Pat Shurmur’s benchmarks for a successful offense are basic. One, it has to be efficient. Two, it needs to score. And in the AFC West, where it has to contend with the Kansas City Chiefs, it has to score a lot.
So over the past six months, the Broncos have remade their offense, building (on paper) a track team that could have a starting lineup that averages only 24 years old. The group is young, athletic, fast and loaded with potential, and with the virtual offseason nearing an end and training camp still scheduled to start July 28, the Broncos can finally begin to envision how it might all come together.
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For the first time since the Broncos revamped their roster via free agency and the draft, Shurmur detailed his vision for the offense, defensive coordinator Ed Donatell shared some of his expectations for his veteran group, and special teams coordinator Tom McMahon shed light on the changes with specialists.
Here are some highlights from their Zoom calls with local reporters Thursday:
Drew Lock is locked in
As perhaps expected, all three coordinators described a seemingly perfect offseason so far, with an excellent rapport with their players that seems to grow stronger by the day.
Everything is roses in the offseason. The narrative can change when the competition starts in training camp and preseason, but for now all is headed in a positive trajectory.
Shurmur acknowledged the “rumors” that Drew Lock has been working with some of his pass-catchers and running backs on his own — “Also along the rumor, I heard it’s going well,” Shurmur said — and added that he’s been impressed with how quickly Lock has grasped the new offense and the concepts they want to run.
Lock has had throwing sessions with players at local parks in south Denver since NFL team facilities remained closed.
“He was able to keep up with the installations when he and the rest of the quarterbacks and (quarterbacks coach) Mike (Shula) and I would sit down and just generally talk concepts, I think he’s got a really good feel for the game, he’s developing a really good feel for what we want to do, and again, if the rumor is true that he’s throwing to our players, then I think he’s learned something there,” he said. “We’ll just try to put it all together here come July.”
In the nine-plus years John Elway has overseen the Broncos’ football operations, he’s built a roster around only two quarterbacks: Peyton Manning and now Lock. After only five starts last season, Lock showed enough to instill confidence in the coaching staff and front office that he was — or could be — The Guy if they provided him enough resources. So they stacked the receiving room and tight ends group, gave him a pair of Pro Bowl running backs, bulked up the offensive line and added a play-caller and a positional coach who were both familiar with him and had experience working with younger quarterbacks.
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“Yeah, well his sample size, I think one of the really good things that happened last year is he was able to play the last five games,” Shurmur said. “You really judge a quarterback by his ability to help the team win games, and to be 4-1, that’s a really good start. Now I would say that he fell victim to some of the rookie things that happen.
“But the fact that he as a rookie had a chance to play, you only learn this as a quarterback in my opinion by playing in live-game settings, and he learned a great deal. On the flip side of that, it’s been awesome to work with him. Unfortunately, it’s been remote. I think he’s embraced what we’re planning to do on offense.”
About those running backs …
The Broncos already had a Pro Bowl back in Phillip Lindsay, who had more than 1,000 rushing yards in each of his first two NFL seasons. Their decision to spend $16 million on veteran Melvin Gordon surprised not only some fans, but also Gordon and Lindsay as well (both admitted as much in recent interviews).
The question since has been how Shurmur plans to use both. Traditionally his offenses have relied heavily on one back, the bell-cow, who takes the bulk of the carries and is used in the passing game.
Tradition might be broken in Denver, however.
Shurmur said the two will have specific roles, but they share similar skill sets with their abilities to run effectively, catch passes, pass-protect and create explosive plays with their “collision balance” — their knack for bouncing off tackles and turning a solid gain into a significant gain.
“I think there’s times when they could both be on the field at the same time, there’s times when one or the other will be on the field,” Shurmur said. “… They both have been very productive in this league and we intend to use both of them.
Shurmur was also oddly asked if he was the one “pounding the table for Gordon.” He claimed that’s “a false narrative,” perhaps not wanting to give the impression he had more power in the decision than Elway or Vic Fangio.
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“Listen, I’m all for adding good players at every position,” Shurmur said. “I feel like Phillip Lindsay is an outstanding player that we can hand the ball or throw the ball to. The fact that we have two running backs now that can be very explosive with the ball in their hands, whether you throw it or run it, I think it’s a good thing. I really do think you need more than one running back. Royce Freeman did a great job last year as well. So we’re going to utilize both and all three of them and try to utilize their skills. The whole pounding-the-table narrative — listen, I’m the new guy here. But I will say this: I’m looking forward to adding outstanding players to all position groups.”
Sharing the wealth won’t be a problem on offense
In February, just four days after the Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV, Shurmur and Fangio were asked if their plans for remaking the Broncos’ offense centered on trying to beat the Chiefs, who averaged 29.8 points in their 12 wins last season and dipped below 20 points only once, in a loss to the Colts. (The Broncos, by comparison, averaged 17.6 points per game last year.)
The Broncos wouldn’t be able to replicate Patrick Mahomes. But they could (and did) add speed and they could (and did) create a dynamic set of options for Lock. In addition to Courtland Sutton at receiver, they now have a polished route-runner in Jerry Jeudy and speedy wideout in K.J. Hamler. In addition to Noah Fant at tight end, they have one of Lock’s favorite college targets in Albert Okwuegbunam and a steady blocker in Nick Vannett. And in addition to Lindsay at running back, they have a second starting-caliber back in Gordon.
“I think it’s important to have good players at all positions,” Shurmur reiterated. “When you add explosive players to the roster, it not only helps them as players to have an impact, but it also helps the rest of the guys. I really do think you have to spread the ball around. Typically in games that you win and play good offense, when you look at the stat sheet at the end of the game, there’s probably six or seven guys that caught passes, there are probably two or three guys that ran the ball and I really do think if you’re going to play good offense, you need threats outside, inside and in the backfield.
“So it’s going to be fun. I feel like the remote portion of this year was very productive and we as coaches, we’re really, really excited to get the players on the field and work with them when we come back here in training camp.”
Bryce Callahan and Bradley Chubb are ready
Bryce Callahan hasn’t played a single NFL game — preseason or regular season — since December 2018, when he injured his foot with the Chicago Bears. Callahan signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Broncos in March 2019, but re-injured the foot in training camp and, after conservative treatments failed to take, underwent a second surgery.
His debut might finally be near.
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“On the medical side, he’s ready to go,” Donatell said. “He’s running full speed. He’ll be right in our camp and ready to go. He’s been totally engaged.”
Last year, Fangio envisioned moving Callahan to corner, as opposed to the nickel where he played much of his four years in Chicago, and Chris Harris was supposed to play primarily inside. But because of Callahan’s injury — and injuries to other players in the secondary — Harris played mostly outside and alongside many young and relatively inexperienced corners.
This year, it’s likely that Callahan moves back inside. A.J. Bouye plays outside and the team’s hope is rookie Michael Ojemudia will show enough in training camp to instill confidence that he can start immediately at corner, too.
“We want him to do as much as he can as a rookie,” Donatell said. “Time will only tell that. What I can tell you is he’s really, really in the top part of the class as far as his learning curve. He’s picked up our scheme in a virtual sense and about as good as you’ll find in a rookie. He’s off to a good start. We’re just really eager to get him on the field and get started coaching him in a physical sense.”
Bradley Chubb, who suffered an ACL injury in Week 4 last year, has been rehabbing at the team’s facility (only players recovering from injuries have been allowed in the building) and is also on track to play in full when training camp opens.
“He’s just good in all areas,” Donatell said of Chubb. “He’s such a solid, consistent person in all areas of his life. He’s just got a lot of skill and ability. But this is a (player) that’s going to be a great Bronco for a long time. We just didn’t get to see enough of it last year, because of the injury. We’ve seen him running on tape, and he’s full speed and ready to go. You’ll see a really good year from him.”
The focus was on the pass rush up front
The Broncos traded for veteran defensive lineman Jurrell Casey, then drafted defensive tackle McTelvin Agim out of Arkansas. Both, Donatell said, were coveted because of their ability to boost the interior pass rush and create more opportunities for their edge rushers, Von Miller and Chubb.
“That’s really important to us,” Donatell said. “To give us that push up inside with the edge rushers we have, that’s very valuable.”
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Coaches got creative in the virtual offseason
Donatell said some of the coaches got creative in how they taught their players remotely. Defensive backs coach Renaldo Hill turned to Prezi, a presentation software, and defensive assistant Chris Beake used Kahoot!, an online quizzing platform, while working with the defense.
“It just made us think of new ways,” Donatell said. “You have to ask the players. I think they appreciate it. I think this could be part of the future at certain times to start off with a virtual setting.”
The new punter and the 12th man
The Broncos cycled through three punters — Riley Dixon, Marquette King and Colby Wadman — since parting with Britton Colquitt in 2015, hoping each would turn into a directional punter whom McMahon was looking for.
He believes he finally found it in Sam Martin, the former Detroit Lions punter the Broncos signed to a three-year, $7.05 million contract.
“I think the one thing you’re going to find with Sam is consistency,” McMahon said. “He’s very, very consistent. Some people would call it boring. I love boring, because he does the same thing all the time, so it’s easy to game plan on our end and it’s hard to game plan on the other end. And then the other thing that he’s been able to do through his career is hit the edges, so he’s going to have that returner back there working sideline to sideline, and that’s really what we’ve been trying to do and what we want to continue to do, is use that 12th man. When you use the sideline and you can push the returner toward that sideline, you got an extra body that’s never missed a tackle.”
Former Bronco eyes return after knee injury
Veteran defensive end Adam Gotsis underwent ACL and meniscus surgery late in the season and remains a free agent. In recent weeks, while rehabbing at Next Level Sports Performance in Golden, Colo., Gotsis resumed running and remains hopeful that he’ll be added to a roster at some point in 2020.
“I was hoping to get cleared to return to football, hopefully, at the start of August,” he told The Athletic. “That’s kind of a rough date I put in my head.”
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The COVID-19 shutdown that halted travel and closed NFL facilities made it almost impossible for teams to examine Gotsis during his recovery. As he inches closer to a possible return, however, Gotsis views the restrictions as perhaps blessings in disguise.
“I’m thinking in a hopeful way that come July, August some teams are like, ‘Well shoot, we need to bring in a D-lineman that can pick up a playbook and has played a lot of snaps and is a smart guy that can just pick up the system in a week,’” he said. “Whereas some of these rookies, in OTAs and stuff is where they really get the chance to get their feet wet with a lot of the NFL vets and then all of a sudden it’s training camp, and they really haven’t had any time working against pro guys. In a way, I think it might be an advantage to me as well in that I can come back healthy and rehabbed.”
(Photo of Drew Lock: Dustin Bradford / Getty Images)