The Denver Broncos are coming off a big weekend introducing the schedule for their iconic 77′ jerseys and also making them available for sale for all NFL Fans. Randy Gradishar getting inducted to the Football Hall of Fame, finally putting that iconic Orange Crush defense into the Hall of Fame.
Today we will go over their offseason moves, draft pickups, free agency pickups, and a quick training camp update on who might be QB1 come that first game against the Seahawks.
First off, the Broncos are coming off of a 8-9 season which was a improvement from last season, and even halfway through the regular season, they we’re considered a team to be in the hunt for a playoff spot. After beating the Packers 19-17 in Week 7, then later ending a multiple year loss drought against the Chiefs, then later beating the red hot Browns, Josh Dobbs led Vikings and the Buffalo Bills after a 12th man on the field penalty gave Kicker Wil Lutz another shot at winning the game as time expired. A tough loss to the Patriots in Week 16 on Christmas Eve threw all chances at playoffs this season, right out the window. With the Broncos needing to win the last 1 of 3 games in the season to be a Wild Card hopeful. So with a new QB1 coming into Denver with the battle between Stidham, Nix and Wilson heating up in training camp, the question will be, can the Broncos improve on this 8-9 season and be in the talks for Playoffs, with tough matchups like the Seahawks in Week 1, then in Week 2 going to play Russell Wilson, then in Week 3 the Buccaneers, then later on in the season, they have the Ravens, Falcons, Browns, Colts, and the Bengals. I personally think they can, and we will go over why today.
Broncos 2024 Draft Class
- 1 / 7. Round 1, No. 12 – QB Bo Nix
- 2 / 7. Round 3, No. 76 – OLB Jonah Elliss
- 3 / 7. Round 4, No. 102 – WR Troy Franklin
- 4 / 7. Round 5, No. 145 – CB Kris Abrams-Draine
- 5 / 7. Round 5, No. 147 – RB Audric Estimé
- 6 / 7. Round 7, No. 235 – WR Devaughn Vele
Nix — Denver had one of the worst quarterback rooms in the NFL on paper. It’s not a surprise to see them address the position, though the way they did it — taking the QB6 at 12th overall — is a bit surprising. Nix excelled at getting the ball out quickly and accurately in the Oregon offense over the past two seasons. His 70.0% accurate pass rate since 2022 ranks second among Power Five quarterbacks with at least 250 pass attempts.
Elliss — Edge rusher was a need for the Broncos heading into Day 2, and they get some good value here with Elliss early in the third round. In 10 games last year, he racked up 39 pressures, 13 of which were sacks, and won 17.7% of his pass-rushing snaps. Getting their quarterback and edge defender with limited picks in the first two days of the draft is good business by Denver.
Franklin — This is an obvious fit for Franklin, as he will be reunited with his Oregon teammate and 12th overall pick, QB Bo Nix. Franklin averaged 3.32 yards per route run in 2023, the third-best mark among all receivers in the draft class. Keep an eye out for Nix to connect to Franklin a lot in stressful situations since that was his go to man last year in Oregon.
Abrams-Draine — Playing opposite Ennis Rakestraw Jr at Missouri, Abrams-Draine posted a career-high 89.9 coverage grade in 2023 and now provides the Broncos with another great depth piece in the secondary. He forced 34 incompletions in off-coverage from 2021 to 2023, which ranked first among all college cornerbacks.
Estime — Estime’s 94.0 overall grade was the highest among all Power Five backs in 2023. His grade was due in large part to his ability to break tackles, as he forced a whopping 64 misses for the season.
Vele — Vele is the type of wide receiver that many offensive coordinators gravitate toward in today’s NFL. He is solid in mesh concepts, understands reading safeties and linebackers in coverage and knows how to get open quickly. Although he doesn’t necessarily have a signature tool, Vele is a solid football player.
Gargiulo — Having played over 350 snaps at left tackle, left guard and center in his career, Gargiulo has proven positional versatility that could lend itself well to holding onto a roster spot in Denver. A transfer from Yale, he has allowed just two sacks on over 1,400 pass-blocking snaps since 2019. Another solid pickup to a already solid O Line with Quinn Meinerz, look out for lots of pancakes between the two young guards.
With the Broncos being able to fill much needed holes and depth that they needed to this draft class. They get a A, for not messing things up and not going for a QB in the First Round. It was time for change in Denver. Since Peyton Manning, there has been over 8 starting QB’s. It was time the Broncos finally went out, and got their QB, his WR partner from Oregon, another solid WR5 that will definitely develop into a solid receiver as the years go on, a solid young offensive linemen to match with Quinn Meinerz. Also a good solid Cornerback to develop along side Top 3 best ranked Cornerback in the league, Patrick Surtain.
Final Draft Grade: A
Broncos Free Agency Signings:
We will mention all of the Free Agency Signings and also give my thoughts on some on the pickups the Broncos made.
S Josh Reynolds ( 26 y/o , Three years, $20 million )
The Justin Simmons release surprised many Broncos fans and NFL fans all around, why would the Broncos part way with 4 time all-pro like that? Well in my opinion it was all about money, with still having that huge dark cloud which is Russell Wilson’s contract to pay this season, the Broncos decided to release Justin Simmons in which my best guess was a money savings move, he must be asking for a absurd amount because as of the writing of this article, Justin Simmons is still a Free Agent in the NFL. The Broncos also released Kareem Jackson in a move i personally think had to have been his play on the field. It wasn’t bad at all, trust me, he played well last season with 2 INT’s but everytime i saw a Kareem Jackson clip come up on my feed, it was the Broncos defense either making a huge stop or a INT, just for a unsportmanlike conduct to come out on Kareem Jackson. Jackson saw two suspensions last season and multiple penalties.
The only downside to this move in his injury history, if he can stay off IR and out of the blue tent, this ends up working really well for Denver in the long run.
Malcolm Roach, IDL, 26 years old (Two years, $7 million)
Cody Barton, LB, 27 years old (One year, $2.5 million)
Matt Peart, OT, 26 years old (One year, $1.1 million)
Josh Reynolds, WR, 29 years old (Two years, $9 million)
Okay well, Josh Reynolds. If you ask anyone but a Lions fan with a good memory, he’d say he’s a solid pickup for where the Denver Broncos are currently at with their WR room. Despite his NFC Championship game mishaps, For starters, the drop problem isn’t a consistent one. Reynolds had just two drops all season in 2019, 2021 and 2022, and had just three in 2020. He also had just three in 2023, up until that last game.
His flaw in that game — flaming out under the bright lights — is absolutely still a concern, but Denver is likely years away from appearing in a conference championship game, and Reynolds is only guaranteed a roster spot for 2024.
Beyond that one ugly performance, Reynolds has a lot to like. He’s a strong separator, ranking third in the entire NFL in route win rate vs. man coverage last season. He’s also a tremendous blocker from the receiver position, something that’s especially valuable to a Broncos attack seemingly building its identity around the ground attack.
Plus, considering the philosophical overlap between Ben Johnson’s Lions offense and what Payton runs, Reynolds is a proven natural fit in the scheme. That has real value for a developing quarterback, something the Denver Broncos will be living through this season, either with Stidham or a rookie.
Jordan Love had legitimate struggles through the first half of the the 2023 season, and the lack of experienced pass-catchers — and the mistakes that come with that lack of experience — were one of the major contributing factors.
Reynolds and Courtland Sutton provide a baseline of competency and understanding at the position that will support the new QB.
As for the financials, this deal is a steal. If the Reynolds deal doesn’t workout, Denver can easily cut him next year and free up some dough. Jacksonville has much less flexibility with a much lesser player, signed in the same cycle.
Sam Mustipher, C, 27 years old
With the money that was available after the horrendous downfall which is the Russell Wilson contract, the Broncos also had a pretty good free agency, not spending all their money in one place and being able to fill holes like the Center position and some help in the defensive line position which was arguably one of the worse in the NFL at the time. I also really do believe the Broncos found a gem with Reynolds and a huge bargain as well, Broncos get a solid B+ for this free agency.
Final Grade: B+
Broncos Releases / Trade Grades
Declined to tender an offer to DL Jonathan Harris.
Released S Justin Simmons.
Released TE Chris Manhertz.
Traded WR Jerry Jeudy to Cleveland in exchange for fifth and sixth round 2024 draft picks.
Personally i wish the Broncos would have found someone else to trade for those late round draft picks as i think the relationship between him and Russell was the reason for his downfall here in Denver. But with what the Broncos needed at the time, and a massive contract that had to be reworked so the Broncos can make moves this free agency, The Broncos get a C for this trade. Like i said, with what they needed at the time, i understand the move, but you have to think if Nix’s and Jeudy’s relationship on and off the field would have been better as it was with Stidham in those last 3 games of the season.
Released QB Ben Denucci
Released DT Rashard Lawrence
Released WR Phillip Dorsett
Broncos 2024/2025 Schedule Breakdown
Schedule courtesy of Mile High Report.
| Wk | Date | Opponent | Time (MT) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9/8/2024 | at Seattle Seahawks | 2:05 PM | CBS |
| 2 | 9/15/2024 | vs Pittsburgh Steelers | 2:25 PM | CBS |
| 3 | 9/22/2024 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 11:00 AM | FOX |
| 4 | 9/29/2024 | at New York Jets | 11:00 AM | CBS |
| 5 | 10/6/2024 | vs Las Vegas Raiders | 2:05 PM | FOX |
| 6 | 10/13/2024 | vs Los Angeles Chargers | 2:05 PM | CBS |
| 7 | 10/17/2024 | at New Orleans Saints (TNF) | 6:15 PM | Prime |
| 8 | 10/27/2024 | vs Carolina Panthers | 2:25 PM | CBS |
| 9 | 11/3/2024 | at Baltimore Ravens | 11:00 AM | CBS |
| 10 | 11/10/2024 | at Kansas City Chiefs | 11:00 AM | CBS |
| 11 | 11/17/2024 | vs Atlanta Falcons | 2:05 PM | FOX |
| 12 | 11/24/2024 | at Las Vegas Raiders | 2:05 PM | CBS |
| 13 | 12/2/2024 | vs Cleveland Browns (MNF) | 6:15 PM | ESPN |
| 14 | 12/8/2024 | BYE WEEK | ||
| 15 | 12/15/2024 | vs Indianapolis Colts | 2:25 PM | CBS |
| 16 | 12/22/2024 | at Los Angeles Chargers | 2:05 PM | FOX |
| 17 | TBD | at Cincinnati Bengals | TBD | TBD |
| 18 | TBD | vs Kansas City Chiefs | TBD | TBD |
So like i said with tough opponents in this year’s schedule, and a long week 14 bye week to definitely look forward to, i genuinely think that the Denver Broncos have a winning season this year that sees them make at least the Wild Card, with multiple holes filled from the last previous seasons that the Broncos have had, this is definitely the most hope that Broncos fans have had in a while, with a amazing QB duel brewing in Denver which we will break down right after this, the Broncos have all the pieces in place to have a great season, but the question is, can Sean Payton make the right decisions in the stress of the moment and not call a onside kick on the first kickoff of the season to the Raiders? Time will only tell, but i guess we will visit my 10-8 prediction in the offseason and see if i was right or wrong.
1 Minute Training Camp Update:
Well today is a day off for the Broncos with Saturday being the 8th day of Practice the Broncos focused on Late game situations with the Defense both coming up winning aganist Stidham and Nix who are still competing for the QB1 position which is still up in the air at the writing of this article. Broncos also worked on Special Teams with reporters on site saying they came up with big stops testing the new kickoff format, which seems to be working in the Broncos favor. The Broncos next practice is Monday, August 5th.
Final Thoughts
So with all the holes filled before the start of the season, one still remains unfilled, and that’s the Quarterback position. Whoever ends up getting the starting job, will have lots of fans relying on them to bring the Broncos back to winning season glory, for a team who hasn’t seen much success since the winning of Super Bowl 50,
The Broncos will definitely wanna fire on all cylinders game one of the season and come out firing, whether that’s under Bo Nix or Jarrett Stidham (According to sources, Zach Wilson is completely out of the starting job position) everything is ready for the Broncos to have a great season.
With the Broncos not losing much other then Russell Wilson and Jeudy and other’s that weren’t performing or just hurting the Broncos. The Broncos definitely completed a full 180 from the previous season, and will look to be back in playoff contention.
Final Offseason Grade: B-
With the Contract of Wilson hanging overhead, The Broncos did exceptionally well in the offseason, filling holes they needed with better players for cheaper, the Broncos probably won’t be the same old Broncos this season.
This is the end of the story.
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