- The Denver Broncos are taking their medicine and playing hard.
It’s an essential procedure to assist anyone in recovering from a disease. The Broncos have played with a malaise and have been ill ever since winning Super Bowl 50.
The Broncos’ on-field performance has been average, despite a brief moment of optimism for a postseason run last season. Fans of the Broncos had flu-like symptoms, including headaches, sore throats, and exhaustion, as they stammered from Empower Field following a heartbreaking defeat.
Still, the winds of change, however healing, might blow in various directions. With the goal of getting the team healthy and starting to carve out a route back to Super Bowl relevance, the Broncos’ leadership has set the organization on a new course.
Under the direction of previous general manager John Elway, free agents were brought in to fill the roster’s enormous deficiencies rather than going through the growing pains of rebuilding it. This was paired with a long list of well-meaning but average and occasionally expensive quarterbacks who failed to live up to expectations during pivotal moments in games.
The predicament was made worse by the Broncos’ inability to acquire enough draft picks, which reduced their talent pool and made it impossible for them to regularly compete with the best teams in the NFL.
The Broncos’ power trio, head coach Sean Payton, general manager George Paton, and co-owner and CEO Greg Penner, seem to have adopted Albert Einstein’s dictum after yet another disappointing season: insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome.
Owing Russell Wilson $39 million for the upcoming season is making things more complicated. Though their actions are speaking louder than words, the Broncos have not yet made it known in the public that they are rebuilding their roster.
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In addition to letting quality center Lloyd Cushenberry III go in free agency, trading erratic wide receiver Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns, and releasing veteran safety Justin Simmons, the Broncos’ relative inaction in free agency is noteworthy. This is especially true when it comes to not making the quarterback room more competitive by bringing in a quality bridge veteran. It’s evident that Penner has given Payton the go-ahead to organize the essential, harsh reset to get things back on track, along with additional personnel changes.
Nevertheless, the amount of victories in the forthcoming season will probably suffer as a result of this set of choices. Nonetheless, it will set the company up for long-term success.
In order to move past the botched Wilson deal, the Broncos will make a lot of improvement. The salary cap for the team will level out, enabling the Broncos to make regular free-agent signings to address pressing roster needs.
Look for the Broncos to trade back later in the first round to gain more draft capital and remain in a position to acquire Oregon quarterback Bo Nix or Washington’s Michael Penix Jr.
So, Bronco Country, strap in for a roller coaster ride for the upcoming season. The Broncos are locked in the foundational concrete of a rebuild.
Keep an eye on and hold the three Broncos leaders responsible for making choices that will put the team in consistent postseason contention starting in 2025 and beyond. Recall that while taking medication may not taste good, it’s a little price to pay if it helps you get well.
