When the NFL offseason and free agency gets going, Denver Broncos cornerback Chris Harris believes that John Elway will be one of the league’s most active executives.
“After the season hopefully everything starts to get rolling,” Harris said, per Conor Orr, NFL.com. Once free agency comes you know Elway is going to make some splashes. I’m excited to see who he brings as a part of the team.”
Since Elway took the reigns in Denver, the Broncos have notoriously been one of the NFL’s most active offseason teams. This has been especially true in seasons that ended in disappointment. Under Elway’s watch, Denver has added (among others) Peyton Manning, Wes Welker, Demarcus Ware, Aqib Talib and Emmanuel Sanders.
The Broncos certainly have room to improve. The defense is solid, but Denver’s offense will need to get much better if it’s going to return the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl. As Orr detailed, the Broncos should have cap space to make improvements, as well.
Expect the quarterback position to get most of the attention, especially with the likely availability of Tony Romo. But while that would be a splashy move, it wouldn’t necessarily be the right one.
Whether the Broncos go into 2017 with Romo, Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, or someone completely different under center, most of the offseason work needs to go to the offensive line.
Denver had one of the league’s worst offensive lines in 2017 and it showed. Opposing defenses did not have to respect the run and dared Siemian (or on occasion, Lynch) to beat them. The Broncos can win with a game manager at quarterback. They did in 2015. But they will need the big men up front to make the running game viable. Naturally, that will open things up for the quarterback, as well.
Championships are won with good offensive lines. Making moves to improve that part of the team may not be splashy for Denver. Still, an upgrade up front is what this team needs to do.