Broncos Mailbag: Quarterback or another position for Denver in the first round of the draft?

Hey Ed, thanks for writing in and getting us going this week. Quarterback is going to dominate the conversation this offseason, but the Broncos’ list of needs is long. That’s complicated by the fact that Denver has only six draft picks at present. Not only that, but check out this quote from GM George Paton during Tuesday’s season wrap up interviews: “We won’t be in on the first wave of free agency like we were last year,” he said.

“You can’t do that every year. We’ll be very strategic and very specific on what positions and what players we try to sign. Obviously, we have to hit on the draft. We’re picking high, and we have six picks. We could have more. You know we like picks. We’ll go from there.” CEO Greg Penner made the same sentiment about spending big in free agency clear last spring, but it hits home even a little extra with the Russell Wilson contract situation playing out and the likelihood that Denver will be dealing with the fallout of that for the next two seasons.

Just as a starting point: Aside from quarterback, the Broncos would be justified in at offensive tackle, edge, interior defensive line, cornerback or receiver. Their their starting center Lloyd Cushenberry, starting inside linebacker Josey Jewell, two tight ends in Adam Trautman and Chris Manhertz, starting safety P.J.

Locke, fullback Mike Burton, cornerback Fabian Moreau and kicker Wil Lutz. We’re not talking blue chip players, but that is a ton of snaps from a wide variety of positions. Both free agency and the draft will be critical, but right now Denver’s walking a little bit of a tightrope to get everything done.

Hey Kenny, yeah you’ve had a front seat for the Nix Show up there in the Pacific Northwest. He really took off after transferring from Auburn to Oregon. I haven’t done a deep dive on the quarterback class yet, so I don’t have any super hot takes at the moment. I do think that after the top group — even if we put LSU’s Jayden Daniels in along with USC’s Caleb Willams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye as likely top picks — you .

For Michael Penix Jr., it’s risk tolerance on the injury front and how his medicals look at the NFL Scouting Combine. For J.J. McCarthy, it’s youth and the lack of big passing production on a dominant rushing team. For Nix, it’s six years in college and questions about arm strength. Teams line up for quarterbacks, so even if you don’t have a true first round grade on a guy, that doesn’t mean he will last until the second or third.

I’d be leery of moving up for anybody besides one of the top picks because of the other needs outline above. But if Payton and Paton feel strongly about somebody, they’ll consider going to get him. No doubt about it. Hey Rosanne, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows with Payton this year, but A) that’s not going to happen and B) constant turnover is part of the problem in Denver, not the solution.

That doesn’t mean that Payton won’t be held to a high standard going forward. Payton’s got to win, just like anybody else, and when you have his resume and salary, there’s not going to be a multiyear grace period. Related note: The coaching carousel in the NFL is already wild this year. Jim Harbaugh might actually make the jump after flirting with the Broncos last winter.

Tennessee fired Mike Vrabel. The Patriots could move off of Bill Belichick, perhaps via trade. Buckle up. Hey MaryLou, thanks for the question! The game planning process is collaborative between Payton, offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, passing game coordinator John Morton and many others. But the bottom line is it’s Payton’s plan, Payton’s play sheet and Payton dialing up the calls during games.

So, if there’s a bone to pick with the plan or the calls, it’s with the head coach. JJF, appreciate the question. Not really my place to say should or shouldn’t in this case, but clearly Paton’s missed big on the highest profile decisions he’s made, including trading for Wilson and hiring Nathaniel Hackett.

The Randy Gregory signing was bad, too, though picking Pat Surtain II at No. 9 in 2021 was really good. Track record and performance matter. Paton would tell you that, too. The reality at this moment, though, is that Paton and Payton say they work well together, and . They made that pretty clear Tuesday.

Hey Paul, hadn’t come across this opinion yet, so thanks for writing! The short answer is that’s never going to happen. And I’d be curious how you square calling Paton responsible for some of the worst moves in Broncos history with saying that Wilson is who Denver should build around in the future.

You’re right about Paton and even Payton being cheaper to get rid of than Wilson, especially if you’re talking about roster building. Cash is cash — the Broncos have the wealthiest owners in North American sports — but the constraints in ditching Wilson come via salary cap accounting. Hey Scott, thanks for writing in.

Penner . The timeline all along has suggested that something could happen this offseason. So we’ll see. Not sure at this point if that’s something you unveil around the draft or maybe later in the summer/closer to camp. Probably depends some on the process, which is a long one. Definitely, Mike.

That’s a position the Broncos could address early in the draft. Another guy in that mix is, maybe not surprisingly, McKinstry’s Alabama teammate Terrion Arnold. Moreau’s a free agent, so we’ll see what happens there. Mathis showed promise in 2022 and struggled this year. Don’t forget about Riley Moss, who got off to a slow start because of core muscle surgery during training camp but turned into one of Denver’s best special teams players as a rookie.

He’s going to get a chance. The Broncos liked Moss enough last spring to to move up from No. 109 to No. 83 to pick him. Fast forward to present and that third rounder they gave up projects as No. 81 overall in April..