Author: Bob Morris

I'm a sports writer in real life, though I've always focused on smaller communities, but that hasn't stopped me from learning more about some of the ins and outs of the NFL. You can follow me on Twitter @BobMorrisSports if you can put up with updates on the high school sports teams I cover.

20 Things To Consider In Broncos Training Camp

With Denver Broncos training camp set to start in just a few weeks, I thought we could all discuss our expectations about how certain training camp battles will take shape and who might emerge as key players.

So I’ve put together 20 polls for everyone to vote in regarding a few issues that will likely be in our minds as training camp gets underway. It gives us all a chance to see what we think about positional battles and other issues.

I will include my own thoughts about each of the poll questions. People are free to talk more about why they see certain position battles go the way they think they will or who they expect could be the surprises in training camp.

The polls start after the jump.
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Tagging A Player Three Straight Years Is Always Bad For Teams

We know that the franchise tag isn’t exactly loved by NFL players. An NFL team can tag a player for three straight seasons and prevent the player from testing the market in the prime of his career.

But as we are learning from the two teams who have tagged players for the second straight year, tagging a player all the time can come back to haunt you from a team management perspective.

Tagging a player sounds like a good idea in theory. You get to keep the player for three years without a long-term commitment, then you can let him test the market when he’s 28 to 30 years old, at which point his value might be declining and you get him at a lower cost.

But is it really worth doing so when it costs you a large sum over a three-year period?
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Best And Worst Value NFC Contracts For 2017

Last week, I examined what I considered to be the best and worst value contracts for each AFC team, based on the current cap and cash commitment for the player as opposed to the total contract.

This week, I am reviewing the same for NFC teams. Again, I have excluded franchise tag players, rookie deals and RFA tenders – but if you will recall, last time, I said there was one team for which I was tempted to name a franchise tag player. That team just happens to be one of the NFC teams.

And I will start with the NFC West, then go to the remainder of the NFC, allowing me to start with the team who happens to have the franchise tagged player I really wanted to name.
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Best And Worst Value AFC Contracts For 2017

In years past, I have examined what I think are the best and worst value contracts for each team. Doing it this year, I am focusing more on the one-year cap and cash commitment for players rather than the total contract.

I did not include any players under rookie deals or RFA tenders because those values are set in stone. I excluded franchise tag players as well because there’s a chance that some of them could be extended, although I was tempted to do it in at least one case that I will mention.

I will start with the AFC this week, and because this is a Broncos’ site, we’ll start with them first, then the rest of the AFC West, then the remainder of the AFC.
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The 10 Most Underrated Broncos Of All Time

Mike Tanier recently shared his list of the most underrated players in NFL history. As you might suspect, a Denver Bronco player did make the list, that being cornerback Louis Wright.

Meanwhile, Tanier mentioned others who have Hall of Fame worthy resumes but get overlooked, from Randy Gradishar to Karl Mecklenburg, from Tom Nalen to Steve Atwater (though Atwater has gained traction in recent years by being named a finalist).

But it’s not just Hall of Fame voters who overlook Bronco players because of the teams they happened to play on. Broncos fans themselves are often guilty of overlooking certain players on their favorite team, in terms of the impact they had. Those reasons can range from teammates who fans argue should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame to players who fans have a hard time putting their careers into perspective.
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Would Kaepernick to the Broncos Be Possible?

There was discussion earlier today about the possibility of Colin Kaepernick coming to the Denver Broncos.

While on the surface, it doesn’t appear to make sense given that the Broncos want to see what their younger QBs, Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch, could do as a potential starter, that doesn’t mean signing Kaepernick can be ruled out.

We know that last season the Broncos attempted to trade for Kaepernick but couldn’t work out logistics ranging from draft pick compensation (the Broncos offered a third-round pick but the Niners didn’t want such a pick because it came so late in the round) to contract structure (the Broncos and Kaepernick couldn’t agree to terms on a restructure) that the trade fell through.
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The Difficult Decisions ESPN Must Face

Most of you are aware about the recent round of high-profile layoffs at ESPN. This is not the first round of layoffs the cable sports network has made – most of the layoffs had affected behind-the-scenes personnel. But this round impacted people who are involved with on-the-air reporting and writing articles for the network’s website.

It begs the question: Why is this happening and what is the future of ESPN?
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A Look At The Current Broncos Roster

With the 2017 NFL draft finished and the Broncos now moving toward additional offseason workouts, it’s time to sit down and evaluate the roster as it stands.

Of course, the Broncos made one post-draft free agent move by signing street free agent Jamaal Charles to a one-year deal. I like the signing of Charles because it adds a veteran presence to the running back corps and gives the Broncos more versatility, provided Charles is healthy.

But could there be other moves coming? And do we have an idea about what positional battles are likely to happen when training camp arrives?

Let’s sit down and look at the Broncos’ roster as it currently stands. There are a few things we should notice immediately about what to expect for the remainder of the offeseason and for training camp. I will list players by position, in no particular order per position.
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What Working The Draft Board Is Really About

We have all made our opinions known about the Broncos using their first-round pick on Garett Bolles and a few wondered if the Broncos could have traded up for somebody else (say O.J. Howard) or moved down the board.

While I wasn’t a fan of the Bolles pick, I want him to succeed and wish him luck. But I do think it’s worth exploring the question about the Broncos moving up or down the board and when it makes sense.

We tend to think that moves up or down the board make sense based on the player a team is interested in, but there’s more to it than that. Whenever you move up the board, you want to minimize your risk because you can’t always guarantee that the player you move up the board for will pan out like you think he will. And when you move down, you want to ensure your maximize your return from moving down so that it’s worth it, regardless of whether or not you miss out on the player you want by moving down.
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2017 NFL Mock Draft For You To Mock (Or Not)

I hereby present to you my annual mock draft. In this draft, I did not project trades and just went with who I would believe is the likely pick assuming nobody moves up or down in the first round.

Of course, we know that draft-day trades happen and I would expect at least a couple in the first round. Feel free to mock me about that fact if you wish!

Seriously, though, this is my stab at what I believe teams will be looking for come draft day. I tried to keep in mind the teams that tend to go for the best player available versus drafting for need.

Let us move on to my not-so-educated guesses.
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