Written By: Jake Leicht
The Denver Broncos looked very good at times last season, but ultimately they failed to have a winning season for the second consecutive year. John Elway decided to fire Vance Joseph because of his inability to win in Denver. They hired Vic Fangio to take over, and their defense should become better instantly. Giving Fangio more defensive weapons would probably help the Broncos become one of the better defensive units in the league. Offensively, the Broncos are a mess. They just traded for Joe Flacco, a quarterback that has not played well since he won a Super Bowl several seasons ago. Their offensive line is putrid, and their receiving corps is young. The Broncos are still a few years away from winning, and they still do not have a franchise quarterback.
Available Salary Cap Space- $37.3
Free Agents
UFA
Jared Veldheer- Offensive Tackle
Domata Peko- Defensive Tackle
Tramaine Brock- Cornerback
Shaquil Barrett- Linebacker
Matt Paradis- Center
Shane Ray- Edge Rusher
Billy Turner- Guard
Bradley Roby- Cornerback
Andre Holmes- Wide Receiver
Zach Kerr- Defensive Tackle
Gino Gradkowski- Center
Jamar Taylor- Cornerback
Jeff Heuerman- Tight End
Max Garcia- Offensive Guard
RFA
Shelby Harris- Defensive Tackle
Deiontrez Mount- Outside Linebacker
Kevin Hogan- Quarterback
Casey Kreiter- Long Snapper
Jordan Taylor- Wide Receiver
ERFA
Jerrol Garcia-Williams- Linebacker
Joe Jones- Outside Linebacker
Brian Parker- Tight End
Matt LaCosse- Tight End
Dymonte Thomas- Safety
Tim Patrick- Wide Receiver
Potential Cap Casualties (Bold = Dead Money, Italics = Cap Gain)
Joe Flacco- Quarterback ($0) ($18.5 mill) I would honestly cut him, but the Broncos will not.
Emmanuel Sanders- Wide Receiver ($2.687 mill) ($10.25 mill)
Todd Davis- Linebacker ($2 mill) ($3 mill)
Darian Stewart- Strong Safety ($2.8 mill) ($3.57 mill)
Case Keenum- Quarterback ($10 mill) ($11 mill)
*All figures for cap purposes are taken as pre-June 1st, unless otherwise stated. All cap figures courtesy of Overthecap.com, unless otherwise stated*
Team Needs
5-7 Needs
Quarterback
Offensive Tackle
Tight End
Wide Receiver
Cornerback
Defensive Tackle
Draft pick Allotment
1st Round #10 (10)
2nd Round #9 (41)
3rd Round #8 (72)
4th Round #11 (107)
4th Round: #23 (119)
5th Round #10 (138)
5th Round #18 (146)
6th Round #9 (169)
7th Round #8 (200)
7th Round #23 (215)
7th Round #31 (223)
*Compensatory Pick Projection courtesy of Nick Korte of Overthecap.com
Mock Offseason
Head Coach
Vic Fangio
Players Re-signed
Gino Gradkowski- Center
Billy Turner- Offensive Guard
Bradley Roby- Cornerback
Zach Kerr- Defensive Tackle
Jeff Heuerman- Tight End
Cap Casualties
Emmanuel Sanders- Wide Receiver ($2.687 mill) ($10.25 mill)
Todd Davis- Linebacker ($2 mill) ($3 mill)
Darian Stewart- Strong Safety ($2.8 mill) ($3.57 mill)
Trade
Denver Broncos get: 2020 5th Round Pick
Arizona Cardinals get: Case Keenum
Free Agent Targets
Jared Cook- Tight End (Raiders)
Joe Flacco loves his tight ends, and the Broncos currently do not have a good option at the position. Jared Cook would give Flacco a big target across the middle of the field.
Sheldon Richardson- Defensive Tackle (Vikings)
Even though the Denver Broncos have two premier pass rushers in Bradley Chubb and Von Miller, they still need a 3-technique that can make plays in the pass and run game. Richardson would step in and immediately make the Broncos one of the most feared defensive lines in the NFL.
Daryl Williams- Offensive Tackle (Carolina Panthers)
The Broncos offensive line is putrid, and it is about to get worse given the fact that they are probably going to let Matt Paradis walk in free agency. Even though Daryl Williams was injured for the better part of last season, he would still be a major upgrade over the offensive tackles the Broncos trotted out last season.
Mock Draft
1st Round: Devin White, Linebacker (LSU)
2nd Round: Deebo Samuel, Wide Receiver (South Carolina)
3rd Round: David Edwards, Offensive Tackle (Wisconsin)
4th Round: Kris Boyd, Cornerback (Texas)
4th Round: Elijah Holyfield, Running Back (Georgia)
5th Round: Gardner Minshew, Quarterback (Washington State)
5th Round: Ross Pierschbacher, Center (Alabama)
6th Round: Drew Sample, Tight End (Washington)
7th Round: Nate Davis, Offensive Guard (UNC-Charlotte)
7th Round: Jaylen Smith, Wide Receiver (Louisville)
7th Round: Emmanuel Hall, Wide Receiver (Missouri)
Keep a lookout for more offseason blueprints as we get closer to the start of the new league year!