Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Broncos Mailbag Part 2: The Offseason

What will Gary Kubiak's legacy be in Denver?
Kubiak is a true Bronco till the end. To see the former backup to John Elway come back to Denver as head coach in 2015 was very special. To see him win the Super Bowl in his first year as head coach was just the icing on the cake. I thought Kubiak did a very good job in Denver. He finished 24-11 including the playoffs, and he was able to take a team that was built for a championship with an aging legend at QB in Peyton Manning and won the Super Bowl around a great defense. That is what was great about Kubiak was that he always had the pulse of his team. He did a great job of that in 2015, and even though 2016 didn't turn out the way he wanted, he did a good job of what he had to deal with personnel wise. Think about this: Kubiak won all those games with four different starting QBs at different points: An aging Manning, Brock Osweiler, Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch. Kubiak should become a member of the Broncos Ring of Fame very soon.

Who might be the Broncos next head coach?
It sounds like John Elway is looking for a young head coach to guide this team into the future. If I was Elway, I would start with David Shaw from Stanford. Shaw has NFL coaching experience as an assistant, and he has built Stanford into a model program. He has the Stanford connection with Elway, and he runs a pro-style offense. To me, he would be a great fit for the NFL and the Broncos. The next guy I would look at would be Kyle Shanahan. You already have the connection with his father, Mike Shanahan, and he practically grew up around the Broncos organization. Also, he is a bright offensive mind, and he could inject a different approach with the Broncos offense, while maintaining guys like Wade Phillips and those defensive coaches on the staff. After that, it has been reported that the Broncos are looking at guys like Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator of the Dolphins, and Sean McVay, offensive coordinator of the Redskins. I'm not really sold on those coaches being great options for the Broncos. I think Denver could reach out to Jim Bob Cooter, the
offensive coordinator of the Lions. He was a former Broncos assistant and Peyton Manning raved about him, so he could be a good choice.

Who are the Broncos 2017 opponents?
Home: Kansas City, Oakland, San Diego, NY Giants, Dallas, New England, NY Jets, Cincy
Away: Kansas City, Oakland, San Diego, Washington, Philly, Miami, Buffalo, Indy

The Broncos home schedule is more intriguing than their road schedule. There are some big-time teams coming in Mile High as the likes of the Giants, Dallas, and New England all make appearances in Denver. I would expect 3 primetimes games next year on the schedule.

What are the Broncos 2017 draft picks?
The Broncos select #19 in the 1st round. After that they pick, #51 in the 2nd round, #83 in the 3rd round, #115 in the 4th round, and two 6th round picks (#175 and #178). The Broncos should also get a few compensatory picks in the middle rounds due to the amount of free agents they lost last year.

What is the Broncos Salary Cap Situation?
The Broncos have an estimated $30 million in cap space going into next year. They could free up some more if they release Russell Okung before free agency begins and it could give them up to $10 million more.

Who are the Broncos free agents this coming offseason?
Here are the Broncos list of free agents:
Unrestricted:
DeMarcus Ware
Vance Walker
Sylvester Williams
Justin Forsett
Jordan Norwood
Billy Winn
Dakoda Watson
Kayvon Webster
Thomas Gifford

Restricted:
Todd Davis
Brandon McManus
Sam Brenner

What are the biggest storylines facing the Broncos as they head into the offseason?
1-Who will they hire to be their next head coach?
2-Will they kick the tires on Tony Romo as their next QB?
3-What will the new regime think of Trevor Siemian and more importantly Paxton Lynch?
4-What will happen with Aqib Talib and the shooting incident from last year?
5-Will John Elway sign a contract extension with only one year left on his current deal?
I think those are the three big things to watch as the offseason gets going in about eight weeks.

Are you optimistic the Broncos will get back into contention in the near future?
I am optimistic that the Broncos will be able to get this franchise back in the playoffs and into title contention. They have a lot of their top talent secured long term. Their defense is still top notch and ready to win. They have weapons on offense and they have two young QBs waiting in the wings. They also have John Elway at the helm. As long as Elway is running the show, the Broncos won't be down for long. I would Elway to make a lot of moves to improve this team and get the Broncos back to where they should be in 2017.


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