Offseason Outlook 2015: Denver Broncos

Offense

Any offense with Peyton Manning will be a top offense in the NFL. That is just a fact. Manning is one of the best quarterbacks of all time, and even at his age he still plays at an extremely high level. The people that say Manning is done after a rough December are completely crazy, he was playing hurt and throughout the year he still played at a very high level. Critics of Manning consistently talk about his arm strength. Everybody knows that Peyton throws ducks out there, that hasn't prevented him from torching a defense, because he is the smartest QB possibly in NFL history. The Broncos are a curious case at running back. C.J. Anderson was actually incredible in his time as the starter last season. The issue is, his career at RB is such a small sample size, there is no sure fire bet that the Broncos are getting that same player. They also have Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman as depth, but none of these backs have shown me enough that they can be the guy next year. Also, any running back in a Manning offense benefits greatly from having Peyton as the QB too, which can skew the numbers. I'm a little bit hesitant because of this to already anoint this as a great ground game, but the talent is there. At wide receiver, the Broncos offense should feel very confident about the players they have. Demaryius Thomas is a top 5 wideout in the NFL, and Emmanuel Sanders flourished in this passing game last year. I'm also predicting Cody Latimer to have a breakout year this year. He struggled to get on the field last year, but this year there are targets to give after the loss of Julius Thomas and Wes Welker. He's also a talented player and if he can build up Peyton's trust early then he should have no trouble in playing a big role for this offense. At tight end, the talent took a big hit this year. Not only did the Broncos lose Julius Thomas in free agency to the Jaguars, but they also lost the recently drafted Jeff Heuerman for the year. He may not have started immediately for them, but he was definitely the most talented TE on the roster, so it was a big blow. Owen Daniels will be a solid starter though as he consistently excels under Gary Kubiak's offenses. The offensive line struggled last year, and this year doesn't look much better. Ryan Clady was good last year, but he used to be an elite left tackle before he got hurt, so there is a possibility of him regaining that form this year. To go along with him, Louis Vasquez is a great right guard. Apart from those two, there are holes among the O-line. Chris Clark was average last year, but he was very consistent and there were some bad stretches. They lost Orlando Franklin and Manny Ramirez, so there will be position battles over center and left guard, but whoever the starters may be are unreliable at this point. Ty Sambrailo should help with Tackle depth, but he doesn't figure to have a huge immediate impact as both starting tackle positions seem to be locked up. The O-line may struggle, but this offense will keep churning out points like it's nothing. I can't stress this enough, Peyton Manning is one of the smartest players in all of sports, and he knows how to utilize his players strengths, and how to pick apart a defense. He will also help his O-line as he is one of the best at getting the ball out of his hands quickly. A top 5 finish on offense is almost a guarantee at this point, and nothing that happened in the offseason changes that.

Defense

I can't believe that this defense wasn't a top 10 overall defense, let alone top 5. The talent all across the board is crazy! On the defensive line, they are only okay. Derek Wolfe, Sylvester Williams, and Malik Jackson are all young players who struggled at times last season, but they have talent and can be solid starters this year. Their linebacker group is ridiculous. Danny Trevathan and Brandon Marshall (no not the WR for the Jets now) are two young players that were very good last year and could get even better (although Trevathan was injured last year, he was really good in 2013). On the edge, the Broncos have Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, and Shane Ray. It's almost unfair how good that group of edge rushers is. Von Miller is elite, and DeMarcus Ware is still playing at a very high level even though he's getting older. On top of those two players, the Broncos drafted Shane Ray in the first round this past year who was one of the best pass rushers in the entire draft. He fell due to some injury and character concerns, but he has a lightning quick first step, is an extremely explosive athlete, uses his hands very well when rushing the passer, and is very strong for his size. I understand that this is a pick for the future, but he could contribute right away with his talent. In addition to the linebackers, this is an extremely talented secondary unit as well. Chris Harris is the most underrated cornerback in all of football, and he played at an elite level last year. Aqib Talib is another great CB to pair with Harris, and they also have Bradley Roby who had a solid first year and should take a big jump this coming year. At safety they have the very talented T.J. Ward, and he played a big role for them last year and should continue to be a big presence on their defense. They will most likely pair him with Darian Stewart, who is an average starter at best. If Roby takes the jump that many people expect, including myself, then the Broncos could have three top tier cornerbacks to pair with their elite pass rushers. Just based off of that, this defense has the talent to be the number one defense in the NFL. Those expectations may be a little too high, but the talent is clearly there. Under a new coaching staff, I could see how there would be a transition period for the Broncos D. Yet last year, they seemed to be uninspired by former defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, so I predict a top 10 finish for their defense this year.

This is still a deadly Broncos team. Everybody is going to talk about the Patriots, Seahawks or even the Packers as the best team in the NFL right now. Don't get me wrong, those three teams have a legitimate claim to fame for that title, but the Broncos are not far behind them. The Broncos offense is going to be elite once again as long as Peyton Manning is healthy, and their defense on paper at least, looks extremely threatening. This is a team that has struggled in the playoffs, so I can understand feeling wary to say a Super Bowl berth is on its way, but let's not pretend that it is out of the question either. The Broncos may have gotten even better, and if Manning stays completely healthy and plays like he did at the beginning of last year, then they could be Super Bowl bound.