Author: Bob Morris

Last week, I talked about the players under rookie deals who will become unrestricted free agents next season and how the Broncos might approach them.

This week, I want to look at other players who will hit free agency of some type, and what the Broncos may do with them. I had planned to discuss veterans who were to become free agents, but that’s a short list, and I’ll get to the reasons why.

Along with veterans, I will discuss a few players who are set to become either restricted free agents or exclusive rights free agents and what the Broncos may do there. Although the 2015 season hasn’t started, it’s a good idea for any team to plan ahead for what might need to be done, then adjust accordingly based on how players perform.
Continue reading Midweek Musings: The Pursuit of Player Extensions, Part Two

Hello, Bronco fans! It’s a couple days late, but I’m still calling it Midweek Musings for consistency’s sake. Let’s get to it, shall we?

I’ve previously discussed that I believe the Broncos will ultimately get a long-term deal for Demaryius Thomas completed. Nick has recently explained how the Broncos might sign Brock Osweiler to an extension. I do not expect an extension for Osweiler — or any other Bronco, for that matter — until the Broncos have Thomas signed to a new deal or until after July 15 (if he hasn’t signed a new deal by that date, he’ll play the season under the tag and I would expect the Broncos to figure he won’t stick around and focus their attentions elsewhere).

But it is a good idea to look at the players who are set to become free agents in 2016 and determine who is most likely going to be in line for an extension. This week, I will look at those players who are entering the final seasons of their rookie contracts (in one case, a player is under the fifth-year option) and who the Broncos are likely to start talking to about extensions.
Continue reading Midweek Musings: The Pursuit of Player Extensions, Part One

Just when you thought it was going to be a slow week for the NFL, along comes the report that the Broncos tried to trade Peyton Manning to the Texans.

We saw the initial tweets from Benjamin Allbright that were shared earlier, and the response from Mike Klis that the Broncos did approach Manning about taking a $10M pay cut. Then came Ian Rapoport, who tweeted that the Texans had called teams about their quarterback situations, and that was all they really did.
Continue reading Midweek Musings: Let’s Give ‘Em Something to Talk About

Welcome to what I call Midweek Musings. My plan is to sit down with all you Thin Airers and go over some items pertaining to the Broncos — and perhaps to other teams — each Wednesday night. Think of this as like what Ted Bartlet used to do for Mile High Report and It’s All Over Fat Man, in which he would sit down with random observations about the Broncos and the NFL.

Let’s take it from the top, shall we? Continue reading Midweek Musings: More On Demaryius Thomas

Denver Broncos LB Brandon M. Marshall has been named the team’s Pro Football Focus’ Secret Superstar.

Marshall, of course, is well known among us former IAOFMers. But when you look at his potential role in Wade Phillips’ 3-4 defense, Marshall could be even better than he was last year.

We often forget how good Marshall was in coverage last year (PFF rated him +10.1 for last season) and how he only got better as the season progressed. As PFF notes, his shift to the strong side should take better advantage of his ability as a run stopper and in coverage.

It should be fun to see what he can do.

Mike Freeman had an interesting read at Bleacher Report today, about how many teams are reluctant to sign former Broncos WR Wes Welker because of concerns about his concussion history.
 
We know that Welker had three concussions in a nine-month span when he played for the Broncos (two late in the 2013 season, and one in the 2014 preseason). But Freeman shared some interesting information on top of this.
 

Here’s the thing: The three concussions in a nine-month span were widely discussed, but it’s impossible to say how many concussions Welker has had beyond that. Teams familiar with Welker’s medical history say they believe he has had at least six concussions and as many as 10. Only he knows for sure. And it’s possible he may not know the full number.

That some teams believe Welker had anywhere from six to 10 concussions should tell you plenty about the NFL’s attitude toward head injuries in years past.

My personal opinion is Welker should retire, but as Freeman notes, Welker still wants to play, even as other, younger players are getting out of the game because of worries about concussions.

The Eagles just released Evan Mathis

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 11, 2015

I share this mainly because I’m sure there would be questions about whether or not the Denver Broncos would be interested in his services.

Briefly, while Mathis is a good fit for a zone-blocking scheme, he is 33 years old. Thus, the Broncos would likely only want him if he was willing to take a low-cost deal, and very likely a one-year deal.

Considering that Mathis was holding out for more money from the Eagles, it doesn’t sound like he’d take less money to play for the Broncos. I suspect Mathis, considered one of the best guards in the NFL, is looking to cash in while he still can, because he might not have get a better deal if he waits a year or two (he had two years left on his deal with the Eagles).

If Mathis was willing to take a one-year, low-cost deal, I would have just two words: “Sign him.” But that appears highly unlikely to happen.

Therefore, I wouldn’t expect the Broncos to pursue Mathis. He’s more likely to sign with a team that has more cap space and/or has the “win now” mindset and doesn’t care what it does with its cap space… and the latter is definitely something we don’t want the Broncos to become.

Mike Klis tweeted out some information about the Broncos offensive line as it currently stands.

Gary Kubiak said he has settled on O-Line going into training camp – LT Sambrailo LG Garland C Gradkowski RG Vasquez RT Clark #9News

— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) June 10, 2015

However, bear in mind this is not set in stone, as Klis makes clear in this tweet.

OC Rick Dennison on OL arrangement – "Don't read too much into it."

— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) June 10, 2015

Only time will tell if the current starting lineup remains the same to start the season… and more importantly, how those who eventually win the starting jobs fare as a unit.

The other day, Nick shared some thoughts about what might happen between Demaryius Thomas and the Denver Broncos. I shared a few thoughts there, but wanted to further examine the realities the Broncos are faced with in future seasons.

We know that John Elway has talked about how he wants to build a team that will win “now and in the future.” The problem many pundits and fans have is, when they talk about playoff contenders who have notable aging players, they drop the words “in the future,” as if all that matters is getting the aging players a Super Bowl ring at the expense of everything else. Dropping the words “in the future” is a dangerous practice, because that is how you harm your team in future years, and make it not only many years between Super Bowls, but many years between playoff trips.

It’s true that the Broncos have not always delivered their best games in recent playoffs, but the Broncos made the playoffs each year because they had teams that were built well. Everyone wants to win a Super Bowl, but if I were to tell you I could structure a team that could win a Super Bowl this year, but it would come at the cost of failing to make the playoffs in eight of the next 10 seasons, and be one-and-done in the two seasons the team goes to the playoffs, I would think most people would say it’s not worth winning the Super Bowl for that.
Continue reading Remember What Elway Said: Win “Now and in the Future”

Pro Football Focus updates the depth chart for teams each offseason. You can find the Broncos’ depth chart here.

I suspect there won’t be too many disagreements over how PFF views each projected starter, although one may disagree over the definition of “elite” versus “high quality.” There are also several players who have been praised by those of us who migrated from IAOFM, who PFF is not as high on.