore, Nick Boyle—to bridge the gap before investing more heavily in the position in the future.
