In the early stages of free agency in the National Football League, the Denver Broncos have been decimated as a ton of productivity has left the Rocky Mountains. The Broncos have a lost a pair of quarterbacks in Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler. And whereas Manning retired, the Broncos were a bit surprised when Osweiler decided to bolt in order to sign with the Houston Texans. The Broncos have also lost their top tackler from last season in middle linebacker Danny Trevathan who signed with the Chicago Bears while running back C.J. Anderson who was second on the team in rushing last year with 720 yards has signed an offer sheet to join the Miami Dolphins. Defensive end Malik Jackson also left the Broncos in free agency as he signed a six-year, $90 million deal to join the Jacksonville Jaguars. Running back Ronnie Hillman led the Broncos in rushing yards last season with 863 yards while tight end Owen Daniels was recently cut by the team. Heading into the 2016 NFL season, the Broncos won’t be the same team that just won the Super Bowl last month, but through it all there is one man that doesn’t appear to be fazed by all of these players who’ve been boarding departing flights at Denver International Airport and that is the team’s executive vice president of football operations John Elway.
John Elway
Elway has been around the game of football for a very long time and he understands the highs and lows of the business. Elway came on board with the Broncos in 2011 and brick-by-brick he built them into a championship team. Elway knew the risk of signing a veteran quarterback like Manning in 2012, but he got the most out of the situation as the Broncos won Super Bowl 50. Manning was willing to pay Osweiler in order to keep him in Denver as the Broncos starting quarterback, but he wasn’t going to break the bank to do so. It took the Texans $72 million over the next four years to get Osweiler to leave Denver. And albeit that Elway drafted Osweiler in 2012, the youngster hasn’t shown that he can be a franchise quarterback.
Due to the “zone blocking” system that the Broncos employ, there isn’t a need for them to attach themselves at the hip to a particular running back which means that Anderson will more than likely look to lease property in Miami. Trevathan’s tackling ability will be missed, but he also benefited from playing in an aggressive defense under defensive coordinator Wade Phillips along with playing on a unit that featured pass rush specialists in outside linebackers DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller who both command consistent double-teams.
But Elway isn’t a fool because he didn’t allow Miller to leave as he was slapped with the franchise tag which will give the Broncos more time to secure a long-term deal for the Super Bowl MVP. Elway knows that he needs a quarterback and last week he acquired veteran quarterback Mark Sanchez from the Philadelphia Eagles. Sanchez has had an up and down career in the National Football League, but Elway and Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak feel that he has something to offer to the team. And even with the acquisition of Sanchez it is not out of the realm of possibilities that the Broncos could still go after a quarterback through free agency or the National Football League Draft.
Free agency and the salary cap in the National Football League have indeed changed the dynamics around in the league as more than ever teams must consistently draft while also facing the notion of a roster overhaul every few years. The Broncos aren’t the first Super Bowl Champion to have to face this issue as the New England Patriots found themselves in a similar predicament just last spring. And even with all of that adversity, the Patriots still found a way to reach the AFC Championship Game this past January.
The AFC West should be a wide open division this year and with a potential four-game suspension of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, the case can be made for the entire conference. Barring injuries, the Broncos could once again have one of the top defenses in the National Football League and if Elway is able to sign second and third-tier free agents along with a solid draft next month to fill holes on the roster, Denver could once again be in contention. So where some people are ready to publish the demise of the Broncos, Elway is calm and cool while he calculates his next move. And to Elway’s credit, in five years in the Broncos front office, the team has made the playoffs each year with the same reputation of a contender that Denver had when he was the franchise’s starting quarterback for 16 years. If you put all of that together it equates to the Broncos not going anywhere due to Elway’s winning pedigree.
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