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Home , Case Keenum, Chase Daniel, Jake Plummer, Josh Rosen

New Bronco Su’a Cravens clears the air on 2017, says he’s happy to play “where somebody wanted me” By Nicki Jhabvala Denver Post March 31, 2018

The morning of March 28, 2018, may forever stick with Su’a Cravens. Not only did he receive a call from former MVP Doug Williams, but he also got one from former Super Bowl MVP and later a text from former Super Bowl MVP Von Miller.

Williams, now the Redskins’ senior vice president of player personnel, informed Cravens of the news he had expected since early February, when he was reinstated by the NFL and his name had been floated in trade discussions.

Elway, the Broncos’ general manager, called shortly after to welcome Cravens to Denver. And that’s when elation set in as Cravens took to social media and posted a flurry of messages, including a video of him looking off in rapture as Aladdin’s “A Whole New World” played.

But then the icing.

“I’m watching TV and I get a text message and I’m like, ‘Who is this?’ because he was talking to me like he already knew me,” Cravens said. “Come to find out it was Von MIller and he’s telling me, ‘Can’t wait to have you on the defense. We got to hang out,’ and ‘We’re going to build this brotherhood.’”

The joy of that morning has extended through the week as Cravens awaits his arrival to Denver and his future as a Bronco. In a deal that included six total draft picks, the Broncos essentially parted with one fifth-round selection to gain a player who has the potential to earn a starting role at strong safety or dime backer.

“I wanted to play football where somebody wanted me,” he said. “I can tell that Denver actually wanted me on the team. It wasn’t just, ‘This is smart for our team.’ It just seemed like they really felt like they could use me and felt like they could put me in the best position to be successful.”

A former second-round draft pick out of Southern California, Cravens has the pure athleticism and instincts that few can match. But he also has an injury history and a year away from the game that has fueled a slew of questions and speculation.

Cravens played 11 games as a rookie in Washington in 2016. But he also suffered a concussion in Week 4, an elbow injury later that season and a meniscus injury the following preseason.

And that’s when it got messy.

“I never felt like I could be myself with the Redskins,” he admitted “… It’s a blessing obviously to be drafted by the Redskins and I will always thank them for giving me my opportunity. But I just think after my rookie year when I had those injuries, I just felt like things kind of changed. Once I had my last injury, I just felt like it might be in everybody’s best interest if we just start off fresh.”

Cravens told teammates before the start of last season that he planned to retire, but soon after he was placed on the Redskins’ exempt list, forcing him to miss the entire year.

Cravens claimed he “just wasn’t feeling like myself” as early as the 2017 preseason and the feelings worsened after his knee injury.

“I was dealing with a lot of personal issues, along with my family,” he said. “I just didn’t feel like me, the guy that I once was.”

The Redskins, he said, sent him to a doctor who diagnosed him with post-concussion syndrome, a set of symptoms that can linger for weeks and even months following a traumatic brain injury.

“It made a lot of sense once he told me, ‘You’re dealing with this and you’ve been dealing with it the last year and this is the reason why you feel this way and you’re in no position to make decisions like retiring or anything like that,” Cravens said. “He said, ‘You just need time to get healthy and to make sure that you’re in a healthy environment and that maybe giving football a break for six or seven months right now is the best thing for you. And that’s the only option I’m giving you.’”

Cravens said he was medically cleared last December, and it was then that he finally felt like himself again physically, and mentally.

But because he was on the exempt list, he had no shot of returning that season.

“If I was cleared any sooner than December and I was not on the exempt list, you could have counted on me strapping up and getting ready to play,” Cravens said “… Even when I said I wanted to retire, the doctor said, ‘That wasn’t even you speaking. That was the concussion speaking for you because you’re in mental space right now that you don’t understand because you don’t even understand that you’re sick. You don’t even understand that you have this disease at the moment.’

“Looking back at it, it made so much more sense because I was dealing with things where the smallest things were life and death to me all because of this concussion that I was going through.”

Cravens was reinstated by the NFL in early February and initial trade discussions between the Broncos and Redskins began. But in Cravens absence from the game, there was speculation about his desire to play football and to be with the Redskins. Some even claimed he “quit” on the team last year.

Cravens, however, strongly denies such accusations.

“I think the information they have as to why they said that, I think it’s completely wrong,” he said. “What they think they know is completely wrong and forged and that they shouldn’t believe all the propaganda themselves because none of its true. I wish I could speak on it more, and I will one day. But right now my focus is the Broncos.”

Starting Monday when he makes the trek to Denver, Cravens will get the fresh start he’s long wanted. He’ll get the clean slate his career needs.

But he also has the potential to gain much more. “I expect to compete for a starting job no matter where I’m at,” he said. “I feel like I have the talent to start. I’m not expecting a starting job, but I’m going to put my head down and work and hopefully that’s the outcome.”

Colorado Mesa standouts Austin Fleer, Blake Nelson attempting to take less-decorated path from D-II to NFL By Nick Kosmider Denver Post March 31, 2018

A pair of hands nearly large enough to palm a ruler, end to end, spent the last five years hidden in Grand Junction.

There, Austin Fleer, a Division II All-American offensive tackle at Colorado Mesa, dominated opponents with massive, 11-inch paws and a frame — 6 feet, 7⅜ inches and 306 pounds — designed to model an NFL jersey. For a league constantly in search of big bodies, existing under the radar would seemingly be a difficult thing to do for a man of Fleer’s size.

Yet, it wasn’t until Fleer arrived at the University of Colorado pro day March 7 that the NFL truly began taking notice.

“You watch a guy like that walk by (Broncos coach) and (general manager) John Elway, and watch their heads turn and watch them light up, and you know Austin has a shot,” said Nick Vinson, who has trained Fleer at Elite Speed since the player’s sophomore year at Mesa.

Fleer is the latest player attempting to navigate the path from Division II to the NFL. He simply needs to look around his own college league, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, to see players such as running back (Western State, Chargers), defensive lineman Morgan Fox (CSU-Pueblo, Rams) and Ryan Jensen (CSU-Pueblo, Buccaneers) who have successfully made the jump in recent years. The four-year, $44 million contract Jensen, a 2013 sixth-round pick, signed with Tampa Bay two weeks ago made him the NFL’s highest-paid center.

“We all have this dream of making the NFL,” said Blake Nelson, the 2017 RMAC defensive player of the year as a 5-10, 230-pound pass rusher at Mesa, who also attended CU’s pro day. “Seeing those guys make it and have impacts on their team, it sort of makes that dream a little bit more attainable.”

Fleer had that dream coming out of Grandview High School in 2013. He just didn’t have enough size for anyone to pay attention. He was only about an inch shorter then, but he weighed only 230 pounds. Ross Martin, Fleer’s coach at Mesa, remembered visiting Grandview during the spring before Fleer’s junior season. Grandview’s coach, John Schultz, a longtime friend of Martin’s, didn’t have much to say about the tall offensive lineman’s future prospects at the time. But midway through that season, Schultz placed a call to Martin.

“And Coach Schultz goes, ‘Hey, I know I didn’t recommend this kid to you last spring, but I really think you need to take a look,'” Martin said. “So I did, and all of a sudden he was starting to mature and play with a little bit more intensity.”

Martin remained concerned about Fleer’s size — until he walked into the Fleer family living room. Martin shook hands with Fleer’s father, a former offensive lineman at Wyoming, and realized that the son’s necessary weight would soon be on the way. The gamble paid off. Fleer soon began packing on the pounds, gaining at least 20 pounds each summer. During one semester midway through his college career, he jumped from 260 to 300 pounds.

“And the rest is history,” Martin said.

As he suffers through the slow-ticking countdown to April’s NFL draft, Fleer believes the very thing that kept him from ever being on the Division I radar, his earlier lack of size, is the very thing that could put him in position to land in an NFL camp.

“I think that really helped because back in high school, I did a lot of speed training and footwork,” Fleer said. “That helped me handle it when I finally put on the size and the strength. I wasn’t someone who couldn’t use my size.”

Nelson, the undersized pass rusher, said his leverage worked to his advantage in college. He was able to stay low enough to maneuver around bigger, slower-footed, offensive tackles. But it was much less effective in daily drills against Fleer.

“I’ve been facing him my whole time at Mesa,” Nelson said. “Austin is one of the best, if not the best tackle, I’ve ever faced. I had the privilege of going against him in practice, one-on-one pass rush. There were times it got a little chippy, but I think that’s just making each other better.”

Fleer and Nelson may form a symbiotic support system in the build-up to the draft, but they each had to find their own way into CU’s pro day, which had 48 scouts from 31 NFL teams in attendance. For Fleer, meeting Matt Russell, the Broncos’ director of player personnel and a former CU player, helped open the door. Russell’s daughter plays volleyball for a club housed in the same complex as Elite Speed. When the two crossed paths, Fleer said, Russell told him he wanted to get him into the upcoming pro day and have an opportunity to evaluate the tackle prospect.

“Honestly, I think his All-American awards helped him with that pro day invite,” Vinson said. “His weight and size and accolades are what got him there, but walking into that facility and seeing Matt Russell light up like a Christmas tree when he saw him, I think that helped.”

Huge hands helps

More heads were turned when Fleer was measured inside the CU weight room. Vinson said Fleer’s reach of nearly 35 inches drew stirs. And then there were those hands. When a Dolphins scout heard the measurement of Fleer’s 11-inch hands — larger than the hands of any offensive tackle measured at the combine — shouted from the front of the room, he had to check for himself.

“He came up to me and was like, ‘Let me see your hand. Is it really 11 inches?'” Fleer said. “I said yes. Then he was like, ‘Holy crap. And he just walked away.’ I think people are seeing how big I am.”

Nelson knows he won’t draw the same looks physically. The former Arapahoe High School standout didn’t know he’d be competing at CU’s pro day until one day before it took place. A scout who had a relationship with Nelson’s at Mesa, Tom Everson, helped get Nelson into the door. Nelson caught some passes from former CU Sefo Liufau at the event, knowing that a switch to fullback could be necessary if he wants a shot to get into a camp.

“I’ve already sort of accepted the transition,” Nelson said. “There’s not too many 5-10 guys playing stand-up D-end. I’ve been working on inside linebacker a lot. A lot of teams have been sort of suggesting that I play fullback, too. That’s something I’m more than willing to do.”

Martin is hopeful both his players, each fully familiar with being overlooked, will get a shot.

“Sometimes the underdog does make it,” he said. “Is that the rule? No, it’s not. But when you look at that, the players coming out of the smaller schools, it gives you hope that it can be done. That’s not a guarantee. It’s going to be a tough, long road. But what happens is that once a guy gets in camp, now you have the opportunity to show that you can or you can’t.”

Part I: Why the Broncos should not take a QB with No. 5 draft pick By Mike Klis 9NEWS March 31, 2018

Before he decides who to take with the Broncos’ No. 5 overall draft pick, John Elway might consider getting input from his new $18 million-a-year quarterback, .

Think Keenum wants the Broncos to take ?

If it’s true Keenum was “their target” all along in free agency, that they “got their guy”, that he is a “perfect fit” for the - as Elway, the team’s general manager, and head coach Vance Joseph have said with equal gusto the past two weeks, then they must take running back , or offensive lineman , or pass rusher , or cornerback , with their No. 5 overall draft pick. Or trade back and take receiver or inside linebacker .

Anybody but a quarterback.

This is the first of two-part 9NEWS series regarding whether the Broncos should, or should not, take a quarterback with their No. 5 draft pick. Part I presents reasons why the Broncos should not go quarterback at No. 5.

If the Broncos trade up to get , or stand pat and take or , or trade back a couple spots for Mayfield, it would send the message to Denver fandom and, more importantly, the Broncos locker room, that Keenum is not their guy. He will be the season-opening starter, sure, but he will not be the franchise quarterback.

How long into the season before people start saying, “We want Baker!’’ or ‘Put in the Laramie Kid!’’ Four games? Six?

Taking a quarterback would also be wasting two large investments the Broncos have made in the past two years. One was the money they poured into Keenum. The other was a first-round draft pick they used on .

Keenum’s two-year, $36 million contract not only guarantees him a full $18 million this year, but $7 million next year, plus another $11 million in injury-only guarantee. A quarterback with the No. 5 draft pick would have to play next year. Actually, a No. 5 pick should play from Day 1. A team coming off a 5- 11 season isn’t good enough to have a No. 5 pick waste away on the sideline.

But let’s say the No. 5 pick is scheduled to play next year. The Broncos are going to eat, restructure, or trade away Keenum – while getting virtually nothing in return if another team takes on his $18 million salary – after one season? If that’s the Case they should have never signed Keenum in the first place. Lynch is another reason why the Broncos shouldn’t take a quarterback at No. 5. If you take Mayfield or Allen, it doesn’t make sense to keep Lynch around as a third-string quarterback. Elway and Joseph have both stated they still have high expectations for Lynch.

Those words are only true if the Broncos don’t take a quarterback at No. 5.

Elway’s track record as a general manager also says the Broncos should go best, non-QB, player available at No. 5. Elway has proven he is excellent at recruiting the top drawer free-agent . was one of the top two free-agent acquisitions in NFL history (Green Bay’s Reggie White is also in the discussion). Keenum was one of the top two quarterbacks available in this year’s free-agent period ( was the other).

Elway’s ability to take a top-flight quarterback high in the draft, however, is in question. , a second-round pick in 2012, has been decent in 25 starts over six seasons but has returned to a backup role. Elway took the 6-foot-7 Lynch instead of the 5-11 Russell Wilson, who went in the third round. Who knew?

Does that mean Elway should take 6-1 Mayfield instead of the 6-5 Allen this time, or stay true to the percentages? Part of successful drafting is good analytics. And some is just plain luck.

Lynch has not come along as hoped in the two seasons since Elway traded up from No. 31 to No. 26 in the first round to take him. Dak Prescott, a consolation prize in the fourth round after the couldn't get Lynch in the first, was ready right away. Who knew?

If the Broncos want to move on from Keenum two years from now, there’s a great chance Elway will get the next, top free-agent quarterback.

Are we sure these Big Four quarterbacks – Darnold, Allen, Rosen and Mayfield – are going to make it big?

They’re all risky for different reasons. Barkley, Chubb and Nelson are plug-and-play guys. One of those players would help the Broncos improve right now, in 2018. A quarterback with the No. 5 draft pick would leave the Broncos with one foot in on 2018, and one foot in on their future.

It’s not quite the same as and II with the Chiefs. Smith already had four seasons as “the guy’’ in Kansas City. It wasn’t until his fifth season that he had to look over his shoulder. He had the locker room by then.

Keenum just got here. From Day 1 he’s got to go about his business knowing his days are numbered? The Broncos have had quarterback drama the past three years. They could use a year of quarterback certainty.

Nor is the Broncos’ situation like what the had last year with and Mitch Trubisky. Glennon had never been an established starter. Keenum has and then some, leading Minnesota to the NFC Championship game last season.

The Broncos already have their quarterback. That’s what their bosses have said. The only way to support those words is to not take another quarterback at No. 5. Part II: Why the Broncos should take a QB with their No. 5 pick By Mike Klis 9NEWS March 31, 2018

From way back in the draft, John Elway paid attention to how Howie Roseman maneuvered to the front.

It was 2016 and after a one-year demotion, Roseman had returned as the ’ general manager.

The Eagles already had a good quarterback situation. They had coming off a nice bounce back year and in line to make $18 million in 2016. They had Chase Daniel, the handpicked backup QB of first-year head coach Doug Peterson, scheduled to make $7 million.

Yet, with the Eagles coming off a 7-9 season, Roseman didn’t want good. He wanted great. He maneuvered first from the No. 13 pick in the 2016 draft to No. 8, then from No. 8 to No. 2 to take another quarterback.The quarterback Elway had evaluated as the best prospect in several years, .

Here we are two years later. Roseman’s Eagles are Super Bowl champions. Elway’s Broncos are picking No. 5 in the draft after nosediving to 5-11 in 2017.

The Broncos already have a good quarterback situation with Case Keenum the starter after freshly signing a two-year, $36 million contract. The same terms the Eagles had given Bradford a few years earlier.

Denver also has Paxton Lynch, the second quarterback taken after Wentz in the 2016 draft. Elway traded up from No. 31 – the last spot in the first round – to No. 26 to get the Memphis product.

Lynch hasn’t come on as hoped but Elway still believes the kid can develop into an impactful starting quarterback.

But with that No. 5 pick, there is a chance mega-talented quarterback Josh Allen will be there.

This is Part II in a two-part series that addresses whether the Broncos should, or shouldn’t, select one of the Big Four quarterbacks with their No. 5 overall draft pick.

Earlier, 9NEWS gave you Part I: Why Broncos general manager John Elway should not take a QB. Part II submits reasons why he should.

The Big Four quarterbacks in the upcoming draft: Sam Darnold, Allen, Baker Mayfield and Josh Rosen. It’s unknown how Elway ranks the Big Four but it could well be in that order.

It would be a surprise if Darnold didn’t go No. 1 to Cleveland. The could go offensive guard Quenton Nelson, or the second choice among the Big Four quarterbacks at No. 2. The New York Jets are expected to go either Rosen, who may be the most Day 1 ready of the Big Four, or the electric Mayfield with the No. 3 choice.

Cleveland with the No. 4 pick would go best, non-QB player available, which would be defensive end Bradley Chubb or running back Saquon Barkley.

The Broncos at No. 5 should have at least one of the Big Four quarterbacks available, and possibly two.

Allen, in particular, would be difficult for Elway to pass up. He needs refinement. Accuracy is a concern. Sitting a year behind Keenum, and getting a full season of instruction from longtime and quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan would be beneficial for Allen’s development.

Elway also likes Barkley, Nelson, Chubb, and cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick, as everybody else does, as No. 5 candidates.

Chubb may not be the best fit in Denver. The Broncos used second-round picks the previous two years on defensive ends Adam Gotsis in 2016 and DeMarcus Walker in 2017. Chubb would mean wasting at least one of those second rounders.

Barkley is tremendous but this draft is deep with quality running backs. Leonard Fournette was the correct pick for Jacksonville at No. 4 last year and Christian McCaffrey for Carolina at No. 8, but arguably the two best backs were taken in the third round: New Orleans’ Alvin Kamara, the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Kansas City’s , the NFL’s rushing leader.

Nelson is projected as a 10-year starter and multi-time Pro Bowler. But he is also a guard, which may be the least impactful position on the field.

A quarterback like Darnold, if he falls to No. 5, or Allen, who may be there, would be difficult for Elway to resist – even if such a selection would do little to help the Broncos rebound in 2018.

Keenum will be the Broncos’ starting quarterback this year. He can lead a team to the playoffs. But as he stands here today, there is question whether Keenum is capable of winning it all.

Darnold and Allen have bust-through-the-roof potential. Darnold is a little more polished, having grown up in the position. Allen is a late-bloomer, which is why he wound up playing his college ball at Wyoming, but he is arguably the most physically gifted quarterback prospect since Elway in 1983.

Mayfield? His makeup, accuracy and intangibles made sense for the Broncos until they signed Keenum. The Broncos don’t need two, smaller, overachieving quarterbacks. They don’t need another young quarterback with unlimited swag to join .

I can’t see Rosen because the Broncos clearly have shown a desire for their quarterback to run around a bit.

Darnold and Allen, though, are different beasts. They’re big with strong arms, smarts and athleticism.

Another factor: $18.5 million. The No. 5 pick is projected to receive an $18 million signing bonus plus a $480,000 salary in 2018. Even if the No. 5 pick gets a team-favorable $10 million over the final three years of his contract, that first-year money is a chunk.

No one wants to pay $18.5 million to a guard. Or a running back for that matter. When 17 quarterbacks are averaging at least $20 million a year, it’s a little easier to justify $18.5 million to a quarterback, even if he holds a clipboard for the year he’s making the big bucks.

The Broncos are unique to No. 5. The previous six years, they never picked higher than No. 20. These aren’t the Browns, who are picking in the top 5 every year. This is a one-shot opportunity.

The Broncos just tried to get by with a middling quarterback the previous two years. And missed the playoffs both times.

Keenum is their guy for now but only for now. Even if he works out, the Broncos may have to go through his process of finding their quarterback in two years.

This is a strong quarterback class. There may not be another Darnold or Allen available in a year or two.

In summary, there are as many compelling reasons for Elway to take a quarterback with his No. 5 draft pick, as there is for him to take the best available, non-QB player.

Me? I don’t draft a quarterback at No. 5 six weeks after proclaiming Keenum as your guy. Go all in on Keenum and continue to bring along Paxton Lynch.

Other NFL quarterback prospects will emerge during the next two college seasons. There will be another quality free-agent quarterback available in a year or two.

There is no tomorrow in the NFL. It’s all about 2018.

But it would be understandable if Elway went the other way. It worked for the Eagles.

Little known Broncos safety Jordan Moore a star in his own right By Mike Klis 9NEWS March 31, 2018

It’s not just the stars who serve.

Jordan Moore was a safety for the Broncos at the end of last season.

He may also be the best all-around athlete on the team. He was a three-time Georgia state champion in the hurdles, and a bronze medalist in the Junior Olympic Games. He is an SEC and champion in the 110-meter hurdles, and was also a running back/receiver briefly for TCU before finally landing as a safety at the University of Texas-San Antonio.

On Saturday, Moore is hosting a football camp for kids in grades 8 through high school senior at B.E.S.T. Academy in Atlanta.

The camp costs $10 but all proceeds go back to the school that is hosting the event so the players can wear new football jerseys for its upcoming football season.

“I’m from here and a lot of athletes from here aren’t doing a lot in the community to help out because of all the crime rate and poverty and things like that,’’ Moore said Friday afternoon in a phone interview.

“But I love Atlanta to death. There’s been so many charities that have afforded me the opportunities to help me along the way. I wanted to be a difference-maker in the community.’’

Moore’s journey to the Broncos was not typical. His passion was football but most people thought his best sport was track.

He won his specialty hurdle event at the Penn Relays. He ran hurdles and played football for TCU. As a true sophomore in 2013, he had 20 carries for 87 yards and a - and caught two passes for 21 yards.

TCU coach Gary Patterson kept switching Moore’s position but he never found him satisfactory playing time.

Moore transferred to LSU, but he wound up only eligible to run track there. Finally, after earning his degree in sociology, Moore became a graduate transfer to the University of Texas-San Antonio, where he played safety in 2016.

He was undrafted in 2017 and spent time with the ’ and Broncos’ practice squads last year. He is currently on the Broncos’ 90-man offseason roster.

A year ago, he was 6-3, 225 pounds, but he’s down to 212-215 now.

“I want to return kickoffs again this year,’’ Moore said. “I’m bringing that speed up.’’

At his football camp Saturday, he will be assisted by Broncos cornerback Brandon Langley, defensive end Jhaustin Thomas and defensive tackle Paul Boyette. About 100 to 150 kids are expected to attend the camp.

“ didn’t go as ideally as I wanted it but now that my career is on track I have an opportunity to do some special things for the team this year, and for my community," Moore said. “And there was a lot that I wanted to do to give back to my community.’’

Broncos' free agency grade will improve if Veldheer, Brock, Keenum live up to expectations By Jeff Legwold ESPN.com March 31, 2018

Here is a breakdown of the initial wave of free agency for the Denver Broncos:

Overall grade: B-. The Broncos’ trade for tackle Jared Veldheer bumped them to just above average. If they’re right about cornerback Tramaine Brock, and he really does push Bradley Roby for a starting cornerback spot, as coach Vance Joseph has said, then it gets better. And if Case Keenum is the quarterback the Broncos believe he is, they get the easy “A" and plenty of chances to tell everyone they told them so.

Most significant signing: It’s Keenum by a wide margin. After some initial work to see what it would take to sign Kirk Cousins, the Broncos zeroed in on Keenum early and officially wrapped up negotiations with him in the opening hours of free agency. The Broncos believe Keenum’s 2017 efforts (3,547 passing yards, 22 ) show that he is still an ascending player, and his resilience in the face of tough times in his career make him the locker-room leader the Broncos want.

Most significant loss: After a season in which a backup quarterback was behind center for the Super Bowl winner, it’s clear that those teams willing to maintain as much depth as possible at the game’s most important position have an advantage. While the Broncos still believe former first-round pick Paxton Lynch can raise his game, the team traded its chance for the best depth chart it could have had at quarterback by sending to the Vikings.

Player they should have signed: Allen Robinson is a player the Broncos, specifically John Elway, thought a lot of before the 2014 draft, when they instead selected Cody Latimer in the second round. Although it would have taken some salary-cap work to squeeze both Keenum and Robinson into the budget, and Robinson is coming off a torn left ACL from September, it would have been worth the effort.

Additions: Case Keenum, QB; Todd Davis, LB (retained); Clinton McDonald, DE; Tramaine Brock, CB; Jared Veldheer, T (trade).

Subtractions: Trevor Siemian, QB (trade); Virgil Green, TE; Cody Latimer, WR; Donald Stephenson, T; Corey Nelson, LB; Brock Osweiler, QB.

What’s next: At the moment, the Broncos have nine picks in this year’s draft, and all nine are in the first five rounds. Given that it is also likely the team's most important draft since 2011, Elway’s first on the job, that will be much of their focus in the weeks ahead, but they could use some additional depth in the offensive line and a veteran wide receiver who could play in the slot.

Jake Plummer: Case Keenum might be 'fearless competitor' Broncos need By Jeff Legwold ESPN.com March 31, 2018

As the Denver Broncos make plans for their newly signed quarterback to flourish in the kind of offense that has brought the team some of its greatest successes, it is a good time to check in with a former player who once walked in those exact shoes.

For while Case Keenum is the Broncos’ quarterback of choice to lead the climb out of last year’s 5-11 finish, while he is a player the Broncos believe has even more to give than the career-best 3,547 yards and 22 touchdowns he posted last season, it is who knows both the weighty expectations and the potential for football glory that await Keenum.

Because Plummer has been that guy for the Broncos.

“You’ve got to have someone pulling the trigger that’s a fearless competitor, who no matter what will fight hard for everyone on the team, everyone in the organization,’’ Plummer said. “Find that kind of a player who has that kind of mentality. Case Keenum is that kind of guy. He’s a fiery competitor, who even if he makes a mistake, goes back out there and pulls the trigger again.’’

In the cascade of historic numbers that came out of Peyton Manning’s time with the Broncos, including the highest-scoring season in league history and two Super Bowl trips, it can be easy to forget where Plummer fits.

Until Manning’s arrival, no quarterback in team history had helped lead the Broncos to a higher percentage of wins in his starts than Plummer’s .722 mark. Plummer's 4,089 passing yards in 2004 were a franchise single-season record at the time and he still holds the franchise record for consecutive passes without an . Plummer was, as a player, fiery and irreverent, and at times he swam against the current convention.

But Plummer believes emphatically in the offense he thinks John Elway and coach Vance Joseph plan to run with Keenum at quarterback, because he ran a version of it. He calls the Broncos, even after his somewhat messy benching by in 2006, when was a rookie and the Broncos were 7-4, “a team with people that will do anything and everything you need to win a Super Bowl.’’ Plummer also believes the quarterback has to do his part and understand what he's getting into.

Elway has often said that simply handling all the intangibles that come with the job of quarterback can be more difficult than the football part. That maintaining confidence through the rough spots, handling criticism and leading a locker room impacts how a quarterback plays after the ball is snapped.

Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch and Brock Osweiler were all cycled through the starting job last season, and none of the three could rise above an often ill-fitting offense or stop the flood of turnovers. Both Elway and Joseph have routinely used the word “grit’’ to describe an important attribute Keenum brings to the table.

“Rebounding from mistakes, that’s all this league is sometimes for a quarterback,’’ Plummer said. “Everybody, of course, wants Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, but watch their film, they have days, they have times, when they suck. But when it matters most, those guys don’t remember that, all they do is ball out and make the plays now. You have to be a consistent badass. That’s what you’re looking for, a consistent badass.’’

The Broncos, since Pat Bowlen bought the team more than three decades ago, have had more Super Bowl trips than losing seasons. Their current GM happens to be a Hall of Fame quarterback whose picture is scattered all over the team’s complex. Manning’s unprecedented four-year run, which included a 55-touchdown season as well as a Super Bowl win, is still fresh in the minds of most everyone in the seats on game day. In short, Broncos quarterback is a gig that comes with a cargo plane’s worth of baggage in tow.

And beyond game plans, arm strength and creativity on the playcalling, Plummer sees the ability to handle that legacy as one the most important items for Keenum or anyone else who tries to fill the job.

“Watching their games is the most important thing and I would like to sneak down on the sideline and watch him come off after an interception and see what they do,’’ Plummer said. “Does he sulk on the sideline? Oh, pity me, I’ve got to answer for a mistake. Or are they over yelling at their defense to gimme the damn ball back so I can go score.

“But so much is expected and if you can’t handle that, don’t come here … Even Peyton took some flak when he didn’t win it all. But this is a place where you have everything you need to win, they’ll do every single thing in the world that needs to be done. It’s up to you to make the plays when it’s time to make the plays. But if you don’t want that, don’t come.’’

Taking a look at the ideal 2018 schedule for the Denver Broncos By Woody Paige KMGH March 31, 2018

With all the hullabaloo over the draft, free agency and radical rule changes as April begins, the official release of the 2018 NFL schedule on the 19th has been ignored.

It’s already known who the Broncos will play and where, and that the Broncos will play the league’s supposed fifth-easiest schedule (tied with the Steelers and the Jaguars), based on opponents’ records last season (122-134, .477 winning percentage).

Before 2017 the Broncos were designated as the team with the most difficult schedule, and they did finish 5-11. So it was tough, especially considering that the Broncos won only 1 of 8 on the road, were last in the AFC West and didn’t make the playoffs for consecutive years.

Will this schedule help in the dreaded, unmentionable “R”? (Rebuild, but don’t tell John Elway.)

The Broncos do play only three teams that reached the postseason last year. They get the Steelers and the Rams at home and the Chiefs twice.

In the return of Wade Phillips and Aqib Talib, with a team on the cusp of a potential championship run, the Rams will be no bargain. The Steelers, of course, are always nasty for the Broncos. And the Chiefs did beat the Broncos in both games last year.

Of course, the Broncos play the other usual suspects from the division – the Raiders and the Chargers – and have three more games at Mile High Stadium against the Browns, the Texans and those pesky Seahawks.

In addition to the division games, the Broncos travel to meet the Jets, the Bengals, the Cardinals, the Ravens and the 49ers, which will be a duel matching the Broncos’ two finalists for head coach – Kyle Shanahan and Vance Joseph – and Elway vs. San Francisco general manager John Lynch, the former Broncos’ safety who was mentored for an executive’s job by Elway.

The NFL schedule used to be put together like a gigantic, complicated jigsaw puzzle by the late Val Pinchbeck, who decades ago served as the Broncos’ media relations director. Now, it’s mostly a compilation spit out by computers, and tweaked by humans. Nobody asked for my assistance, but I’ve created the best possible schedule scenario, in honor of the memory of Val, for the Broncos.

The No. 1 rule in my schedule for the Broncos is: Avoid at all costs a game at Arrowhead Stadium late in the season. In their history, the Broncos have rarely won in Kansas City in December because of the weather factor – cold, windy, rainy. Elway hated playing there then, and his results proved it. In his first start at Arrowhead, Dec. 18, 1983, Elway lost 48-17. (Much later, he said that playing in rain was worse than snow because of the slipperiness of the ball.)

Elway’s Broncos also lost 37-10 and 42-20 in December games in K.C.

He won his biggest on Jan. 4, 1998, against the Chiefs in Kansas City in an AFC playoff game (14-10).

No. 2 is no other cold-weather locales, except Denver, in the last month. No. 3 is no Thursday night games on the road after a Sunday road game, and the only Thursday night game should be at home. No. 4 is a bye halfway through the season instead of after four games (as was the case in ’17). No. 5 is schedule a playoff-type team after the bye. No. 6 is don’t play back-to-back against division teams. And No. 7 is schedule two division teams in December so the Broncos can determine their own fate.

Here’s the when-win for the Broncos:

Sept. 9 – at Jets. (It’s still nice in New York, and the Broncos want to open against a mediocre team).

Sept. 16 – Chargers (and a potential 2-0 start).

Sept. 23 – at Bengals (3-0?)

Sept. 30 – Raiders.

Oct. 7 – at Ravens.

Oct. 14 – Seahawks.

Oct. 21 – at Chiefs (no December).

October 29 – Monday night, Texans.

Nov. 4 – Bye.

Nov. 8 – Thursday night, Steelers (with 10 days to prepare for Ben Roethlisberger).

Nov. 18 – at Raiders. (And extra time, too, between games.)

Nov. 25 – Sunday night, Rams.

Dec. 2 – Chiefs.

Dec. 9 – at 49ers.

Dec. 16 – Browns.

Dec. 23 – at (domed stadium in December).

Dec. 30 – at Chargers ( will be pleasant).

Who, what, when and why, and the Broncos have to figure out how.

Huge rugby player has impressive workout for NFL scouts By Michael David Smith Pro Football Talk March 31, 2018

A handful of international athletes who would like to see if they have what it takes to make it in the NFL went to Tampa to work out in front of scouts last weekend, and one athlete stood out: Jordan Mailata.

Mailata is a 20-year-old, 6-foot-8, 346-pound Samoan rugby player who currently competes for a team in Sydney, Australia, and he showed that he has the natural athleticism to play at the NFL level. He had a 5.12-second 40-yard dash and a 4.67-second short shuttle, both of which are excellent times for a man his size.

“I felt today went well,” Mailata told NFL.com. “This was my first chance to go through the positional drills in front of teams and I hope they got a chance to see the progress I have made as I try to master the position.”

Mailata has been working with the same coach who prepared the German wide receiver Moritz Bohringer for his NFL workouts before the Vikings chose Bohringer in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL draft. Bohringer didn’t pan out and is currently out of the league, and that experience may make NFL teams more likely to sign Mailata as an undrafted free agent than spend a draft pick on him. But Mailata is a name to keep an eye on after the draft, when he may get some calls who think he has the raw talent to make an impact, once he learns the sport.

Report: Paxton Lynch working with Tom Brady’s trainer By Charean Williams Pro Football Talk March 31, 2018

Broncos quarterback Paxton Lynch has hired Tom Brady‘s trainer to get him in shape, Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports.

Brady credits Alex Guerrero and the TB12 method for his long career. The Patriots quarterback calls Guerrero a close friend, business partner and “body coach.”

Lynch, a first-round pick in 2016, is seeking to save his career. He “knows he’s at a career crossroads and is preparing for battle,” per Pelissero.

Being in tip-top shape and being a top quarterback are two different things, though. While Lynch may be in the best shape of his life, he must show even more to get another chance at starting.

The Broncos signed Case Keenum in the offseason, with Lynch expected to serve as the backup. Lynch has started only four games, going 1-3 in completing 79 of 128 passes for 792 yards with four touchdowns and four .

John Elway may take a quarterback, won’t decide until draft day By Michael David Smith Pro Football Talk March 31, 2018

Broncos G.M. John Elway says signing Case Keenum in free agency won’t preclude using the fifth overall pick in the draft on a quarterback.

“That’ll be wide open,” Elway told Adam Schefter. “I’m betting we won’t know what direction we’re going to go until probably the day of [the first round] or the day before.”

That phrasing suggests Elway has a quarterback he likes among the top choices — Wyoming’s Josh Allen, USC’s Sam Darnold, UCLA’s Josh Rosen or Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield — but that he isn’t counting on the quarterback he likes being available with the fifth overall pick.

Keenum got $25 million guaranteed on a two-year contract and will almost certainly be the Week One starter, but the Broncos could draft a quarterback they expect to take over for Keenum by 2019 or 2020 at the latest. Still, given that the Broncos have a defense they think they can win with now, it would seem to make more sense to use the fifth overall pick to draft a player who can contribute to a turnaround this season, rather than a player who will spend this season holding a clipboard.