The Denver Broncos brought in Joe Flacco in hopes that he could lead their team to a solid year in 2019, but he continued to struggle like he did with the Baltimore Ravens in 2018. He was benched in favor of Drew Lock early in the year, and now the team has to build around the young quarterback. They added a curious piece by signing running back Melvin Gordon to a two-year deal. He joins Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman in what was already a pretty talented backfield.
The team did not re-sign cornerback Chris Harris Jr., after he made it known that he was looking to cash in on a bigger payday. We break down what Denver could look to do without the veteran as it looks to begin a new era.
2020 Draft Picks
Round 1, pick 15 (No. 15 overall): Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama
Round 2, pick 14 (No. 46 overall): K.J. Hamler, WR, Penn State
Round 3, pick 13 (No. 77 overall): Michael Ojemudia, CB, Iowa
Round 3, pick 19 (No. 83 overall): Lloyd Cushenberry, C, LSU
Round 3, pick 31 (No. 95 overall): McTelvin Agim, DT, Arkansas
Round 4, pick 12 (No. 118 overall): Albert Okwuegbunam, TE, Missouri
Round 5, pick 32 (No. 178 overall): Justin Strnad, OLB, Wake Forest
Round 6, pick 2 (No. 181 overall): Netane Muti, OG, Fresno State
Round 7, pick 38 (No. 252 overall): Tyrie Cleveland, WR, Florida
Round 7, pick 40 (No. 254 overall): Derrek Tuszka, OLB, North Dakota State
Team needs
Offense
Courtland Sutton was Denver’s only reliable receiver after it traded Emmanuel Sanders to the San Francisco 49ers, as no other wideout finished the year with more than 300 receiving yards. Noah Fant showed promise at tight end, but Lock needs more options to continue growing. There’s also a need for more talent on the offensive line, but wideout might be more important in the first round.
Defense
The Broncos committed to Justin Simmons by naming him their franchise player, but parted with Harris. Even though Harris had a down year in 2019, he was a critical part of Denver’s pass defense and provided veteran leadership.
Dream first pick
Denver will probably be too late to get Jerry Jeudy or CeeDee Lamb, but can get a wideout with star potential on Alabama’s Henry Ruggs III. He runs a sub-4.3 40, has ridiculous athleticism, and only dropped one pass last season. Ruggs has the kind of explosiveness that only a handful of players in the NFL possess, so he’d be a great addition to a team looking for more weapons on offense.