John Elway is not finished with the Broncos yet, but today’s changes seem like the beginning of the end for the Duke of Denver.
Today, the Broncos announced that Elway will be promoted and will abandon his daily player duties. This is great news because he was the principal architect of the Broncos for the past 10 years.
This includes the team’s 90-70 record, five AFC West titles, two Super Bowl appearances and a World Championship (2015). Elway basically took charge of the team, as Pat Bowlen had less time to spend with them, Elway fired Josh McDaniels and brought the team from its worst season during his NFL tenure to the Super Bowl in just two years.
Elway had interesting techniques in the NFL Draft, he liked to play, but he also undoubtedly got the best defensive player in the history of the Broncos at Von Miller. Bradley Chubb, Courtland Sutton, Justin Simmons and Garett Bolles are some of the other stars he has encountered, while the losses are too long to list here.
But where Elway had its biggest impact was the free agency, no doubt. Peyton Manning is probably the most important free agent hire in NFL history and led the biggest attack in NFL history with the Broncos in 2013. One cannot underestimate how many top talent arrived in Denver after Manning signed, but Elway continued negotiating at a free agency even after Manning retired in 2016.
Even with a decently talented squad, the Broncos have lost the playoffs for the past five consecutive seasons. A change was needed now to allow a new pair of eyes to work on this as a reconstruction project from the ground up.
Here are three things we know about Elway’s move and how they will affect the Broncos this off-season:
The Broncos will soon have a new GM
Elway’s title was vice president of football operations and he also took over as GM some years ago. But now, while coach Vic Fangio and the new GM will report to Elway, the general manager will make all draft and free agency decisions going forward.
It is likely to be huge in three areas.
At the free agency, Elway liked to hire veterans like Manning, DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, Bryce Callahan and the list goes on. However, the Broncos have not held many important negotiations since 2010.
In the draft, Elway failed to make more first-round choices than he hit, and he bet on the intermediate rounds as well. What he did very well was to find undeveloped free agents. CJ Anderson, Chris Harris Jr., Phillip Lindsay; the Broncos enjoyed many starters who were not selected in the past decade.
Finally, Elway was loyal to his recruits. The Broncos currently have a ton of restricted and unrestricted free agents that the new GM will have to decide whether to sign again or move on. Justin Simmons, Lindsay, Shelby Harris and Alexander Johnson are some. In addition, Von Miller and Kareem Jackson have team options. In reality, this is a perfect situation for a new GM, because they can start from scratch and with a good slice of the maximum space ($ 11 million) next year.
And we don’t have a real idea of what the new GM will do in terms of a strategy outline or free agency. So it must be a wild ride in this off season.
Denver decided to stay with Vic Fangio, for now
It is not that the Broncos chose Fangio over Elway, so to speak, but Fangio will have contributions in personnel decisions with the new GM. He will be more involved in everyday life than Elway and is likely to remain in his position in 2021.
That was already the case, and even if some fans want him to be fired, he shouldn’t be. Fangio’s defense has been strong and at times great. He found players like Mike Purcell and Alexander Johnson, elevating them to beginners and letting them flourish on paper.
Offensively, the team left a lot to be desired, although it has improved a few things this season. And the special teams have been terrible for years, so there is a lot for Fangio and the team to improve. Including your timeout management.
If they miss the playoffs again in 2021, Fangio’s third year, the new GM may decide to move on. But, let’s see how they do in the third year.
Drew Lock’s future is not as secure as it was yesterday
Lock would be the titular player in 2021, at least at the beginning of the year, with Elway giving the cards. Now, it’s not so sure.
Like Fangio, Lock will enter his third year this season with the Broncos, and the off season should be much easier to navigate if and when COVID-19 declines this summer.
But, what will the new GM think of Lock’s inconsistent game? Will he see the NFL’s low completion percentage (57.3), the NFL’s high 15 interceptions and the low passer rating of 75.4 and believe he could do better with another QB? Or will the new GM see improvement at the end of this season and give it a start this fall?
It is possible that the new GM has a big deal – like Matt Stafford – or he could hire a veteran like Andy Dalton, Gardner Minshew or Nick Foles to compete with Lock and push the young man.
Anything is possible at Broncos Country and Elway’s move, leaving personal decisions to a newcomer, becomes one of the most exciting seasons in many years here.