[ad_1]
John Elway isn’t done working with the Broncos yet, but today’s changes seem like the beginning of the end for the Duke of Denver.
Today, the Broncos announced that Elway will be promoted and relinquish his daily duties as playing staff. This is huge news because he has been the main architect for the last 10 years of the Broncos.
This includes the team record 90-70, five AFC West titles, two Super Bowl appearances and a world championship (2015). Elway essentially took over the team as Pat Bowlen had less time to devote to them, Elway fired Josh McDaniels and brought the team to their worst season during their NFL tenure at the Super Bowl in just two years.
Elway had interesting techniques in the NFL Draft, loving to play, but he also landed arguably the best defensive player in Broncos history at Von Miller. Bradley Chubb, Courtland Sutton, Justin Simmons and Garett Bolles are a few other stars he has found, while the duds are too long to list here.
But where Elway had his biggest impact was in free will, without a doubt. Peyton Manning is arguably the most important free agent signing in NFL history and he led the biggest offense in NFL history with the Broncos in 2013. But Elway continued to tour and negotiate in free agency even after Manning retired in 2016.
Even with a decently talented roster, the Broncos have missed the playoffs for the past five consecutive seasons. Movement was needed now to allow a new eye to work on this rebuilding project from the ground up.
Here are three things we know about Elway’s move and how they will affect the Broncos this offseason:
Broncos will soon have a new GM
Elway’s title was vice president of football operations and he also took over as general manager a few years ago. But now, while head coach Vic Fangio and new GM will report to Elway, the GM will make all draft and free agency decisions going forward.
This will likely be huge in three areas.
In free agency, Elway enjoyed signing with veterans like Manning, DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, Bryce Callahan and the list goes on. But the Broncos haven’t done a lot of big trades since 2010.
In the draft, Elway missed more first-round picks than he touched, and he also played mid-rounds. What he did really well was find unselected free agents. CJ Anderson, Chris Harris Jr., Phillip Lindsay; the Broncos have enjoyed many starters who have not been drafted over the past decade.
Finally, Elway was loyal to his conscripts. The Broncos currently have a ton of restricted and unlimited free agents that the new GM will have to decide whether to re-sign or move on. Justin Simmons, Lindsay, Shelby Harris and Alexander Johnson are just a few. Additionally, Von Miller and Kareem Jackson have team options. In fact, this is a perfect situation for a new GM, as he can start from scratch and with a good chunk of the cap ($ 11 million) next year.
And, we have no real idea what the new GM will do in terms of draft strategy, or free will. So it should be a wild ride this offseason.
Denver has decided to stick with Vic Fangio, for now
It’s not that the Broncos chose Fangio over Elway, so to speak, but Fangio will have a say in staff decisions with the new GM. He will be more involved on a daily basis than Elway and it is likely that he will remain in his post in 2021.
He already was, and while some fans want him fired, he shouldn’t be. Fangio’s defense has been strong and at times excellent. He found players like Mike Purcell and Alexander Johnson, elevating them to starters and letting them flourish in the role.
Offensively, the team left a lot to be desired, although they have improved this season. And the special teams have been terrible for years, so there’s a lot for Fangio and the team to do. Including its timeout management.
If they miss the playoffs again in 2021, Fangio’s third year, the new GM could decide to move on. But let’s see how they do in third grade.
Drew Lock’s future is not as secure as it was yesterday
Lock was going to be the starter in 2021, at least to start the year, with Elway at the helm. Now it is not so sure.
Like Fangio, Lock will be entering his third year this season with the Broncos, and the offseason should be a lot easier to navigate if and when COVID-19 goes away this summer.
But what will the new CEO of the inconsistent game think of Lock? Will he see the NFL’s low completion percentage (57.3), the NFL’s 15 highest interceptions and the low passer rating of 75.4 and believe he could do better with another QB? Or will the new GM see the improvement at the end of this season and give him the start this fall?
It’s possible the new GM could go for an important trade – like Matt Stafford – or he could sign a veteran like Andy Dalton, Gardner Minshew or Nick Foles to compete with Lock and push the youngster.
Anything is possible at Broncos Country and the change in Elway leaving staff decisions to a newcomer makes this one of the most exciting offseason for many years here.
[ad_2]
Source link