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3 players who will have the biggest impact on the Broncos' season

Ron Chenoy / USA TODAY Sports

Each week, theScore will go division by division, highlighting which three players' performance will most impact their team's season in 2017.

Trevor Siemian

In one season without Peyton Manning, the Broncos went from Super Bowl champions to playoff spectators. That's the affect the starting quarterback can have in Denver.

Siemian will have a say on how the 2017 season plays out, regardless of if he wins the quarterback competition in training camp. If he emerges from camp as the starter, he'll be tasked with leading a unit that must keep pace with the team's elite defense in order to return to the postseason. But if second-year pro Paxton Lynch is tabbed as the No. 1 quarterback, it means Siemian forced the Broncos to see how they'll fare with a sophomore QB at the helm, for lack of a better option.

This was supposed to be Tony Romo's job, but the Broncos elected not to negotiate with the Cowboys and the veteran quarterback never truly made it to free agency. As a result, Denver is left with the options it has in house.

The Raiders are the preseason favorites in the AFC West, while the Chiefs are the defending division champs and the Chargers are expected to contend. Siemian will have a large say in where the Broncos slot in.

Shane Ray

DeMarcus Ware is gone. Ray is the man tasked with replacing his production.

The 2015 first-round draft pick has been brought along at a slower pace. He didn't garner any starts during the Broncos' Super Bowl season, and he started only eight games last season. However, his sacks doubled from four in his first year to eight in 2016, which could be a sign of more good things to come.

Von Miller will need some help leading the defense, and the former Super Bowl MVP believes Ray is the man for the job. He stated in April that "Shane's been ready" for a long time. If that's the case, with the best pass defense behind them, the front seven might not skip a beat after Ware's retirement.

C.J. Anderson

Anderson has been afforded several opportunities to be the team's primary rusher, and after his 2016 year was cut short after seven games, he'll again be given the reins.

While he averaged four yards per carry in his seven games of action, he also tallied less than 50 yards in four of those contests. The Broncos finished the year 17th in rushing and need for the running game to take some pressure off whomever emerges as the starting quarterback.

If the plan is to open up the passing game and take advantage of the talents of Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, Anderson has to provide some semblance of balance to the offense on the ground.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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