Unless the Broncos unexpectedly re-sign guard Dalton Risner between now and September, they will begin next season without a player from their 2019 NFL Draft class on their roster.
The attrition does not end there. Only wide receiver Courtland Sutton and linebacker Josey Jewell remain from the 2018 class, which brought in 10 players. Left tackle Garett Bolles is the only member of the eight-man 2017 class left in Denver. Even the 2020 class has been cut in half; only five of its 10 selections are still around — with a number of those likely on the bubble when training camp begins.
Advertisement
In examining why the Broncos have been unable to reach the playoffs since 2015, the second-longest drought in the sport, the draft classes produced in the aftermath of their Super Bowl 50 victory help tell a major part of the story. Roster churn is common in a league in which teams are always looking for younger, more cost-efficient talent, but even against that backdrop, Denver’s lack of long-term impact from its draft picks has been notable. Former general manager John Elway drafted 42 players during his final five seasons in the role, from 2016 to 2020. Only safety Justin Simmons, Jewell, Sutton and Bolles received second contracts among the team’s draft picks in that span. That group has produced only two original-ballot Pro Bowl selections, both in 2020: Simmons and outside linebacker Bradley Chubb, who is no longer with the team after being traded to the Dolphins at last year’s trade deadline. The Broncos had at least one pick in the first, second and third rounds in all five of those drafts, and they had four top-20 selections overall.
The cumulative misses despite strong ammunition have created holes on the roster from a depth perspective. As Sean Payton enters his first season as Denver’s head coach, a lack of selections in this month’s draft (five picks overall, none in the first two rounds) intensifies the challenge of filling those holes. In order to make the most of next season’s roster, one he has already begun to alter significantly, Payton will need strong performances out of the deep class of free agents he just signed and the veterans he inherited. Contributions from the rookies the team adds in this year’s draft — or signs afterward — would be a bonus.
GO DEEPER
Broncos mailbag: Is there still a path to adding more picks in NFL Draft?
What the Broncos will also need as they try to snap a six-season stretch of losing records is a big leap from members of general manager George Paton’s first two draft classes. Paton’s very first pick, cornerback Pat Surtain II (No. 9 in 2021) last year became the first Denver player since Von Miller and Aqib Talib in 2016 to be a first-team All-Pro selection. He should be a cornerstone of the Broncos’ defense for years to come, a home run selection by any measure. But there are 14 other players from the past two classes still on the roster, and many of them will need to become more impactful in order for the Broncos to make the puzzle work. For a team that has limited draft capital and will have less salary-cap space to work with in upcoming years, it is imperative Denver pulls significant contributions from the players still on cost-controlled rookie deals.
There have been signs over the past two seasons that Paton has done strong work identifying players who can be part of a turnaround in Denver. Running back Javonte Williams, a second-round selection in 2021, gained 1,219 total yards and scored seven touchdowns as a rookie. Though a major injury suffered in Week 4 last season puts his status for the start of the 2023 season in doubt, he could be a major weapon in Payton’s back-friendly offense in due time. In 2021 third-round pick Baron Browning, the Broncos have a pass rusher who had five sacks in 2022, his first season after shifting from inside to outside linebacker. In Quinn Meinerz, another third-round pick in ’21, they could have a bonafide starting guard who should benefit from the addition of veteran right tackle Mike McGlinchey on the right side. There are questions to be answered by each of those players, beginning with their availability, but each has shown signs over the past two seasons that he is capable of becoming a core-type player.
Advertisement
But where else should the Broncos rightfully expect more from their past two draft classes?
Paton has used three of his 19 draft picks the past two seasons on safeties. Two of those, Caden Sterns (fifth round, 2021) and Delarrin Turner-Yell (fifth round, 2022), remain on the roster. The Broncos have an open starting safety spot next to Simmons, and it would be a nod to the acumen of Paton and his scouting staff — and Payton’s coaching development — if one of those players could ably step into that role this season. Defensive end is another open position that, in an ideal world, would be filled by one of Paton’s two picks at that spot in Eyioma Uwazurike (fourth round, 2022) and Matt Henningsen (sixth round, 2022).
Why front seven additions could be a priority for the Broncos as NFL Draft nears: https://t.co/EilV9Og4MQ
— Nick Kosmider (@NickKosmider) April 11, 2023
Two of Paton’s other draft picks — tight end Greg Dulcich (third round, 2022) and cornerback Damarri Mathis (fourth round, 2022) — picked up significant starting experience as rookies. Dulcich was the team’s leading receiver at tight end last season (33 receptions, 411 yards) despite missing seven games due to hamstring injuries. Mathis started 11 games in place of veteran Ronald Darby (ACL tear in Week 5) and finished with seven passes defensed. The Broncos did not sign a top-tier cornerback in free agency, leaving Mathis a path back into the starting lineup.
Perhaps the biggest question mark among the 15 Paton draft picks is Nik Bonitto, the outside linebacker Denver selected with the final pick in the second round last year. Paton has said a priority for Bonitto is to get stronger this offseason. There were times during his 15 games as a rookie that Bonitto looked overmatched physically when trying to set the edge in the run game. He finished with 1 1/2 sacks and none in his final eight games. Despite parting with Chubb at the trade deadline last season, the Broncos did not make additions at outside linebacker during free agency. They are depending on, in addition to better health for Randy Gregory, young players such as Browning, Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper taking another leap — a must if Denver is to be a more effective pass-rushing unit than it was during the second half of 2022.
Payton has been known during his coaching career for an ability to find ultra-defined roles for his players. That has a two-pronged effect of helping them produce better individually while also more efficiently fitting into the team’s overall scheme. It will be intriguing to see how that carries over to the 15 Payton selections who need to step up in order for the Broncos to author the swift turnaround they’re seeking. The time for those players to make their move is now.
Advertisement
“There’s a means to how everyone arrived here from a playing perspective,” Payton said. “We have draft picks, we have free agents, we have undrafted free agents. That’s the method to procure the talent. Once they’re here, none of that matters. Once they’re here, we’re going to go by what we see and who gives us the best chance to win.”
(Photo of Nik Bonitto: Simon Marper / PA Images via Getty Images)
