Bronco information

[cdumler7]

I thought we could use a thread to talk about the different rumors or information we hear of either players being resigned, cut, or FA possibly being brought in.

1) Just a few to get us started. Wolfe has finally been heard from. He tweeted...Hope @TonyVillani is ready for this offseason because im looking to come back bigger, stronger and faster than ever. #grind #teammule

So sounds like Wolfe is expecting to come back healthy and ready for the season. Good news! The guy isn't the greatest player in the world but is one of our more consistent guys that really provides a nice nastiness to the DL.

2) Chris Harris says he is already off crutches and should be good to go for the season!

3) Louis Delmas Safety for the Detroit Lions is expected to have a visit with the Broncos sometime after the Combine. The Broncos showed interest last year before he signed with the Lions. He finally stayed healthy for a year but does have a degenerative knee issue that is expected to shorten his career in the NFL.

4) Jared Allen is expected to test FA and wants to play for a contender. The Broncos showed interest earlier before the trade deadline this past year and is expected to once again be linked to him during FA.

5) Daryl Smith ILB for the Ravens this past year is another name expected to be associated with the Broncos because of a need for a 3-down ILB plus the fact that he played under JDR when they were with the Jaguars.

 

[WalkerBoh]

Latest update on the cap situation shows Denver with $11.2 MM of cap space against a projected $126.3 MM cap. A few caveats here though. 1) Recent rumors show the cap could be as high as $128 MM. 2) This includes $2.1 MM of "dead money" attributed to DRC, which won't actually materialize as long as we sign him long term.

 

[Miked383]

I thought we could use a thread to talk about the different rumors or information we hear of either players being resigned, cut, or FA possibly being brought in.

1) Just a few to get us started. Wolfe has finally been heard from. He tweeted...Hope @TonyVillani is ready for this offseason because im looking to come back bigger, stronger and faster than ever. #grind #teammule

So sounds like Wolfe is expecting to come back healthy and ready for the season. Good news! The guy isn't the greatest player in the world but is one of our more consistent guys that really provides a nice nastiness to the DL.

2) Chris Harris says he is already off crutches and should be good to go for the season!

3) Louis Delmas Safety for the Detroit Lions is expected to have a visit with the Broncos sometime after the Combine. The Broncos showed interest last year before he signed with the Lions. He finally stayed healthy for a year but does have a degenerative knee issue that is expected to shorten his career in the NFL.

4) Jared Allen is expected to test FA and wants to play for a contender. The Broncos showed interest earlier before the trade deadline this past year and is expected to once again be linked to him during FA.

5) Daryl Smith ILB for the Ravens this past year is another name expected to be associated with the Broncos because of a need for a 3-down ILB plus the fact that he played under JDR when they were with the Jaguars.

It would be good to see Wolfe come back. I hope first of all that he is fully healthy before doing so, but I think he does bring a toughness to the D and would like to see him back. I think the Broncos could use some depth on the DL, especially at end with Wolfe's issues. I would love to see Jared Allen come in if the price is right (maybe around $5 mil/yr). If we can't lock him up then I would say to resign Shaun Phillips, maybe both.

I'm not a big fan of Delmas, I think we need to make a splash at safety. We need someone back there with good range but also sets a tone for the level of toughness we want to see on D. There is a very good FA class at safety and I think it is our biggest position of need for improvement on D.

I'm not sure I see us signing Daryl Smith at MLB, mainly because we are so infrequently using a MLB. It seems like a MLB is on the field about 1/3 of the time. I can't see us spending big $ at that position, but we could sure use an upgrade there. Depending on how much Smith is asking for I wouldn't be opposed to bringing him in.

It looks like Decker is gone, I think we need to bring in a tough vet at the WR position. I think Boldin would be our best choice because he would probably cost around $5 mil, he is as tough as it gets at WR and he catches almost everything thrown at him.

 

[cdumler7]

It would be good to see Wolfe come back. I hope first of all that he is fully healthy before doing so, but I think he does bring a toughness to the D and would like to see him back. I think the Broncos could use some depth on the DL, especially at end with Wolfe's issues. I would love to see Jared Allen come in if the price is right (maybe around $5 mil/yr). If we can't lock him up then I would say to resign Shaun Phillips, maybe both.

I'm not a big fan of Delmas, I think we need to make a splash at safety. We need someone back there with good range but also sets a tone for the level of toughness we want to see on D. There is a very good FA class at safety and I think it is our biggest position of need for improvement on D.

I'm not sure I see us signing Daryl Smith at MLB, mainly because we are so infrequently using a MLB. It seems like a MLB is on the field about 1/3 of the time. I can't see us spending big $ at that position, but we could sure use an upgrade there. Depending on how much Smith is asking for I wouldn't be opposed to bringing him in.

It looks like Decker is gone, I think we need to bring in a tough vet at the WR position. I think Boldin would be our best choice because he would probably cost around $5 mil, he is as tough as it gets at WR and he catches almost everything thrown at him.

Last I heard Allen is still wanting something like $10 million a year. He might drop that some to go to a contender but we shall see. My two favorite prospects in the FA department for DE are Michael Johnson and Lamaar Houston. Johnson had a down year so his price could drop a bit but he still graded out as one of the best all-around DE's in the NFL. Houston just has been stuck on a bad team for his career. I think he would add a nastiness to the DL that we need especially if Wolfe returns to have those two guys collapsing the pocket would be fun to watch.

I agree Safety is my #1 position for us this off season. I don't have much faith in Ihenacho. I watched him be out of position left and right. His coverage skills are just atrocious in my opinion. Yes he lays the big hit every once in a while that is fun to see but at the expense of coverage he just isn't worth it. I agree Delmas is not my first choice. His degenerative knee issue is of major concern. I would rather spend a little more to get a guy like TJ Ward (my top target for the Broncos this off season).

Smith at MLB to me would be a great signing. Yes we don't use our MLB a whole lot but that is because we haven't had a 3-down MLB in a long time. This past year Woodyard would come in on passing downs. With losing him we then have lost both our run stopping MLB and our passing down MLB. Smith gives us a guy that can play all 3 downs. Plus it really isn't that expensive of a position so would be nice to just take care of that position now in FA and draft players for the more expensive positions like WR/Corner.

Boldin has already been in contract talks with the 49ers so he most likely is off the market. IF we go FA to replace Decker (I agree he is gone) then wouldn't mind a guy like James Jones or maybe taking a chance on a guy like Hakeem Nicks. I know he has had a very up and down career so far but the guy has some major potential and maybe with Peyton coaching him up he could actually reach that potential.

 

[WalkerBoh]

Last I heard Allen is still wanting something like $10 million a year. He might drop that some to go to a contender but we shall see. My two favorite prospects in the FA department for DE are Michael Johnson and Lamaar Houston. Johnson had a down year so his price could drop a bit but he still graded out as one of the best all-around DE's in the NFL. Houston just has been stuck on a bad team for his career. I think he would add a nastiness to the DL that we need especially if Wolfe returns to have those two guys collapsing the pocket would be fun to watch.

I agree Safety is my #1 position for us this off season. I don't have much faith in Ihenacho. I watched him be out of position left and right. His coverage skills are just atrocious in my opinion. Yes he lays the big hit every once in a while that is fun to see but at the expense of coverage he just isn't worth it. I agree Delmas is not my first choice. His degenerative knee issue is of major concern. I would rather spend a little more to get a guy like TJ Ward (my top target for the Broncos this off season).

Smith at MLB to me would be a great signing. Yes we don't use our MLB a whole lot but that is because we haven't had a 3-down MLB in a long time. This past year Woodyard would come in on passing downs. With losing him we then have lost both our run stopping MLB and our passing down MLB. Smith gives us a guy that can play all 3 downs. Plus it really isn't that expensive of a position so would be nice to just take care of that position now in FA and draft players for the more expensive positions like WR/Corner.

Boldin has already been in contract talks with the 49ers so he most likely is off the market. IF we go FA to replace Decker (I agree he is gone) then wouldn't mind a guy like James Jones or maybe taking a chance on a guy like Hakeem Nicks. I know he has had a very up and down career so far but the guy has some major potential and maybe with Peyton coaching him up he could actually reach that potential.

I don't see anything in Lamaar Houston that we don't already have on the roster. Looking at his history, and last year's performance, he's doesn't look much better than Ayers. I just don't see the attraction

 

[cdumler7]

I don't see anything in Lamaar Houston that we don't already have on the roster. Looking at his history, and last year's performance, he's doesn't look much better than Ayers. I just don't see the attraction

Well to me a few things stick out. The guy is great against the run finishing 5th in run support from the DE position (going off of PFF for this) (Yes I know not everybody likes them but I am one that respects their process and quite a few NFL teams say they use it to help grade players). He offers versatility because of his size in being able to play both DE and DT something our coaching staff has shown they really like. He finished the season 12th in total pressure (combination of sacks/hits/hurries) even though he played on one of the worst defenses in the NFL especially against the pass. I think you put this guy with a decent secondary and he shines in the pass rushing department. He is also a very consistent player giving you pretty much the same effort from week 1 to week 17. I think that could be enhanced even more if say he was playing for a contender.

 

[WalkerBoh]

Well to me a few things stick out. The guy is great against the run finishing 5th in run support from the DE position (going off of PFF for this) (Yes I know not everybody likes them but I am one that respects their process and quite a few NFL teams say they use it to help grade players). He offers versatility because of his size in being able to play both DE and DT something our coaching staff has shown they really like. He finished the season 12th in total pressure (combination of sacks/hits/hurries) even though he played on one of the worst defenses in the NFL especially against the pass. I think you put this guy with a decent secondary and he shines in the pass rushing department. He is also a very consistent player giving you pretty much the same effort from week 1 to week 17. I think that could be enhanced even more if say he was playing for a contender.

The fact he's not already under contract makes me wonder too. Raiders have over $60 MM in projected cap space to work with. With all that, rumors suggest he could still be allowed to swim the FA waters. Part of this may have to do with him not fitting what they want to do on defense, which raises some flags on that purported versatility. So again, I don't see where Denver would gain much .

 

[WalkerBoh]

In somewhat related news, I noticed a fair number of mocks have Denver picking up Dee Ford from Auburn.

 

[cdumler7]

The fact he's not already under contract makes me wonder too. Raiders have over $60 MM in projected cap space to work with. With all that, rumors suggest he could still be allowed to swim the FA waters. Part of this may have to do with him not fitting what they want to do on defense, which raises some flags on that purported versatility. So again, I don't see where Denver would gain much .

Pretty sure it is starting to come out now that he wants out of Oakland. Right as the season closed out he said he was going to test Free Agency. The coaching staff have all said they want him back so I don't think it is the Raiders that don't want him he just doesn't want the Raiders. We shall see. I guess two people can look at one player and see two different things.

 

[cdumler7]

In somewhat related news, I noticed a fair number of mocks have Denver picking up Dee Ford from Auburn.

Not a bad choice. He isn't a 3-down player like I would hope you would get with a 1st round pick at least not yet but definitely a nice pass rushing option opposite Von for this upcoming season. I have a lot of other guys I want ahead of Ford but wouldn't be upset if he is the choice either.

 

[MrDoc420]

I thought we could use a thread to talk about the different rumors or information we hear of either players being resigned, cut, or FA possibly being brought in.

1) Just a few to get us started. Wolfe has finally been heard from. He tweeted...Hope @TonyVillani is ready for this offseason because im looking to come back bigger, stronger and faster than ever. #grind #teammule

So sounds like Wolfe is expecting to come back healthy and ready for the season. Good news! The guy isn't the greatest player in the world but is one of our more consistent guys that really provides a nice nastiness to the DL.

2) Chris Harris says he is already off crutches and should be good to go for the season!

3) Louis Delmas Safety for the Detroit Lions is expected to have a visit with the Broncos sometime after the Combine. The Broncos showed interest last year before he signed with the Lions. He finally stayed healthy for a year but does have a degenerative knee issue that is expected to shorten his career in the NFL.

4) Jared Allen is expected to test FA and wants to play for a contender. The Broncos showed interest earlier before the trade deadline this past year and is expected to once again be linked to him during FA.

5) Daryl Smith ILB for the Ravens this past year is another name expected to be associated with the Broncos because of a need for a 3-down ILB plus the fact that he played under JDR when they were with the Jaguars.

1) Really glad to hear that Wolfe is expected to be back at full health before next year. The kid had definitely been a presence when he was on the field, mostly against the run, but our DL was pretty good this year overall, so his loss didn't hurt as much because we had depth.

2) Even happier to hear that Harris Jr. is coming along quicker than expected. He was our 2nd best guy in the backfield this year, and really becoming an anchor of the CB's overall. Hope a new deal is in the works, but we can tag him and worry about DRC this year.

3) Not a big Delmas fan. He's been serviceable at FS, but we have Rahim there (God, I hope he gets back to 100%) and Adams is as good a back up as there is. I'm as intrigued as anybody to see if Champ can transition to safety, but is he gonna be able to slide over to SS (most viable option IMO) and take a little more of a pounding? I don't really see it, so it'll be interesting to see how that all plays out. We have alot of things to work with in the secondary, so I just don't see the need to waste a pick in the draft. Unless somebody falls to us we can't pass up.

4) I'd love to get Allen in here, but at the right price. I think our DL situation is about is good as it's been the past 6-7 years or so.......maybe longer. I say we roll with what we've got, and see if we can nab somebody in the draft.

5) Daryl Smith......love the idea. He played well for Baltimore last year, and he's a bit more chunky than Wood and fills the gaps well. I guess that would almost certainly spell the end for Woodyard, but he seemed to be a shell of himself after about week 6-7, so I'm not sure what to think there.

Truly will be an interesting offseason. I can say I'm pretty much over the complete debacle in the SB, so I'm ready to start looking towards next year

 

[randymon]

I think most here, and rightously so, figure Denver is going "NOW" mode so I can see some short term (1-2 yr) contracts being offered to some of the "older" vets that can contribute while the "gettin is good" before they sail off into the retirement/last chance for a SB run sunset. Would not be surprised if afew take some paycuts to jump on the Denver/Manning train before she jumps rail. A guy like Allen for one. At this point in time, I don`t see Denver looking past the Manning era and will try and coax some of the guys to come over and give it their last shot. Hopefully we tag afew, some of the youngsters on roster excell next yr and we find a diamond or two in the ruff in this draft,to help get that Championship next yr. Should be interesting to say the least.

 

[WalkerBoh]

Elway has already said he's not only looking for a championship now, but is also planning for the future. I doubt he's changed his mind on that. According to Elway, the Broncos are not in a "Win now" mode. They are in a "Win from now on" mode. If you notice, the short term contracts up to now have been offered to players w/ potential, but had been underperforming for whatever reason. Longer contracts go to proven, young players. I don't see that philosophy changing anytime soon.

What I DO see possibly changing is the approach to offense and defense. I think Elway will want to bring in a more physical mindset to both sides of the ball. I also wouldn't be surprised to see him add a fullback to the offensive mix. Yes, Manning's offense doesn't normally use fullbacks, but we may need one to get past the NFC West defenses. A strong running game will go a long way towards neutering those defenses, and opening up the pass against them.

Hopefully, this all equates to Denver playing with the number one offense AND the number one defense come SB 2015 time. I want to see the Broncos turned into a buzzsaw that opposing teams have to face.

 

[cdumler7]

Honestly I don't think our defense is that far off. The guys we get back are Vickerson, Wolfe (both very strong against the run), Harris, Moore (both very good in both run and pass game), and of course Miller our biggest weapon on defense. So that is 5 starters coming back. My guess is they for sure sign DRC so that takes care of one of the corner positions. I would say on defense we are missing 1 quality safety to pair with Moore, a 3-down MLB, and maybe another pass rushing DE (depends on Q. Smith and his development as I do still think he could be our new Dumervil opposite Miller). We get those guys back from injury and add some depth and a couple of starters and we are right back up there in that top 5 defense like we were in 2012.


Offensively we just need to add a bit more physicality. I would love to get Boldin but pretty sure he is resigning with the 49ers. This draft though does boast a couple of physical WR's that I definitely wouldn't mind us drafting.

 

[randymon]

Honestly I don't think our defense is that far off. The guys we get back are Vickerson, Wolfe (both very strong against the run), Harris, Moore (both very good in both run and pass game), and of course Miller our biggest weapon on defense. So that is 5 starters coming back. My guess is they for sure sign DRC so that takes care of one of the corner positions. I would say on defense we are missing 1 quality safety to pair with Moore, a 3-down MLB, and maybe another pass rushing DE (depends on Q. Smith and his development as I do still think he could be our new Dumervil opposite Miller). We get those guys back from injury and add some depth and a couple of starters and we are right back up there in that top 5 defense like we were in 2012.


Offensively we just need to add a bit more physicality. I would love to get Boldin but pretty sure he is resigning with the 49ers. This draft though does boast a couple of physical WR's that I definitely wouldn't mind us drafting.

Not sure what it is about Boldin I don`t like. He just seems to takes games off sometimes. Seems he always turns it up a notch when contract is coming up or playoff time. The guy can and has been dominant many times though. He prob would have one hella yr with Manning at QB instead of inconsistant Kappy and run oriented SF. Wouldn`t mind the trade-off if Deckers not resigned. He ( Anquan) doesn`t seem to heve prob shedding coverage like Decker struggles with at times. Ok! I~am in,sign-em up!!!

 

[WalkerBoh]

As an alternative, I wouldn't mind Kelvin Benjamin if he were to fall to us at #31.....

 

[Broncosr0k]

Kelvin Benjamin is one I like too. He is said to be aggressive, sometimes too aggressive. That is something we are missing.

 

[HOF-ELWAY-7]

I finally can't write about this. I'm still worn out though. Starting from the RB's to the safety's.

I like Moreno and he had a solid season but I think Ball and him are similar type players. Ball has more playmaking ability / potential. Can he pick up the blitz and hold onto the ball and will the Broncos take that risk? I think he can hold onto the ball as that has never been a problem in college and he seemed to straighten it out late in the season. It also depends what Moreno thinks he's worth.

QB's no questions there.

I think we need either a very good center or right guard. I think Ramirez and Beedles did ok especially in pass protect but I think overall that was / is a weakness. Alex Mack FA center from Cleveland would be a great fit. We're set at tackle and I would like to keep both Ramirez and Clark as utility backups. I wouldn't be opposed to trading Clark if we could get something decent for him. Cut Kuper for cap reasons.

I think J Thomas is a beast at TE. I like Green and I think they're high on Gerell Robinson. I would cut either Dreessen or Tamme, which ever saved us the most money.

WR is a mess, but for good reasons. I would like to see Decker re-signed. I'm a little surprised by some of the negativity towards him. He has been a very good player, a team leader and an asset to the community. The other problem with replacing Deck is that Manning is the most demanding QB to play for. Add in the complexity of the offense and there is very few players that would fit in right way. I think Welker should be safe unless the Broncos make a financial decision keeping Decker then cutting Welker. Caldwell is a free agent but if Deck is gone I would re-sign him. DT isn't going anywhere and will be paid as one of the top WR's in the game as he should be. The Broncos budget their money for each position not by player making it very difficult to keep every WR. Hopefully they can figure it out.

Defensive line is better than I thought in particularly in the interior line. If Sly Williams develops along with Vickerson and Knighton they will be very tough in the middle. Hopefully Wolfe can get right, I think he's a very solid player. Ayers is a good run stuffing DE but I say we resign him if the price is right. I would love to see Greg Hardy, Michael Johnson or Michael Bennett in Orange next season and we re-sign Phillips. It will be interesting to see if those DE's hit the market. If we got Philips and any one of those three FA DE's along with V Miller we should have an awesome pass rushing team. I know the Broncos really like Quanterus Smith. It will be interesting to see if those DE's hit the market. Two years in a row the Broncos contacted the Vikings about J Allen, it wouldn't surprise me if they made a move to get JA.

The Linebacker position is very interesting. The Broncos defense got better without Miller. I'm not saying we should trade or get rid of Miller. Maybe the defense learning to play without Von will greatly benefit in the future. In 2013 Von was no where near the dominate player he was in 11' and 12'. Hopefully he returns to his first two season form. I like Trevathan, I think he is going to be a fantastic player. We have some depth with Irving but could use a little more. The middle is still a little muddy but how important is the MLB in today's NFL? After Woodyard's injury he wasn't the same player and will we resign him. Can Johnson, Bradley or Irving take over or can Woodyard return to form if we do re-sign him.

At CB I think signing DRC is the #1 team priority. I hope Harris comes back to form but it generally takes CB's with ACL's are more than a 1 year to get back to full speed. I hope Champ comes back and makes 1 more run at it but as the nickle and only at the right price.

I don't know what to make out of the safety's. Ihenacho has the makings of a solid player but he had his ups and downs. R. Moore was solid but suffered a very unpredictable injury. M Adams is serviceable and

#1 priority, sign DRC.
Important moves;
Sign / draft;
Center / guard. Preferably a center.
Address the defensive backs / safety.
We need another pass rushing DE.
If they lose both Decker and Caldwell they need to address the WR position.
Depth at LB maybe a new starter in the middle.

 

[cdumler7]

Few things from the Combine that stick out.


Elway and Fox both seem very set on Ball being the lead back moving forward. They seem like they are not even going to make an offer for Moreno at this point. Ball did seem like the better runner by the end of the season and his pass catching/blocking both dramatically improved. I think this is the right decision. They also seem like they are set with CJ Anderson, Ball, and even Hillman being the 3 guys going into next season and seeing what happens.


Safety and MLB seem like the two positions the Broncos know are the greatest weakness on the team. Broncos have been rumored to really focusing on these positions at the combine and even Free Agency.


Harris is not as badly injured as the dreaded ACL title suggests. He had a unique tear in it didn't tear the whole way meaning his recovery should be quick. From what I can tell he is actually expected to be ahead of Von Miller in his recover even though his injury was a month later. So I would expect him back at full strength by the time the season starts.


Clady also is doing well with his rehab as he finally has all the screws out of his foot and is hitting his rehab very hard.


Q. Smith is expected to be a big contributor this next year. The coaches have been very impressed with this kid and talked about him a lot at the combine.


Champ might not be in the plans for this next season. Pretty much Elway said this next week they are going to sit down with him and discuss the future but it didn't sound good. I think they expect him to take a very big cut if he is going to stay with the team.


Free Agency it sounds like the Broncos are going to be very active again. Elway said that the Broncos are hoping to use Free Agency to fill every hole on the team so that when the draft comes they don't have to reach for a player but can take a player and give them a chance to develop. So expect a very busy off season for the Broncos.

 

[cdumler7]

I forgot a few things...Quinton Carter is expected back this upcoming season and the coaches have high hopes for him to emerge kind of like Julius Thomas this last year from injury.


Wes Welker is going nowhere. Team is even thinking he could be the solution to the hole that Decker has left and playing him more on the outside.