Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - DREAM OFFSEASON: Broncos Super Bowl LXI Blueprint in 3 Steps
Episode Date: February 10, 2026The Denver Broncos have their sights set on Super Bowl LXI with a bold offseason blueprint. Will aggressive moves for stars like A.J. Brown and Breece Hall ignite a top-three offense in 2026? Sayre... Bedinger breaks down Denver’s ideal strategies—from fortifying Vance Joseph’s elite defense with Kaden Elliss, to targeting game-changing offensive weapons and crucial draft picks in the trenches. Cody Roark is a credentialed beat reporter for Mile High Sports and covers the Broncos daily in person. Sayre Bedinger is the site expert for Predominantly Orange. Both bring Broncos Country the most in-depth and objective coverage of the Denver Broncos. WANT MORE DAILY DENVER BRONCOS CONTENT?For all of the latest Denver Broncos news today -- Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOBroncos?sid=YouTube Locked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNFL Follow on Twitter: @CodyRoarkNFL and @SayreBedingerFollow the show on Twitter: @LockedOnBroncos Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans.Click here to join -- https://lockedonbroncos.supercast.com/ Everydayer ClubIf you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclubSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!TurboTaxFor a limited time, you can have your taxes done by a local TurboTax expert for just $150 — all in, if a TurboTax expert didn’t file for you last year. Just file by February 28. Visit http://TurboTax.com/local to book your appointment today.FanDuelThe Winter Games are on. And there’s no better way to follow them than with a bet on FanDuel. FanDuel - Play your game. IndeedListeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/lockedonnfl. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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We're putting together the off-season plan that will get the Broncos a Super Bowl 61 victory on today's episode, Locked-on Broncos.
You are locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day.
How can the Denver Broncos attack the off-season in 2026 to get back where they belong, which is at the mountaintop of the NFL?
Well, it starts with fortifying the defensive side of the ball, but everybody also knows
the Broncos need to upgrade their offensive weapons here in the 2026 off season.
And I expect them to be aggressive in doing both of those things.
Plus, what is the ideal approach to the NFL draft for the Broncos in 2026?
I'm going to tell you later on today's show why I believe it starts up front on the offensive line,
really investing in the future of that group.
We'll get to that and much more on today's episode.
of the show and welcome in Broncos country. I appreciate every single one of you out there
for tuning in today and every single day here at Lockdown Broncos. My name is Sarah Bedinger.
I'm the co-host here of the podcast as well as the site expert at predominantly orange.com.
We've got a lot to unpack on today's episode of the show, which is brought to you by our friends
at Fandual. The winter games are on and there's no better way to follow them than with a bet on Fandual
fan duel play your game. And like I said, Broncos country, we've got a lot to get into on this
episode. We're putting on our general manager hat. We're in charge of building the Denver Broncos today.
And while I think a lot of the discussion is rightfully going to revolve around the big name playmakers
that this team needs to add to the offense, we will get to that in a bit. But what I think we saw in
Super Bowl 60 from the Seattle Seahawks is that the emphasis on fortifying the defensive side of the ball
is the ticket. Everybody knows the old adage, right? Defense wins championships. And I don't think
there's ever been a better example of that than in the last handful of years, right? When you talk
about the Kansas City Chiefs having a great defense to back up, obviously we know what Patrick Mahomes
brings to the table, but that Chief's defense has been one of the best in the NFL during their
big run and the Philadelphia Eagles dethroning them with one of the best defenses in the NFL after
hiring Vic Fangio to come in and coordinate that unit. And then, of course, we saw the Seattle
Seahawks absolutely embarrass the New England Patriots with just a suffocating defense led by Mike
McDonald, who was coaching that side of the ball as well as the entire operation. And the way
these teams are built is so specific. And yet it's something that I think the Broncos, they're already
well ahead of the curve compared to the rest of the NFL because the Broncos already have an elite
defense. They already have a top three unit in just about every possible metric. And they're
returning the majority of their guys. We know John Franklin Myers is set to hit free agency.
I think in an ideal world, we'd like to see John Franklin Myers come back to the Denver
Broncos. Wouldn't we keep this band together as long as we possibly can? But the biggest question
mark in really fortifying this defense for the foreseeable future is what are the Broncos going to do
at the linebacker position.
I think we will see the Broncos bring back one of their two pending unrestricted free agents,
Alex Singleton and Justin Sernaad.
I don't know that there's necessarily an ideal sort of situation with which one they bring
back.
They're both approaching.
Sternat is almost 30.
He's 29 years old this year and Singleton is already past the age of 30.
I think the better overall player over the last two years has probably been Sternad,
but Alex Singleton has also been the green dot guy for the Denver Broncos.
So both of these guys bring two very different skill sets to the table that add value to this defense.
And then you add the wrinkle in there.
What is the team going to decide to do with Dre Greenlaw, who has no guaranteed money left on his contract?
And how does that impact the way they approach free agency?
With all that in mind, I think the one move I want to see the Denver Broncos make at the linebacker position is to sign free agent
Caden Ellis, the veteran for the Atlanta Falcons, who's also the brother of Denver Broncos pass
rusher, Jonah Ellis, and not just for the fact that it would be cool to see the brothers together
in Denver, but Caden also has a connection to Sean Peyton being that he was drafted by the Saints
a handful of years ago back in 2019 coming out of Idaho. And I just think he's the perfect fit
for this Denver Broncos team in terms of the culture of what they're trying to build,
in terms of his versatility, productivity.
He's got three straight seasons with over 100 total tackles.
He's got 10 quarterback hits last year, 16 quarterback hits the year before that.
Over the last three seasons, I mean, we're talking about a guy who has 12 and a half total
sacks, and he makes tons of plays on the ball in coverage, got a couple of interceptions
over the last two seasons, a couple of forced fumbles, nine total passes, defense, and he plays
a lot of snaps. He does not come off the field. He played 100 percent over 1,100 snaps,
just ridiculous for the Falcons this past year. So he's really developed into the type of
player that I feel like you can build a defense around. And I love his fit with the Denver Broncos.
I know that we talk about the age issue with players like Justin Sernad and Alex Singleton,
but Caden Ellis is showing no signs of slowing down. And his market value right now,
now is $9 million in average annual value. So I think the Broncos, one of their biggest
offseason moves defensively, other than deciding what to do with the combination of Greenlaw,
Singleton, and Sternad, I think one of the non-negotiables for me, if I'm building out the ideal
off season, is you've got to sign Caden Ellis to a three-year contract worth somewhere in the
range of $27 million to $30 million. And I think that's a very worthwhile investment. The Broncos, they're
getting that Russell Wilson dead cap off the books this off season.
So they don't have to worry about that anymore.
They can do whatever they need to do in order to get that first year cap hit down in
order to be able to build on the offensive side of the ball.
Because we know the Broncos have thrown a ton of money at the defensive side of the
ball, whether we're talking about just the defensive line and edge players in general,
or if we're talking about the secondary, paying Pat Sertan, paying Tala, Noah Hufanga,
Brandon Jones.
All these guys are getting their money.
And so the Broncos,
they've already invested a lot on the defense.
But what we saw in Super Bowl 60
is the need to continually do that
and get players who fit your culture,
fit with whatever you're trying to do.
And with Vance Joseph, man,
he loves to be aggressive,
sending his linebackers up the A gap on blitzes.
He needs to be able to rely on those guys
to drop them into coverage
and trust that they're going to get the job done
against, you know, whatever zone coverage they're being asked to play,
I feel like Caden Ellis is the perfect fit for what the Broncos are wanting to do,
what they're trying to do.
And of course, you know that, you know,
when you've got friends in high places like he does with Sean Peyton and even
Cody Rager, who's in the front office for the Broncos,
a former Saints front office personnel member,
you have the makings of kind of the ideal,
especially because, you know, Jonah is going to be able to recruit his brother, right?
And how cool would that be for him to get to play with his brother at the
professional level after their dad previously also played for the Denver Broncos.
It would just be so cool to see that.
But I think that it just makes a ton of sense.
It's the Broncos biggest defensive need right now.
And he is the type of player that I feel like you're not necessarily saying,
hey, for the next 10 years, he's going to be your starting inside linebacker.
But you don't have to think that way.
When you're in a Super Bowl window, you have to think about your Super Bowl window.
And that's where the Broncos are at right now.
So Caden Ellis is that one defensive free agent that I would say,
other than the players that the Broncos have in-house like John Franklin Myers
and then the duo of Sternat and Singleton at the linebacker position,
I'd say he's that one guy outside of Denver that I would want to see this team bring in
to build on, I guess, what has been just a tremendous first handful of years for Vance Joseph.
Ever since that debacle in Miami, this Broncos defense has been on another level
they are definitely a Super Bowl caliber defense as it is.
If they just brought everybody back,
I think they'd be a Super Bowl caliber defense.
But to add a difference maker at the linebacker position like Caden Ellis,
who's just been a model of consistency,
he doesn't miss time due to injury.
He is that guy that I would say,
if you can get one defensive free agent outside of Denver
to bring in and build the ideal offseason plan,
that would be the guy that I would choose.
And I do think that fortifying the defense is the number one priority.
They're already strengthening a strength, right?
That's what we kind of talk about what the Broncos did by selecting Jada Baron in the first place last year,
is you're strengthening an area of strength.
You're giving yourself every opportunity to have margin for error on that side of the ball.
I think if you can strengthen that strength and build into that defense and continue to add to what is already an elite unit,
man, you're going to be able to shut folks down and give your offense those extra opportunities
that they need to score the football more.
and that's exactly what we're going to continue to do as we build out this ideal Denver Broncos offseason
is get into that discussion about the playmakers. What kind of playmakers does this team need to add?
Well, I think unlike the last couple of years, they've got to take some really big swings at some big name skill players.
I'm going to tell you the two guys that I feel like if the Broncos don't add anybody else.
If they just add these two guys that we're going to talk about on today's show,
I think, man, they would be set up to have a top three offense in the,
2026 season. We're going to get into that discussion and much more coming up on today's
episode, Lockdown Broncos. Today's episode of Lockdown Broncos is brought to you by Fandul.
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play your game.
The Denver Broncos need to add playmakers in the 2026 offseason.
there is absolutely no question about it, but which playmakers are going to get the job done for
this team with where they're currently at? What do you do with all the young players on this roster?
How do we sort out the running back position? Well, I think if the Broncos make the two moves that
we're going to talk about coming up on today's show, I think absolutely they are going to be in line
for a dominant season on the offensive side of the ball. And Broncos country, just want to say thank you
to all of you every dayers out there that make us your first listen of the day every single day,
here on the Locked-on Podcast Network, the number one sports podcast network.
And if you haven't already done so, I want to encourage you to check out the
everyday or all-access club.
You're going to get two different tiers, depending on which one you would choose.
So there's the member tier where you're going to get things like ad-free episodes of the show.
And then there's the all-access tier where you're going to get to be able to text Cody
and I every single day here throughout the off-season.
You get access to special episodes of the show.
Cody and I are going to be doing coffee talk episodes of Lock,
on Broncos all throughout the offseason.
And there'll be all 22 breakdowns of free agents, draft prospects, all those sorts of things
coming up this offseason.
So you're going to want to get signed up for that.
Check out the link in the show notes for more information.
But let's talk about these offseason additions.
I think would be kind of if the Broncos are only able to add, let's say, two guys, right?
These are the two additions that would really move the needle for me.
The number one is wide receiver, AJ Brown.
And there's no guarantee that the Philadelphia Eagles will trade AJ Brown.
And I don't think even everybody in Broncos country is 100% on board with the idea of trading for somebody like AJ Brown.
And I think that's okay.
Let us know in the comments section if you really believe like the Broncos, they would be worse off for trading for AJ Brown.
Or if you like that idea, because I don't think it's going to cost an arm and a leg, right?
The Titans traded Brown to the Eagles for a first round pick four years ago, right?
So what we're talking about is an older player at the position who clearly wants out.
And it would take a willingness from the Eagles to say, hey, we're willing to just get rid of this guy.
If you take on his contract and things like that, obviously you want to get proper value for him.
But I don't think it's going to cost the Broncos more than what the Eagles originally paid.
I don't think it's going to cost them their first round pick, although I do feel like that number 30 overall pick would be best invested in somebody like A.J.
Brown. And I know that that may be very short-term thinking in a lot of ways. And it's kind of like that
instant gratification sort of thinking. But hear me out on this one because I feel like a player like
AJ Brown, who's been to the biggest games in the NFL. He's made huge plays for the Philadelphia Eagles.
He's been a model of consistency. And he wins in such a variety of different ways. He can win after
the catch. He's ball dominant at the catch point. He can win vertically. He can win in
every level of the field as a receiver.
And is he perfect?
Absolutely not.
I don't know that there's a perfect receiver that would realistically be available to
the Denver Broncos.
But I feel like somebody like AJ Brown would really set this offense off.
When you talk about his skill set at every level of the field and the ability to just
kind of feed him the football on a consistent basis, make him your wide receiver one.
And I think the fallout to that quite, or to that.
proposition is what happens with Cortland Sutton? Well, I think one of two things. I think you could
either have your cake and eat it too and say, we're going to try to make it work with both of these guys,
or I think you use Sutton to trade for AJ Brown. So right now, we're in the stage of the off
season where, hey, any idea is pretty much on the table. So, but I think realistically speaking,
you have to ask the question. Number one, can Cortland Sutton and AJ Brown coexist?
Number two, do they need to coexist? And number three, how much do you? How much do you?
you believe in the development of players like Troy Franklin, Marvin Mims, and Pat Bryant,
because if you really believe in the development of those young players, like the Denver
Broncos have maintained that they do, I think you make AJ Brown the centerpiece of your
passing game and you move forward with that as the plan A going forward, right? So if it,
if it requires trading Cortland Sutton, I'm still for that move. But I don't think adding
a wide receiver like AJ Brown is the only move the Broncos have to make this.
off season. And everybody's talking about it after watching Kenneth Walker win Super Bowl MVP,
the first running back to win Super Bowl MVP since Terrell Davis, once upon a time, Broncos
country. But I think that running back position needs a premier addition. And I don't know that
bringing back J.K. Dobbins, unless everything else falls through is the right move. I think that
second player, other than A.J. Brown, that would really move the needle for this Denver Broncos team,
is Brees Hall, the running back from the New York Jets. Breese Hall actually,
younger than RJ Harvey, believe it or not, Broncos country.
I think that's kind of a crazy fact when you think about that he's been in the NFL for four
years.
He's already had a season-ending knee injury, which he suffered in Denver of all places and then
came back from that injury.
He, you know, I think a guarantee almost for 1,300, 14, 15,500 yards from scrimmage.
And he's a big play threat at the position.
He's also got a big body that he can, you know, punish some folks in between the tackles as well.
And I love the all-around game of somebody like Breece Hall.
And I think if you're the Broncos, what you have to do is remove any temptation to try to use three running backs in 2026.
I just do.
I think that was a huge problem for this team going into the season where you have J.K.
Dobbins, R.J. Harvey, Tyler Badegh, J.L. McLaughlin, you gave yourself too much of an opportunity to use three backs.
And Sean Payton has said, like, it's much easier to use two backs than it is to try and involve three.
So here's the deal.
Just involve two guys.
And if it's Breast Hall and R.J. Harvey at the running back position, that's a massive upgrade for the Denver Broncos.
And that's with all due respect to J.K. Dobbins, who was running extremely well for this team.
But when you think about the fact that JK has suffered a number of season ending injuries throughout the course of his career, not that Breaston's, not that Breastard.
Not that Breece Hall doesn't have his share of injuries, obviously,
but I think that you go younger at the position.
You get somebody who's 24 going on 25 this coming off season,
and you give yourself an opportunity to build around two backs that you can trust
to do every single thing for your offense.
That's one of the things that I love about Breece Hall is the fact that he is that sort of do everything back.
And he's going to rack up 1,500 yards from scrimmage for you,
not just because, man, he's going to rush for 1,300 and catch a few occasional passes.
He is a high volume threat out of the backfield.
And that's what kind of the Detroit Lions have had with guys like David Montgomery and Jemir Gibbs.
Now, I'm not saying that Breece Hall and R.J. Harvey could be that.
But I do think that there's a chance that they could at least produce at that level.
You know, when you talk about having a running back duo that is,
it doesn't necessarily have to be two guys with opposite skill sets.
But the Broncos, what they lack in, at the end of this past season, what they really lacked to me was that player that can win between the tackles, that can grind out the tough yardage, that can be a patient runner between the tackles, as well as be an explosive threat when he runs off tackle.
I think Brees Hall is that type of back for this team.
And yes, it's more than just the running back personnel, right?
It's the run scheme.
It's the offensive line executing what's being called.
It's the Broncos having balance in the way that they call plays and, you know,
not giving away things with their personnel groupings and things like that.
But I do believe that having a running back like Breece Hall to pair up with RJ Harvey would give the Broncos a,
just an exceptional offense on paper.
I mean, when you look at the potential of having two players like A.J. Brown and Bruce Hall coming in,
if that is a possibility for the Denver Broncos, man, that is absolutely a needle mover.
on that side of the ball this year and how much pressure could those two guys take off of Bo Nix,
who has had way too much pressure, quite frankly, on his shoulders throughout his first two NFL season.
So if the Broncos throughout the first initial stages of this offseason can bring in guys like linebacker,
Kaden Ellis, A.J. Brown and Breece Hall, they would be set up to absolutely dominate the NFL
draft. And I'm going to tell you on today's show why I think they need to emphasize the offensive line early and often in the
We're going to talk about that coming up on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos.
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your appointment today. If the Denver Broncos can attack the offseason by signing Caden Ellis,
maybe trading for A.J. Brown, signing Breece Hall. And you know, bring back a couple of key members
of the team that are already on the roster. They are going to be set up to absolutely
dominate the NFL draft where this draft class is actually strong, which I believe is in the
trenches on both sides of the ball.
Broncos country.
Once again,
just want to say thank you.
As we're talking about building the ideal offseason,
you know that your boys,
Cody and Sarah,
are going to have you covered all throughout the 2026 off season and then some with
everything that goes on with your favorite team,
the Denver Broncos,
who I believe are going to be the Super Bowl champions.
We don't make a ton of predictions or declarations on this show very often.
But shoot,
I'm going to go ahead and put it out there right now that I think the Broncos,
they're a Super Bowl winning team this coming season.
Super Bowl 61, go to SoFi Stadium and win it in the Chargers house as well.
That would be a little cherry on top of the Broncos getting their fourth Super Bowl victory.
But one thing that I think they're going to have to do,
as much as we talk about this Broncos team being in a Super Bowl window right now,
I do think that that adds a lot of weight to free agency
and to the trades that you make here this off season,
the fact that you are in a clear Super Bowl window.
So you have to be aggressive in filling your needs via free agency.
But when it comes to the NFL draft, I think it gives you ultimate flexibility to do a little forward thinking.
And I'm not saying the Broncos never have done this, but it's been a while since they've been able to do this, right?
Because they've rebuilt the roster under George Payton and Sean Payton.
They've had to address some needs.
You don't necessarily always get to take those luxury best player available picks,
although I suppose Jada Baron is kind of evidence to the contrary of that,
but not everybody thinks that was the right move in hindsight.
I think what the Broncos need to do in the NFL draft to kind of cap off the ideal
offseason here in 2026 is I think they need to invest in the offensive line.
The Broncos have not drafted a true offensive tackle since Garrett Bulls in 2017.
I always find it funny to bring up that fact because you just kind of assume like
that's going to change at some point, right?
They've got to just draft a tackle at some point, don't they?
But they continually have put it off.
And I'm not saying that has to be their first round pick.
But I also think the interior offensive line, at what we saw this past season,
that interior offensive line needs depth options.
The Broncos had to live for a time without Ben Powers when he had the injury that cost
him a couple of months there during the season.
Or Luke Wattenberg, who was out for an extended period of time as well.
we've seen over the last couple of seasons, like Mike McGlinchie missed some time.
So Alex Palchese has had to step into multiple different roles.
Frank Crum, is he going to be a long-term starter type of option for you?
Or is he just the athletic reporting as eligible sixth man type on the offensive line, so to speak?
You've got some serious situations coming up with multiple.
And I say multiple.
I'm talking about Garrett Bowles, Mike McGlinchie, Ben Powers, all getting to or north of.
of the age of 30.
And so now would not be the worst time to start thinking about who's going to be our
offensive line of the future and how do we continue to properly surround Bo Nix.
I put together a mock draft over on predominantly orange over the weekend.
And you can go check that out if you want to see all the different picks that I made.
But what I really like about this draft class as we kind of get deeper into the weeds
with not just first round players, but guys beyond round one, it really does feel like
this is a quality offensive line draft.
Maybe not necessarily at the very top of the class with like the blue chip players,
but as you get deeper down the line,
it feels like there is a quantity and quality aspect to the offensive line in this class
that the Broncos can take advantage of on the first couple of days of the draft.
And so I would love to see the Broncos fall in love with a couple of offensive line prospects in this class.
And I think the same really applies to the defensive line,
because can you ever really have too many pass rushers, right?
Even if, let's say the Broncos do let John Franklin Myers walk in free agency,
well, the plan would be that Inyo Owasarike and Savian Jones would step into bigger roles
this coming season, but does that mean that you don't go ahead and draft another defensive
linemen?
Absolutely not.
So I think when it comes to the trenches on offense and defense,
be a little bit forward thinking in this draft and be willing to take those guys.
with all due respect to Jadae Barron,
it might have been just better off for the Broncos
to have taken a shot on alignment in that case, in that instance,
and just build through the trenches
because that is the non-negotiable for every Sean Payton team
is to be able to win in the trenches,
to be able to have that advantage on both sides of the ball.
And I would say for the most part,
that has been the case for the three years that he's been with the team,
like that has been the priority.
And we've seen how important it is fleshed out
on the field. So getting those reinforcements in the depth department, I would not mind having
somebody a first or second round pick on the offensive line, learning behind Garrett Bulls and
Mike McGlinchy and possibly able to flex inside to guard because beyond this season, Ben Powers,
all he has is void year. So you're looking at the potential of needing a starting left guard
as soon as next off season anyway. Do you sort of get the ball rolling there already this
offseason. And then what about with Mike McGlinchie? He signed a five-year deal back in
2023. Obviously, you're kind of getting to the point now where those cap hits are getting
really high. Are you going to extend Mike McGlinchie or are you going to look to potentially
move on before that contract officially expires? So it's just some things that kind of makes you
think, right? I mean, when you're looking at this team, it's not necessarily a, oh, well, we got to
really look at the future at these positions right now. The focus is very much so on the present
moment, right? You can think about the future, but not at the expense of the moment, right? You have to
attack your needs right away. So if the Broncos go into the draft and shoot, they're still looking
for a starter at a certain position. By all means, this team should probably draft for need.
But I think that when it comes to drafting in the trenches, man, you want you, especially because
you believe that Zach Streep is one of the best coaches at his, you know, position in the NFL,
you've reflected that by giving him promotion after promotion and raise after raise, right?
So put some draft picks where, you know, your money is, right?
Put some draft picks under the guy who you've invested in and said,
hey, we believe you're a top assistant coach and we're going to give you some new toys to
work with here this offseason.
I think that that would be a great use of high draft capital by the Denver Broncos
as well as that linebacker position.
They've really struggled to draft off ball linebackers.
it hasn't been since, I think, Danny Trevathan that this team has had a homegrown,
drafted linebacker other than Josie Jewel as well, that really made a substantial impact
and became a big money like this guy is an absolute stud.
And it doesn't necessarily have to be in the first round either, right?
I mean, any of these position groups that we're talking about, it's not a non-negotiable,
like, hey, you have to take him with your first round pick.
But I do think it would be wise for the Broncos to go early.
early in the trenches, take an off ball linebacker that you believe has some starting potential
down the line. And then we know that the Broncos are always going to be looking to draft
defensive backs. That's just George Payton's M.O. I don't think he's gone a single draft without
even multiple defensive backs coming in in a class. But certainly that's going to be the case.
So you expect defensive backs to come in. And I think also to the tight end position. So the priorities
for me in the draft to build the ideal offseason, offensive and defensive line, lineback
and tight end, right?
The tight end position, I think the Broncos made a mistake last year,
not drafting from an exceptional class.
And lucky for them, you kind of get it Mulligan a little bit this year
with another great class of tight ends.
Kenyon Sadiq from Oregon.
I mean, the Broncos have had a lot of success with Ducks players,
so you might as well go after another one, right?
But even as you get deeper into this draft class,
there's plenty of other guys.
Sam Roush from Stanford is another player who looks like he could play in line
and make a difference as a pass catcher.
at the next level.
But where I think the Broncos really need to upgrade is that spot where
Adam Troutman plays, that in line, tight end position, get somebody there who can not only
block, but can also be, you know, a true threat in the passing game for the offense,
maybe a secondary threat to somebody like Evan Ingram, but somebody who presents a bit more
of a threat than we've seen from Adam Troutman and others who have played that position
for the Broncos over the last couple of years.
So that would be my plan of attack for the offensive side of the ball in the NFL
draft is go after the O line and tight end and then defensively get some more big men on
defensive front, go after an offball linebacker that you feel has starting qualities.
I think the Broncos, if they do all these things, I think it would be the ideal offseason.
Like, I know that my plan is not necessarily always the team's ideal plan.
And I think the team oftentimes and plenty of times has put together far better plans than
I'm capable of doing.
But I don't always know exactly what's available either.
So maybe there are better dream scenarios for the Broncos.
but I think you get the idea, right?
You want to go after a difference maker at linebacker and free agency.
I think that'll keep the defense really rolling along.
Offensively, you need proven playmakers at running back and wide receiver
to kind of move the needle for that unit and give Bo Nix a couple more easy buttons
to press on a consistent basis.
And then in the draft, you want to build through the trenches first.
And then I think you go after some playmakers on both sides of the ball at linebacker
and tie at Emma Broncos country.
That's my ideal off season.
Tomorrow's episode of the show.
you're going to get Cody's ideal offseason, and then we're going to come together,
compare notes and kind of see what each other had in mind.
But we appreciate you so much for tuning in today and every single day.
We'll catch you on the next episode of the show.
