Sean Keeler: What do you get the team that needs … everything? The Broncos last fall ranked 21st in the NFL in points per offensive drive and 28th in points allowed per drive. (Although they wound up seventh in Rick Gosselin’s annual NFL special teams rankings, so the law firm of Westhoff & Kotwica held up its end of the rope, at least.) As long as the takeaways were flying, the orange and blue were humming. But jaw-dropping blowout losses early in the season (at Miami) and late (at Detroit) showed just how far the gap in talent is — speed, really, but talent, too — between the dudes at Dove Valley and, say, the top half-dozen teams or so in the league. (Yeah, yeah, I know they beat the Chiefs.) It’s all about Russell Wilson, and the countdown to the start of the new league year on March 13, when his divorce from Dove Valley could become official, and what Sean Payton and George Paton are going to come up with at quarterback as an alternative to Jarrett Stidham after that. You and I could pour out a few cold ones over the joys of a potential camp battle between Stidham and, say, Ryan Tannehill, but it’s too early in the week to subject ourselves to that kind of pain. Since you’re bound for Indy soon for all the glitz, glamor and St. Elmo shrimp cocktails at the NFL scouting combine, here’s what I want to know: What position BESIDES QB is the most critical, in your mind, for the Broncos to address in this draft?
Ryan McFadden: There’s a ton of areas this team could address through the draft. I think the biggest need is offensive tackle. Denver can draft or sign whoever it wants at quarterback, but he won’t be successful if he doesn’t have quality protection. There’s a handful of mock drafts that have the Broncos using their 12th overall pick on a cornerback or a quarterback. But I think improving the trenches should be one of the team’s priorities. Left tackle Garett Bolles is coming off a modest season, but he is 31 and set to earn $20 million in 2024, meaning the team could possibly cut ties with him to save money. With that said, the Broncos need to address the future at left tackle. Players like Penn State’s Olu Fashanu and Notre Dame’s Joe Alt could be available when the Broncos make their selection. And even if Denver doesn’t use its first-round pick on a offensive tackle, the franchise should do so at some point in the draft.
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Keeler: I made a list of needs the other day, and it got … long. But the position — again, after QB1 — that I kept coming back to was the same: tight end. Name me a Super Bowl contender that doesn’t have a good one. Name me an elite team — we’re talking Chiefs, Niners, Lions, Ravens — that doesn’t have a great one. Baltimore’s Mark Andrews has quietly averaged 7.4 receiving TDs per year since 2019. The Broncos’ TE1, over that same period, averaged three scores. With the exception of quarterback, tight end might be the only offensive position in today’s NFL that can singularly dictate — and screw up — defensive personnel and alignments. Find a big one who can do anything, on any down, and you’ve got a Swiss Army knife who can keep defenses on their heels instead of one chess move ahead.
McFadden: I understand your point on the importance of a tight end. And the position is among my list of needs for the Broncos. Greg Dulcich’s injury history makes it hard to rely on him on a consistent basis, even if Payton loves his skill set. I could see Denver picking Georgia’s Brock Bowers in the first round. Bowers could be a game-changer for the Broncos, as he totaled 2,538 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns in three seasons with the Bulldogs. I would rather Denver use its first round on an offensive lineman, defensive tackle or edge rusher. But if the Broncos decide to take Bowers, you can’t be too mad at them for doing so.
Keeler: Hey, I get the emphasis on a CB2. I do. It gets lonely on PS2 Island, sometimes, and a division with Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Andy Reid and Jim Harbaugh ain’t getting any easier. And wideout has been a money pit with mixed results, no question — you need an upgrade there, too. Tackle? Garett Bolles ain’t playing forever. Outside linebacker? The Broncos haven’t produced a double-digit sack man since 2018, a stat that’s hurting my brain even as I type it, given the dollars that were locked into Von Miller and Bradley Chubb. But if I can’t land a “franchise” signal-caller in April, I’m telling you, nailing tight end would make a pretty solid Plan B. Because counting on Greg Dulcich’s good health seems like an awfully risky Plan A.
McFadden: I actually understand why some mocks have the Broncos taking a cornerback at 12th. Opposing quarterbacks are going to try their best to avoid throwing in Pat Surtain’s direction. Having another lockdown corner on the opposite of Surtain would help Denver’s pass defense so much. I think improving the trenches should be the team’s priority if Denver doesn’t draft a quarterback. Like you said, Bolles will not play forever, and offensive tackle is one of the most important positions in football. In addition to that, the Broncos could use some help at defensive line since the unit was inconsistent in stopping the run and applying pressure on the quarterback in 2023. Outside of Zach Allen, the group struggled to disrupt the quarterback on a consistent basis. Someone like Illinois’ Jer’Zhan Newton or Texas’ Byron Murphy II would improve that unit.
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