How the Denver Broncos turned the team around in one offseason
By Lucas Schuh
The Denver Broncos went from mediocre and middling to a franchise with a well-constructed roster and bright future ahead, perhaps sooner than later.
With the situation at quarterback in 2019, the season was lost for the Denver Broncos. After trading for veteran Joe Flacco, he found himself in a lame-duck situation again and was then injured midway through the year.
That made way for Brandon Allen while second-round rookie Drew Lock was recovering from injury. He returned from injured reserve late in the year and started the final five games of the season, playing as well as you could hope a rookie would.
On the whole, however, Denver’s roster last season was not built to make the playoffs. That’s why general manager John Elway traded away one of the top veteran receivers in the league, Emmanuel Sanders, to the 49ers for a third- and fourth-round pick. Still, there were pieces of the roster worth being optimistic about moving forward.
Fellow wide receiver Courtland Sutton entered 2019 as a potential breakout candidate and that belief couldn’t have been more true. In his second NFL season, Sutton racked up 1,112 yards on 72 receptions with six touchdowns. On defense, 28-year-old rookie linebacker Alexander Johnson came out of nowhere to emerge as one of the league’s strongest linebackers, as evidenced by the play below.
Here is a play of Johnson (number 45) getting hit by 2 different offensive linemen AND a pulling tight end, yet he barely loses any ground and is able to make a play on the running back #Broncos #Film pic.twitter.com/mCezWBZrcX
— Lucas Schuh (@LucasSchuh2) April 4, 2020
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Even with Lock showing flashes and though Sutton and Johnson had incredible years, the Broncos needed more to truly turn things around. And heading into the 2020 offseason, Denver had to worry about Chris Harris Jr. and Justin Simmons and what to do with their potential departures. They ended up franchise tagging Simmons while Harris left for the AFC West rival Chargers in free agency.
In terms of additions, though, Denver signed free agent Graham Glasgow to shore up the interior of their offensive line. Perhaps just as importantly, they made the savvy move to trade for Jaguars cornerback A.J. Bouye. The Broncos took advantage of a fire-sale in Jacksonville to land a top-tier cornerback for only a late-round pick. They made a similar move later as they paid only a seventh-round pick to get defensive tackle Jurrell Casey from the Tennessee Titans.
After the offseason additions by free agency and trade, the Broncos eyed the 2020 NFL Draft with one major need: wide receivers to help Lock, especially with Sanders gone. They hit a home run in that regard, landing perhaps the best receiver in the draft class in Jerry Jeudy. The Alabama product enters the league with nice speed and agility but his route-running is his calling card as he operates like a seasoned veteran in that aspect of his game.
But Denver didn’t stop after Jeudy. They double-dipped when their second-round pick came on the clock as the Broncos selected Penn State wide receiver K.J. Hamler. After adding a route-runner to go with the big-bodied, big-play threat in Sutton, Hamler added the speed threat as one of the most explosive playmakers in the 2020 draft.
It wasn’t just the two receivers that made the Broncos winners in the draft, however. Denver bolstered the defense with a scheme fit in cornerback Michael Ojemudia and a high-upside defensive tackle, McTelvin Agim. Meanwhile, they landed athletic freak Albert Okwuegbunam to give Lock another weapon.
Beyond that, the Broncos also continued to revamp the offensive line. They landed LSU’s Lloyd Cushenberry III in the third round, who could start right away at center. Meanwhile, their best pick of the draft may have been Fresno State guard Netane Muti. He fell to the sixth round due to several severe injuries in college. However, he was a monster when on the field, producing one highlight play after another. If he can stay healthy, this will be a steal for the franchise.
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If Denver hadn’t been aggressive and, of course, savvy in the 2020 offseason, they were in danger of being stuck in mediocrity, especially if they didn’t put Drew Lock in the best position to succeed. That is no longer the case with the pieces that are in place. The Broncos have the chance to be a dangerous team right now but are a real threat to be a future contender with their young pieces planting their feet.