It’s that time of year again. Here are three burning questions for the Denver Broncos.
How will the running back by committee play out?
The Broncos signed former Chargers running back Melvin Gordon in free agency even though they already have a pair of complementary backs in Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman. If Gordon is the player he was prior to last season’s holdout debacle, Denver could have a three-headed monster in the backfield.
Lindsay has more than earned his share of carries. Last season, his second in the league, he posted his second straight 1,000-yard rushing season and found the end zone seven times. He also added just shy of 200 yards through the air, mostly on screens and checkdown passes.
Freeman added nearly 500 rushing yards and three touchdowns to the offense last season.
If the Broncos start the season with all three getting carries, that will further aid the second question…
Does Drew Lock have enough weapons in his arsenal?
In his small showing in the tail end of his rookie season, Drew Lock proved to the naysayers (and team president John Elway) that he has what it takes to command the offense. Such a leader is something that the team and Elway have struggled to find for many seasons.
To ensure Lock’s continued development and success, the team spent their first two draft picks on wide receivers. In the first round, they drafted Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy, followed by Penn State’s K.J. Hamler in the second.
Pairing these rookies with third-year wide receiver Courtland Sutton and tight end Noah Fant should have an immense impact after they both seemed to see their catch total and productivity increase when Lock assumed the starting job.
This team has the potential to be very explosive in the passing game, barring Lock doesn’t experience much of a sophomore slump.
The defense added who?
A defense that already boasts an eight-time Pro Bowl selection in linebacker Von Miller was busy making trades to add to the defensive side of the ball. They managed to wrangle the AFC South for a pair of players who total six Pro Bowl selections.
Denver acquired Pro Bowl cornerback A.J. Bouye from the Jacksonville Jaguars. Bouye was once a teammate of Broncos strong safety Kareem Jackson, who himself joined Denver’s defensive secondary shortly after the start of last season.
In a more surprising move, the Broncos acquired five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Jurrell Casey in a trade with the Titans. The nine-year veteran was a salary dump on Tennessee’s part. Any ill feelings Casey has towards his former team will be on display in Week 1, when the Broncos host his former team on Monday Night Football.
This defense is in position to return to the conversation of being among the top five in the NFL.
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