Skip to content

Major roster decisions loom for Super Bowl-champion Broncos

Ron Chenoy / US PRESSWIRE

With Super Bowl 50 now in the rearview mirror, the Super Bowl champions enter a pivotal offseason. The Denver Broncos might look noticeably different in 2016.

First of all, as it stands right now, the Broncos are about middle-of-the-pack in the NFL in terms of cap space with how much they have to spend. They surely will create $19 million of cap space by clearing Peyton Manning off their books. But as much as any team in the league, Denver’s current free agents-to-be are going to get paid.

Manning will be elsewhere, but Brock Osweiler’s contract is up as well. Denver would love to keep Osweiler and probably will, as he fits Gary Kubiak’s offense much better than Manning. But what kind of contract does Osweiler, who is extremely unproven, deserve? What he deserves and what he receives are likely to be two different things … in Osweiler's favor.

The reality is that Osweiler has all the leverage here, the demand for starting quarterbacks is just too great in the NFL. But it is also a very wise career move to return to a contending team with a great defense. Osweiler is likely to be back. That might not eliminate Denver from drafting a quarterback, though.

Denver’s best player, Von Miller, is also a free agent, but he isn't going anywhere. If a long-term contract can't be worked out, the Broncos will franchise the Super Bowl MVP. While having that security helps the Broncos on the field quite a bit, Miller's contract is going to eat up a lot of Denver's cap space and spending power to bring back other prominent unrestricted free agents.

Opposite Miller, future Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware is a potential cap casualty as the Broncos have last year's first-round pick Shane Ray and Shaquil Barrett waiting in the wings. However, Ware has indicated that he doesn't plan on retiring and judging from his performance in the postseason, it certainly looks like he has plenty left in the tank. Still, the $10 million that Denver would save by cutting Ware might be the correct business decision for the champs.

On offense, the current left side of Denver’s ailing offensive line, featuring their best run blocker, Evan Mathis, and Ryan Harris, have expiring contracts. Ryan Clady missed the season, but Denver is likely to part ways with him to clear more cap space.

Clady's release would free up around $9 million, but Clady could possibly rework his contract, which might be the ideal move for Denver. While the Broncos got more comfortable running Kubiak's zone-blocking scheme and improved their run blocking as the season went along, the protection was a huge problem area. And frankly, Denver is really lacking good football players up front. They might need three new starters.

The other free agent of note on offense is Ronnie Hillman, who shouldn't be overly pricey to bring back. C.J. Anderson, a restricted free agent, is the superior player and should be the Broncos' starting running back to start the 2016 season. They also like Kapri Bibbs who could possibly fill Hillman's role while adding a spark to the short passing game. Juwan Thompson could also factor in.

With all of Denver’s offseason issues, using premium resources at running back seems unlikely, but using a mid-round draft pick on the position would be a smart move. The offensive line is a far more pressing concern.

Wide receiver depth is an issue with Cody Latimer not yet fulfilling his promise. Andre Caldwell and Jordan Norwood will also be free agents. At tight end, the Vernon Davis experiment didn't work out. Another tight end, possibly Jeff Heuerman, will need to step up as Kubiak likes to utilize multiple tight end sets.

Denver's fantastic defense could get hit hard in free agency with up-and-coming starters Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan likely to hit the market as well as quality depth players Antonio Smith and David Bruton also sure to get plenty of attention from teams with more to spend than Denver. The Broncos locked up Derek Wolfe and would probably have to spend at least that much to keep Jackson, Wolfe's partner in crime at defensive end. Jackson is the slightly better pass-rusher, while Wolfe is slightly superior versus the run. Both young players are entering the prime of their careers, are highly versatile, and are instrumental in Wade Phillips' attacking defense.

Meanwhile, Trevathan and Brandon Marshall (who is a restricted free agent), like Jackson and Wolfe, are not household names at their linebacker spots, but with their excellent range and athletic ability, they embody what the NFL is looking for now on the second level of the defense.

Every-down players like Jackson and Trevathan are going to be heavily sought after on the open market and with Denver's needs on the offensive line and what they should have tied up financially in Osweiler and Miller, retaining these key components of their defense should be very hard to do.

Franchises such as Tennessee, Jacksonville, and Oakland that are loaded with cap space and could use a lot of help on defense would be happy to take Jackson and Trevathan off the Broncos' hands.

Has Denver's window closed? They are going to take some hits in free agency and, of course, they are drafting at the end of every round.

Is Osweiler the answer at quarterback? The Broncos got where they did in 2015 by winning many close, low-scoring games, but that formula also leaves them with very little room for error.

John Elway has done a remarkable job, but he might have to do his best work to date this offseason.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox