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USATSI

The Denver Broncos had high expectations in 2020 as they rallied from an 0-4 start to win seven of their last 12 games and finish with a 7-9 record the previous season. Denver had a rookie quarterback who played well down the stretch in Drew Lock and added more offensive weapons for their young signal-caller to be successful. Injuries got the best of Denver early in the season as the Broncos lost their first three contests and have slowly rebounded to go 5-5 over their next 10 games. 

Denver sits at 5-8 and is set to miss the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season, the franchise's longest drought since missing five consecutive playoff appearances from 2006 to 2010. The Broncos still don't know what they have in Lock, as an early-season injury stunted his development -- leaving the organization at a crossroads in what direction they should go at quarterback. Denver doesn't have much cap space this offseason, either, as Over The Cap projects them at $23,730,491. The Broncos have nine draft picks, but three of them are in the seventh round. 

Denver has a bit of work to do in order to compete with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West, a division that is getting better with the steady rise of the Las Vegas Raiders and Justin Herbert emerging as the franchise quarterback of the Los Angeles Chargers. The Broncos don't need to rebuild the roster, but this offseason is a crucial one for President of Football Operations John Elway. This formula for the Broncos is complex, but necessary if Denver wants to end its postseason drought in 2021 -- and compete for championships in the years ahead. 

Put yourself in play for Micah Parsons

The Broncos defense has been a major disappointment in 2020, mainly because of the season-ending injury to Von Miller -- who never suited up this season. The Broncos pass rush suffered as a result, helping in the team having the second fewest takeaways in the NFL. Denver needs another difference maker on defense, which is where Parsons comes in. Parsons is a freak off the edge and immediately fills a hole at multiple positions for any defense, especially one where he can thrive in Denver. 

Not only does Parsons have a knack for finding the football, but he is strong in pass coverage and can play in an off-ball role. The best position to play Parsons is linebacker, but the former edge rusher in high school can easily suit up in a hybrid role. 

The best way Denver can get Parsons in this draft is to lose its final three games, which would put the Broncos in the best position possible to draft him. With games vs. the Bills, at the Chargers and vs. the Raiders, Denver may not be favored in any of them. Parsons is arguably the best defensive player in the draft and the Broncos would be foolish to pass on him if they land a top-seven pick. 

Get a veteran QB to compete with Drew Lock

Lock has had his moments in a Broncos uniform, but they are few and far between. Lock's 13 interceptions are second most in the NFL -- and he's only played eight games. He leads the NFL in bad throw percentage (percentage of poor throws per pass attempt) at 23.7% and is only ahead of Mitchell Trubisky and Tua Tagovailoa in on-target throw percentage (throws that would have hit the intended receiving target) at 61.5%. Lock has only been pressured on 22.1% of his snaps played, which is 12th in the league -- so he doesn't have poor offensive line play as an excuse. 

The Broncos should not use a first-round draft pick on a quarterback, unless Justin Fields slips a bit in the draft and they can trade up. Lock deserves a full season and another year under offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur to prove he's the franchise quarterback. That doesn't excuse the Broncos from bringing in a veteran signal caller to challenge him -- and possibly win the job. 

There are quite a few solid quarterbacks available looking for a starting job that can be had on a one-year deal: Mitchell Trubisky, Andy Dalton, Jacoby Brissett, Cam Newton, Jameis Winston, and Tyrod Taylor are the notable names. Some may actually be a better option than Lock, but the point of bringing one of those players in is to fully compete with Lock for the quarterback job -- and perhaps snatch it. At worst, the Broncos have a good backup quarterback. 

Elway owes his talented receivers a quarterback that can get them the ball consistently. One of those veterans can turn Denver into a .500 or better team in 2021 if Lock can't. There's no need to spend a high pick on a quarterback this year with this free agent class. Use the draft picks to fill other holes on the roster. 

Sign Justin Simmons

This one is painfully obvious. Denver low-balled Simmons in negotiations and he ended up playing on the franchise tag, having an even better season in 2020 than 2019. Simmons will be one of the top free agents on the market if Denver lets him walk, which creates a gaping hole at the safety position. The Broncos cannot let that happen. 

The coverage numbers are worse than a year ago, but Denver has been depleted in the secondary with the loss of A.J. Bouye and Bryce Callahan. Simmons has played every snap (all 3,022 defensive snaps) since the start of the 2018 season and his 15 interceptions are tied for second most in Broncos history through a player's first five seasons. The Broncos don't have a lot of takeaways anyway, so imagine where they would be without Simmons. They have to sign him to a long-term deal. He's a Pro Bowl player and a future All-Pro, and they don't come around often. 

Cost-cutting measures at cornerback

The Broncos will have to get creative in revamping at cornerback. A.J. Bouye is owed $13.375 million in 2021 with no dead money tied to him in the final year of his deal, so Denver could easily move on and get a more reliable option at the position. Denver also saves $10 million in cap space if it decides to move on from Kareem Jackson, adding more flexibility to sign a cornerback -- especially if the Broncos re-sign Simmons. 

Callahan has taken a pay cut once and De'Vante Bausby has shown he should stick around in this defense, but Denver can use the freed up Bouye money to improve even more at the position. An outside cornerback should be high on Denver's free agent radar if Bouye doesn't return, even if the free agent class at cornerback isn't spectacular. There are some good value players to be had -- Kevin Johnson and Michael Davis come to mind -- that would benefit under Vic Fangio's tutelage. Denver certainly has options to make a top-10 pass defense even better in 2021. 

Draft in the trenches

The Broncos could use some help on the offensive line, a unit that has improved from the previous year. Denver signed Garett Bolles to a four-year extension to keep him at left tackle, but the Broncos still need to address depth at the position. The Broncos are getting Ja'Wuan James back in 2021 after he opted out this season, but backups Elijah Wilkinson and Demar Dotson are free agents. Denver has one pick in each of the first six rounds and will need to find two tackles in the draft to develop behind the two bookends. Perhaps the Broncos find a veteran free agent on a one-year deal after the draft, but developing a player in case Bolles regresses back to his pre-2020 self or if taking the year off affects James is a safe bet for an organization with a young quarterback. Never hurts to have enough depth on the offensive line. 

Denver should use one of its higher draft picks to address the defensive line -- perhaps one of their Day 2 picks. Shelby Harris will be an unrestricted free agent and Jurrell Casey is owed $11.874 million with no dead money attached to him for 2021 -- so Denver can easily move on. That's a lot of snaps Denver is going to have to replace, even with Von Miller coming back form a season-ending injury. Signing a free agent is an option too, but Denver could use a young player to groom with Miller as the former All-Pro enters the final year of his deal. If anyone can develop pass rushers, it's Vic Fangio.