Broncos' Priority at the NFL Combine?
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Broncos’ priority at the NFL combine? Looking for free agents. By Ryan O’Halloran Denver Post Feb. 27, 2019 Fifteen things as the NFL starts its 2019 season with the Scouting Combine this week in Indianapolis: 1. The Broncos’ objectives this week: Keep the lines of communication open (if they choose) with their free agents to see if a new deal is possible before March 11 (when agents can negotiate with other teams); unofficially take the temperature with the agents of other teams’ free agents to see if the Broncos are a fit; have their medical staff create a report on each Combine participant; meet the underclassmen for the first time; and come up with creative ways to say they can’t talk about new quarterback Joe Flacco. At this stage, general manager John Elway, coach Vic Fangio and Co., should focus more on who they can add, not who they can re-sign. 2. Assessing the cornerback and tight end free agent market should be a priority for the Broncos. At cornerback, it’s Chris Harris, Isaac Yiadom … and that’s it. The market is tepid to the point that Philadelphia’s Ronald Darby (coming off a torn ACL) could have multiple suitors. I’ve been banging the drum for Bryce Callahan since Fangio was hired because they were together in Chicago. 3. At tight end, the Broncos’ depth chart is Jeff Heuerman (free agent), Jake Butt/Troy Fumgalli (coming off injury), Matt LaCosse and Brian Parker. In free agency, the top names are Oakland’s Jared Cook, Jacksonville’s Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Pittsburgh’s Jesse James. Waiting for the draft may be a better option. 4. During a conference call Monday, NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said it is “one of the better tight end drafts we’ve had in a while — premier, top-end guys as well as a lot of depth.” Jeremiah has Iowa’s T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant going in the first round. If the Broncos wait until round 2, Alabama’s Irv Smith could be on the board. 5. Wednesday and Thursday will feature podium news conference appearances by 28 head coaches and 23 personnel chiefs/general managers. Wednesday, Fangio and Elway are at 7:30 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. Denver time. The only head coaches not available at a podium: New England’s Bill Belichick, New Orleans’ Sean Payton, Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin and Washington’s Jay Gruden. 6. Good news for the Broncos, who should be in offensive-line mode on Days 2-3 of the draft. “Offensive line, there’s not a top-five lock guy, but I think it’s a really, really good group,” Jeremiah said. “Especially when you get to the middle of the first round to the third or fourth round.” 7. Why the Broncos enter this offseason with so many holes: Poor drafting. Only two players on the roster are Broncos draft picks who earned a second contract (linebacker Von Miller and defensive end Derek Wolfe). That leads to re-drafting a deficient spot and overpaying in free agency. 8. A total of 337 invitations were extended to the Combine. That leaves a list of players who will have only their Pro Day to make a final impression. Last year, Phillip Lindsay was a Combine snub and was not drafted. He signed with the Broncos was named to the Pro Bowl. Among this year’s notable non- invitees: Kansas linebacker Joe Dineen (386 tackles in 39 games), Temple defensive tackle Michael Dogbe (seven sacks as a senior), Florida State center Alec Eberle (44 career starts), Pittsburgh running back Darrin Hall (7.5-yard average in 2018) and Clemson linebacker Kendall Joseph (292 tackles in 48 games). 9. How a player can help himself this week: Interview well with teams and show a high want-to level in the on-field workout. How a player can hurt himself this week: Fail his drug test and come off as unprepared in the interview. It’s very difficult for players to hurt their stock during the on-field session — teams just want to see guys compete in an uncomfortable situation. Run slower than expected? Use the next few weeks to regroup for your Pro Day. But make a bad first impression during the 15-minute interview? Tougher to overcome. 10. ESPN analyst Mel Kiper on Washington cornerback Byron Murphy, who we mock-drafted to the Broncos: “He’s a true playmaker. I could see him easily going in the top 15-20.” 11. Jeremiah mocked LSU linebacker Devin White to the Broncos at No. 10. He cited how Fangio used Roquan Smith in Chicago last year as a rookie as the “blueprint for how you would use him. He would be a big-time difference maker for the Broncos.” White had 286 tackles in three years for the Tigers. 12. Veterans are starting to hit the market, the latest being Carolina cornerback Captain Munnerlyn and Baltimore receiver Michael Crabtree. The Broncos should pass. This is a roster that should want to get younger, not older. Munnerlyn turns 31 on April 10 and has played 157 regular season/playoff games. Crabtree played nine games with Flacco this year for the Ravens and had 54 catches in 16 games. Crabtree turns 32 on Sept. 14. 13. Unlike last year, there is already a consensus about the top pick for Arizona: Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa. “The only reason it’s not a big gap (between Bosa and the field) is durability,” Kiper said. “If it wasn’t for the injury, there wouldn’t be anybody close to him.” Bosa had an injury as a high school senior and was shut down last year after three games because of a core muscle issue. 14. Jeremiah has Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray graded higher than Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins. “The ‘X’ factor is when (Murray) takes off, he’s electric,” Jeremiah said. “That was the tiebreaker. Kyler can do a lot of the things Dwayne can do throwing the football, but Kyler has the extra element of what he can do athletically.” 15. The on-field workout schedule: Friday– running backs, offensive lineman and specialists. Saturday– quarterbacks, receivers and tight ends. Sunday — defensive linemen and linebackers. And Monday — defensive backs. Broncos Mailbag: Is it worth pursuing Antonio Brown and Josh Rosen? By Ryan O’Halloran Denver Post Feb. 27, 2019 What exactly do you think the Broncos are doing? Joe Flacco is OK, but that doesn’t signal “rebuild” to me. That signals “reload.” With Kansas City and the Chargers being as good as they are, what exactly is John Elway thinking? — Blake Marshall, Lincoln, Neb. We start off this Combine Eve Mailbag with a simple second guess of Broncos management. But to your question, I never thought the Broncos were in total “rebuild” mode and that was confirmed when they put the deal in place to acquire a 34-year old quarterback in Flacco. What is Elway thinking? Rightly or wrongly, he believes the Broncos are better than last year’s 6-10 record and the combination of a mostly new coaching staff, new quarterback, free agent additions and a full 2019 draft can propel them back into playoff contention. It would have been fascinating to see the Broncos strip down their roster to discard multiple veterans and create salary cap space for 2020, but that doesn’t appear to be their plan. What are the chances John Elway upgrades the wide receiver position with, say, Antonio Brown? Unless Pittsburgh wants an astronomical return, with his relatively low cap hit and no guaranteed money, seems it would at least be worth exploring. — J., Albion, Ill. Elway must upgrade the receiver position, be it adding a Nos. 2-2A type to play alongside Emmanuel Sanders (if he’s back) and Courtland Sutton. But it would be a surprise if 1) The Steelers agreed to trade Brown to an AFC team, and 2) The Broncos were willing to give up a Day 2 draft pick for him and they were fine with the contractual commitment. Per Over The Cap, Brown’s cap numbers for 2019-21 are $22.165 million, $18.34 million and $19.54 million. That is not a relatively low cap hit and is a ton of money for a guy who is 30 years old. I’d pass. Why is John Elway still the GM? He hasn’t made the Broncos good at any position. — Randy, Pueblo West Ol’ Randy cut right to the point, didn’t he? Elway remains the general manager because he helped build a Super Bowl-winning defense. But the Broncos have missed the playoffs three consecutive years. Elway remains under no threat of dismissal so long as there is no controlling owner in place. As for his position- by-position work, the Broncos should feel good about their situations at running back (Royce Freeman and Phillip Lindsay), outside linebacker (Von Miller and Bradley Chubb). Everything else leaves much to be desired. Hi, Ryan. Some people think the Cardinals might entertain offers for Josh Rosen and then draft Kyler Murray. Rosen would probably require a first-round pick — he did go No. 10 last year. I actually follow the Cardinals and even though Rosen didn’t blow people away last year, he did play behind the worst O- line in the league and just got destroyed. Do you think that Rosen is better than any quarterback the Broncos could draft at 10? It doesn’t look like Drew Lock or Dwayne Haskins will still be there.