Last season, the Denver Broncos opted to follow the path that the Los Angeles Rams found success following a few seasons back, that being, trading away first round picks for a veteran quarterback with a proven record of success as they obtained Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks. Through one full season that strategy has yet to pay anywhere near the dividends that they expected as Denver actually finished with two fewer wins in 2022 than they accumulated the prior season.
However, the Broncos have effectively doubled down on the strategy. They went a step further in trading away another first round pick they obtained, in yet another trade, to obtain the rights to a veteran coach, who had his own proven record of success when they executed a trade with New Orleans to obtain Sean Payton. He will now be tasked with turning around a franchise without a first-round selection, as well as no second-round pick as well. This situation is far from ideal for a new coach but, some of the suggestions in this piece may be of some use to Denver in achieving that turnaround.
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton looks on against Washington Football Team during the first half at a NFL game between the Washington Football Team and the New Orleans Saints on October 10, 2021 at the FedExField in Landover, MD. (Photo by Stephen Lew)
Barring a trade up, the Broncos first selection in the draft will be back-to-back picks in the third round, selections 67 and 68. There are nearly an infinite number of permutations that could see them with presented with any number of different players to select from. Therefore, I will be making my best educated guess as to who they may select based on who is likely to be available as well as the most pressing needs of the team.
The most pressing need, of competing urgent needs, would likely be offensive line help, specifically offensive tackle on both sides of the line. If they move on from Garrett Bolles, their left tackle that was injured last season and due just under $18 million dollars in 2023 and fail to re-sign Billy Turner, their right tackle last season, then Denver’s depth chart has two veteran journeymen, Cameron Fleming and Calvin Anderson as the most likely players to step into those vacancies. This, understandably, should not inspire confidence in the Broncos franchise, their fans, or most importantly, their $49 million dollar per season, franchise quarterback, Russell Wilson.
Denver Broncos Quarterback Russell Wilson (3) rolls out during and NFL game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos on October 06, 2022 at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver CO. (Photo by Jeffrey Brown)
So, who can Denver realistically expect to have available to this early in the third round? One the possible options could be Matthew Bergeron – Syracuse. Bergeron could, very well, be off the board by this point but it is at least within the realm of possibility that he slides into the third-round. This may not help Wilson too much as Bergeron’s pass blocking is fairly average but, his run blocking and flexibility could be intriguing if he is still on the board.
Another option could be Jaelyn Duncan – Maryland who is also less of a pass blocker and more of a run blocker, albeit a bit more reliable that Bergeron, while being a less flexible positionally speaking.
In the event that one of these players is not available with the pick, or even if one is selected with the first of their two picks, the Broncos may move on to selecting an edge rusher as their next need to address. While the position is not exactly lacking for depth with Randy Gregory, Baron Browning, Nik Boniitto, and Jonathon Cooper all still under contract, it has not exactly been a highly-productive positional group either. The entire group was only able to amass 10.5 sacks over the span of the season, whereas Bradley Chubb, the player that Denver traded away to obtain the first-round pick that ultimately allowed them to obtain Sean Payton, was able to rack up 5.5 sacks in a partial season with the team, before finishing with eight total season for the complete season. If one player, a player no longer on your team I might add, was able to account for half of the sacks for a position, it may be time to start looking at other options.
The players that may be available to the Broncos early in the third-round could be Andre Carter II - Army, a huge, long-limbed pass rusher that is very much in a similar mold as Randy Gregory, allowing for a transition of sorts over the long-term, or Zach Harrison – Ohio State, an extremely strong and tenacious edge setter that will force opposing offenses to funnel inside or script away from him upon arriving in the NFL. Both players have undeniable upside but are not the immediate answer for the position that the team may be looking for.
There does exist, however, another possible option for one of these two third-round picks, running back. With Melvin Gordon no longer with the team and rumors of a potentially longer recovery time for star Javonte Williams, Denver faces the possibility of having to rely on a 33-year-old Latavius Murray as their primary running back. I think it is fair to state that this is far from an optimal position for the team to find themselves in as there will much less of a likelihood that opposing defenses will respect the rush as much as they should. To counter this, the Broncos may need to invest in a running back that can allow Williams to heal, or to split time with him in the event that he is able to return this season.
Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams (33) carries the ball during a game between the Denver Broncos and the Cincinnati Bengals at Empower Field at Mile High on December 19, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford)
Possible running backs that Denver could opt to select could be Zach Charbonnet – UCLA, a well-rounded option that checks all the boxes for a bell cow-needy team. He has good size, is an above average rusher, and can be a receiving option out of the backfield. Additionally, DeWayne McBride – UAB, is another running back with a relatively similar skill set. He does well to find running lanes, can absorb and recover from contact while continuing to move downfield, and has a little bit of wiggle to his game to make a few defenders miss in the process.
While spending draft capital on a running back at, what amounts to, the top of a team’s draft class is never really a plan most teams actively seek to find themselves needing to employ, desperate times may call for desperate measures.
Ultimately, there is no real quick fix for the Broncos this season. This is almost certainly sure to be a rebuilding season as Payton works to at least get the team back to respectability. Denver’s likelihood for drafting each position with at least one of their two initial selections breaks down to offensive tackle likely an even bet, edge rusher roughly a 30 percent likelihood and running back accounting for the remaining 20 percent left over. With any luck, the Broncos might some gems to serve as foundational pieces over the next decade or so.
