Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - TAKE: Denver Broncos SHOULD TRADE UP For Michigan TE Colston Loveland

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Denver Broncos trading up in round one to take Colston Loveland, a week 18 matchup against the Kansas City Chief for the AFC West Crown and Bo Nix, top five in MVP voting in 2025. We break all that down. And much more on today's brand new 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. Hey, hey, hey, what's happening in Broncos country?

Starting point is 00:00:32 Happy Thursday and welcome in to another episode of Locked on. on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network where you know it is your team every day. Thank you so much to everyone out there in Broncos country, all the everydayers out there who make us your first listen. However, you choose to do so becoming every dayer by hitting that subscriber, that follow button. So you never miss out on all your best Broncos news content coverage analysis and more.

Starting point is 00:00:57 Every single day all year long. As always, I'm your host, Cody Rort, Broncos reporter from all high sports. And I'm Sarah Bedinger, site expert, predominantly. Orange.com. Together we bring you the best Broncos podcast that is out there here in Broncos country. We got a jam-packed episode here today. You know it is Thursday. So that means it is takes on takes. You sent in your takes. We share our responses to them as well. We got a lot to open up and Broncos country firing off some heat saying that the Broncos are going to trade up to get Colston Loveland in round number one, a matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs in week 18 of

Starting point is 00:01:32 the regular season to determine the winner of the AFC. West and Bo Nix top five in MVP voting. A lot of interesting takes sent our way. We're going to break it all down here on today's episode show. Ser Broncos country, as always, they come correct. There were a ton of great takes fired off. There were some that I would say are some crazy takes. We'll react to a couple of them, some that, you know,

Starting point is 00:01:53 you and I may or may not agree with here. I feel like we've got to open it up with our good friend, Newtype underscore JK47. He sent in his take. He said the Broncos will shock everyone and trade up to get a blue chip talent like Colston Loveland, then trade back into late round one for Trayvion Henderson by surrendering the 51st overall pick. I mean, your thoughts on this take here from our friend over there, NewType underscore

Starting point is 00:02:19 JK47. Wow, this is big time. What I love about this take is the correct identification of a blue chip player in this particular draft class, which Colston Loveland absolutely is. I think if you're going to trade up, there's a very select few players that would make sense to do it for. Ashton Gentie would be one. Colston Loveland, Tyler Warren, they would qualify as others. This draft just doesn't have very many blue chip types of guys.

Starting point is 00:02:48 What's a blue chip type of guy? A blue chip guy is somebody that you feel can be a foundational piece to your franchise, somebody who scores well higher above in every metric than other players on your draft board. They check out character-wise. they check out talent-wise, production, injury, all these sorts of things. That's what makes them blue chip. They are ultra-talented and could be potentially elite players at their position. I do believe Colston Loveland has that potential, Cody, of course, the signing of

Starting point is 00:03:16 Evan Engram means that this is, and it's a spicy take for us to react to because our good friend Mike Cliss, although it was right after the signing and things like that, he pretty much said tight end in round one is off the board for the Broncos. is that really the case? Is that what they wanted him to say? Is that just something that they want floated out there? You never know what to actually believe in the draft nowadays, but to give up draft capital to get those,

Starting point is 00:03:42 I mean, let's just put it this way. If the Broncos draft started off with Colston Loveland and Trevionn Henderson, I don't know that anybody's going to be mad about it, right? Those two guys could be big time weapons for Bo Nix now and into the future. I mean, I would be happy if Denver did get Colston Loveland and somehow still got Trayvion and Anderson. I would say, hey, the offensive stock report for the Broncos, boom, it's shooting through

Starting point is 00:04:05 the ceiling here. And when you talk about guys that can contribute have a big impact, but also it goes to, you know, we've talked about. Like, you know, the Broncos haven't had. I mean, I can't remember the last time they've ever had a situation where they have two really good tight ends, right? Evan Ingram. And then obviously, if you add Colston Loveland in the mix, that would be big here. But what is Sean Payton's history? I can't quite recall off the top of my head of using two tight end sets where you have two really good tight ends and you can do a lot of different things with them. That might be new territory if the Broncos were to acquire a blue chip player like Colston Loveland, Trayvion Henderson being thrown in this scenario here. It's just a little sprinkle on top. I like that. This is a great take. But yeah, we'll see what happens. And would that be something feasible?

Starting point is 00:04:45 If Denver gave up that 51st pick to move back into round one, is that enough to move up that far? I'm not sure. There might have to be an additional draft pick attached to that if that were the case. But let's jump into our next take here. Wes sends in the take and he says the Denver. Broncos will have a top 10 rushing offense next season. I would love for this to be the case. I think there is a chance that it can happen. So much of it, though, I think is contingent upon what they decide to do in the draft. Do the Broncos have a running back room right now, Sarah? When you look at it with all the four names, Audrake estimated,

Starting point is 00:05:22 Jul McLaughlin, Tyler Biddey, and Blake Watson, if they were to stay status quo with that room, as is, would they have a top 10 rushing offense? in your opinion next season, or is that contingent completely upon adding one of these backs in this year's draft? Well, this might be a hot take on top of the take that was sent in, Cody, but I really do think that they would be able to. I think that it's the devil you don't know in many ways because Javante Williams was such a hindrance to the offense over the last couple of years. He was the team's leader in overall touches, the last two seasons. And one of the least effective per touch players in the entire NFL, it was just rough to walk.

Starting point is 00:06:01 And so you kind of just want to say, hey, yeah, it's the devil we don't know. Like anybody else that the Broncos put back there for a consistent amount of time, they would be able to figure out a way to get it done. Because what did we see when, you know, Tyler Badegh was put in there early in the season? He had success against Tampa Bay. What did we see when Audric Estime got his first real shot at carries against Kansas City? He had immediate success. What did we see with, you know, Jaliel McLaughlin, when he got extensive carries against

Starting point is 00:06:29 teams like the Saints? and I think it was the Bengals, and we saw a lot of success, right? So you figure that if those guys were being given the primary carries over the course of a season, that the Broncos could have potentially had a top 10 rushing attack. But Javante Williams, I'm afraid to say, or I'm sorry to say, really held them back. Well, and I'm curious as well. I mean, I think that Denver does have the guys that have the potential to, you know, have a top 10 rushing offense.

Starting point is 00:06:55 And look, I think collectively when we talk about a top 10 rushing offense, It's can your team overall, can their rushing output produce, you know, at a consistent rate? Can the yards impact your game there? And that's not just one guy. That's, you know, quarterback run game potentially involved in that. Adrake's, Major Limclough from the committee approach. What does that rotation look like? But are you getting production from more than just one guy?

Starting point is 00:07:18 That equates, in my opinion, to having a top 10 rushing offense unless you have the guys, like the Sequant Barclays or the Derrick Henry's where or the Loire Jackson's, where in totality you're going to have one of the best rushing offenses because you have really good players that transcend, you know, the position of being able to use their legs there. That, to me, I think is something to factor into the equation as well. West sends that one in. I think of the Broncos have a top 10 rushing offense next season, though, sir. They will, I think, have a great shot at winning the AFC West. I like that.

Starting point is 00:07:47 Great one sending there from West. This one might be a little controversial. Larry Vaughn sends in this takes as the Broncos get their running back in the draft, but Sean Pate. and tries to play the Joker card too many times, and our run game is non-existent yet again. I disagree with this one because just being around Sean and knowing at the end of the season when we talk to him and everything kind of building up to the NFL draft next week,

Starting point is 00:08:12 he has emphasized that the run game has to be better. I think the issues that we've seen with the run game, look, Sean has gone away from it at times where it has worked. I'm not ignoring that. But primarily, I don't think Sean had confidence over on that room led by Giovante as the rusher. for them to really kind of commit to it, which is not an ideal thing.

Starting point is 00:08:31 You still need to find a way to commit to the run, even if it's not working. You have to be patient with it. I don't think Sean was patient with it. But I don't think that it's going to be non-existent this year. I think it'll be very existing. What do you think of Larry's take here? I agree with what you said, Cody.

Starting point is 00:08:46 I really feel like the reason why the Broncos running game was struggling so badly last year and even the year before is because they just didn't really trust Javante Williams. I think he was that guy. that you felt like you had to have him on the field because he was the one guy that didn't really telegraph what you were trying to do offensively. You could have done anything. You could have thrown. You could have run. You could have done play action, all these sorts of things. Everybody else, there's a bit of a tell, right? We talked about that early last season with Jalil McLaughlin,

Starting point is 00:09:15 with Adrick Estime. How much of a threat was he as a receiver out of the backfield? So when he's on the field, I think teams are kind of assuming you're going to run the ball. With Javante, you kept teams at least on their heels a little bit. And we saw over the course of the the season. Bo Nix, I mean, he threw the ball an astronomical number of times compared to what many people figured what happened when he was coming out of Oregon. They figured that, well, he's going to be carried by a running game. No, he actually threw a very high volume of passes last season because the Broncos couldn't trust their running game. So the more you can trust the running game, I think the more Sean Payton is going to be willing to lean into that, strategically speaking,

Starting point is 00:09:52 over the course of a 17 game season here in 2025. I think Sean and everyone understand. the importance of a run game in today's NFL because what is it equate to? You have an efficient run game and you have a smothering defense the way that the Broncos do, especially right now on paper, that can that manages your, your clock that gives you an advantage, you know, in the clock management situation. If you control the time of possession and you have a, you know, a two score lead there, that weighs heavily in your favor. That's the strategic way to win games going forward.

Starting point is 00:10:21 And especially if you're forcing turnovers at a high rate, stopping the opposing offense at a high rate, that right there, is what translates to, I think, postseason winning, being able to host a playoff game, winning your division, getting back into the conversation of competing for a Super Bowl. Those are the formulas. I think Sean Payton is going to recognize that here this off season. And Broncos country, we're not done. You continue to send in your takes here on takes on takes Thursday.

Starting point is 00:10:46 And one of the spicier ones, the Broncos, Kedson chiefs, week 18 for the AFC West crown, and being able to host a playoff game, that's on the line here on takes on takes. We'll react to that on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. Today's episode, Lockdown Broncos, is brought to our friends over at the Game Time app, and there is nothing like the atmosphere of an NBA playoff game, every bucket, every defensive stop, every moment. It feels huge. It's electric in the arena. And with game time, you can be part of it without the stress of last minute ticket hunting.

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Starting point is 00:12:18 Download game time today. Last-minute tickets, lowest price, guaranteed. The Broncos versus the Chiefs for the Division in 2025, week 18. Could we see potentially the division on the line at the end of the year this coming year? We're looking into the crystal ball and we're reacting to your takes on today's episode, Locked on Broncos and Broncos Country. Thanks so much for all of you who make Locked on Broncos your first listen of the day every single day.

Starting point is 00:12:46 Happy one week away from the NFL draft. We are finally almost there and we'll be able to discuss the newest members of the team here on the show and the impact and fallout of bringing those guys in. Cody, of course, there's a lot going on with the Broncos right now in terms of team building. We don't even know the schedule yet, but I love the take that was sent in by Lou, our good friend, Lou, that the Broncos and the chiefs, the schedule makers, they're going to orchestrate it. So these two teams will face each other in week 18, right? But not only are they going to face each other in week 18, it's going to be with the AFC West on the line.

Starting point is 00:13:23 This past year, it was the playoffs on the line for the Denver Broncos. Chiefs bench their starters. Broncos absolutely blew them out. What about this take right here? What if it's Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs? The reigning, you know, AFC champions going maybe to Denver in week 18. I would love to see that with the division on the line.

Starting point is 00:13:43 That would be some serious theatrics. Yeah, I mean, I would love that. I'm going to add a little twist. Let's say it's at Arrowhead for the Marbles, right? Week 18, Bow Nicks versus Patrick Mahomes. Winner goes, you know, obviously the Chiefs will probably still end up the playoffs, but probably not, we know, obviously have the higher seed there. I can't imagine, you know, the Chiefs would do as bad as to miss the playoffs.

Starting point is 00:14:04 But I think Nick's Mahomes matchup could be the perfect passing of the torch opportunity where, hey, the Chief's time has passed. The Broncos are here. I love that. That would be an ideal scenario here. And obviously, I think that would kind of change the perspective on a lot of people. Now, that means that the Broncos, they have to continue to find a way to take care of business. They've got to find a way to win double-digit games because this is going to be a division

Starting point is 00:14:27 with the AFC West, where 10 wins isn't just going to be enough to winning the division. I think it's going to take you 12, maybe 13 wins to win this division entirely. But you also have to hope, too, like that's where, you know, the regular season schedule comes in handy. You know, the chiefs have opportunities to drop off a little bit, to lose some games and it increases your chances as well. So can the Broncos find a way to turn those games last season where they lost one score games? Can they turn those into wins? One of those games was on the road at Arrowhead against Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs here. So I'm all with it, Sarah.

Starting point is 00:15:00 I think for the division title, the storylines would be great. And obviously, I think that 18th game, I mean, obviously that last regular season game, Week 18, what people are doing, I think the NFL, the schedule makers, are always making it a divisional game because I think you want to go into that last week of the regular season and be in a situation where there is something to play for. You mentioned obviously the Broncos had the playoffs to play for, but so many teams in that last week, they have. have a lot to play for some teams who obviously take care of business and have a,

Starting point is 00:15:26 you know, a cleaner record or you know, guaranteed lock for a first round buy, whatever may be. They don't have as much to play for it. So when you're good, you take care of business, you don't ever have to be in a situation like that. Week 18, Broncos chiefs Sunday night football at Arrowhead Stadium for the division. I like that. That's a great take sent in here by our good friend, Lou. Let's get to our next one here.

Starting point is 00:15:47 Jason sends one in. And I'll preface this by saying this is probably one, sir. I don't agree with. I think this line of thinking is, you know, I understand where fans are coming from with it. I just can't get on board with this one. Jason says the Broncos should explore trading Nick Benito to San Francisco, Indianapolis, or Atlanta,

Starting point is 00:16:07 and secure their running back tight end of the future or use two first round picks to trade up with Jacksonville to select Ashton Genty. I'm not a big fan of, you know, trading away a superstar player, a guy who's a budding superstar for draft capital that is or is not guaranteed to be, you know, a necessary hit. But just to move up as well, just to move up for a running back or a tight end. I don't like this. Well, I don't like to rob Paul, Sare to pay Peter.

Starting point is 00:16:33 I cannot get on board with Jason's take care. Yeah, it's a little bit easier to stomach the idea of trading draft picks. You know, you never know what you don't have. Like nobody in Broncos country is lamenting not having Devin Witherspoon right now. Nobody in Broncos country is lamenting not having Charles. Charles Cross right now. Those are, of course, the guys that the picks that were traded to acquire Russell Wilson once upon a time.

Starting point is 00:16:57 And of course, you'd love to have those picks back. You'd love to have, you know, maybe built the team with those picks and things like that. But this is the, this is an interesting idea. I don't agree with training for Nick Benito, but I think the discussion about trading up for Genti is, is fascinating because we talked about the blue chip guys in the previous segment and Genty is maybe the best player in this draft overall. I think that's, I mean, other than Travis Hunter, and he's up there in terms of, you know, right now the running back position has increased substantially in value.

Starting point is 00:17:29 We saw how much it helped teams like the Eagles, the Packers, the Ravens to add to their running back room. Is it worth it for the Denver Broncos to mortgage a little bit of their future to trade up for Gentie, who I can't remember who he did the interview with Cody, but I saw a clip, there's a clip going around Twitter where he says that the Broncos and the Raiders have shown the most interest in him. the course of the pre-draft process. Now, I'm not sure he's supposed to say that.

Starting point is 00:17:53 I'm sure his agent got a call and was like, hey, stop doing the interviews. You know what I'm saying? Because we're trying to work out, work out this deal. But I find it fascinating that I don't know if you trade up to the top five, but inside the top 10, would you give up a future first round pick to get Ashton Gentie? That's a tough one right there. I mean, it really depends, right? Like, I think Denver can make do.

Starting point is 00:18:17 I mean, we've seen they've found a way in the last couple of draft. to make do with not having a second round or not having, you know, a first rounder initially. I think they've done a really good job. I mean, Ashon Payton's first year, they traded. They didn't have a first or a second round pick, but they traded into the back end of round number two to get Marvin Mims. They traded, you know, up again to get, you know, Riley Moss in round number three. They had a couple of third round picks there with obviously Drew Sanders and Riley Moss in that situation. So for me, it's like, all right, if Denver doesn't have a, like I think the roster right now that Denver has,

Starting point is 00:18:46 foundationally, I think is very stable. So for me, I would be okay with trading away a first round pick if you can move up to get a guy like an Ashton Genty. Would you do that to get like a guy like Colston Loveland? I'm not sure I would. I mean, it's tough. It's a tough debate to have here. I think we definitely took this take and kind of twisted it into something,

Starting point is 00:19:07 you know, I think a little bit more of our own here. But no, like for Ashton Genty, I would. But the idea, like I don't know if Denver is going to be able to do just that. What would that look like here? Because they'd have to jump in front of the Raiders. What if the Raiders want to trade up if they feel like a team could try to get them? I know Jacksonville is a spot that people talked about. Would Denver maybe swap with Jacksonville, pick number 20, next year's first round pick to be able to do that?

Starting point is 00:19:33 That's a steep price. I don't know if the Jaguars where they're at right now with obviously a new head coach, new obviously general manager there. If they're in a position to sit there and say, hey, we're going to part with this capital. That would have to be an agreement you'd have to establish. with that organization. But I think all signs point to the Raiders going with Ashton Genty and for the Broncos being

Starting point is 00:19:53 at 20, that's hard to do. I would not be comfortable with trading away a player for that. But I would be okay with trading a first round pick and swapping a pick in your first rounder this year. Maybe even adding another one there just to be able to do that to get that guy. But how realistic is that probably not going to happen here, Branco's country. But obviously, we appreciate the takes sent in from Jason here in

Starting point is 00:20:13 in Broncos Country. Your takes continue to trickle in on today's episode show. We'll tell you why Bo Nix can be top five in MVP votes next season and what he needs to do to be in that consideration here on today's episode, Lockdown Broncos. Today's episode of Lockdown Broncos is brought to you by friends over there at LinkedIn Jobs and as a small business owner, your work doesn't end when the clock hits five. Your business is always on your mind, which means when it's time to hire, you need a partner that works just as hard as you do. That's where LinkedIn jobs comes in. When you clock out, LinkedIn clocks in. And LinkedIn makes it easy to post your job for free. Share it with your

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Starting point is 00:21:33 The fourth quarter action of today's episode, Lockdown Broncos is here and we'll dive into why Bo Nix can be in consideration as a top five in MVP voting next season. What would he need to achieve in order to get there? We'll break it all down here on today's episode. of the show real quick. I want to say thanks once again to everyone in Broncos country. All the everyday years out there. Thank you so much for tuning in making us your first listen. However, you choose to do so. Continuing on with your takes on takes, Broncos country.

Starting point is 00:22:00 We got some good ones sent in. Jonah says that Boonex will finish in the top five of MVP voting in 2025. Sarah, I think that in order for this to become a reality here, the Broncos are going to have to do several things. Bo Nix is going to have to do several things. First off, Bo will probably have to be in the top three in terms of passing touchdowns, passing yards. The Broncos will more than likely have to have a winning record, more than likely, potentially win the division, I think for this to happen.

Starting point is 00:22:31 While those things, I think to so many people outside of the Broncos fan base, I even think some national media is starting to come along on this. I think this is a possibility more so than it ever has been in recent discussion when it pertains to anybody on the Broncos. But Bonnix being top five in MVP voting would be huge for his early on success that he's already had. Yeah, where do you figure the over under starts at this? Do you think like total touchdowns? I try to think of an arbitrary number off the top of my head.

Starting point is 00:23:00 Like 40 comes to mind initially, maybe 45. I don't think. 45 and a half. 45 and a half. Okay. So you got to probably get, you know, 46 total touchdowns, which is doable in the NFL for the. elite players, you know, and if Bo Nix can take that next step in his game, what was he at this

Starting point is 00:23:18 past year? I know he had 29 past TDs. For rushing, roughly 35 total touchdown. So he's not far off because we know there was not much scoring happening in those first two games of the season. So there's definitely a chance we could see an uptick. And I think that, look, Bo can do that because he's a dual threat kind of guy. He can rush for seven, eight touchdowns or more, depending on how much the Broncos would utilize him. So I think in a very optimistic hypothetical world, we could see that jump from him. He's got the ability to do that. And we know that the Broncos offense, a lot of quick strike passes. You're going to get, you know, like we saw against the Atlanta Falcons, against Kansas City Chiefs, you'll get some opportunities where you have those quick strike

Starting point is 00:24:01 throws. The receiver does the rest, right? And they take it to the house and rack up those touchdown. So wouldn't be surprising to me, Cody, to see him enter that conversation if he, if he maintains that level of efficiency all throughout the 2025 season. Yeah, and I'd even say on top of that, too, I mean, you look at the amount of games he had with four touchdowns, zero interceptions, three touchdown, zero receptions. And it's all crazy to think that he's still, like, I know his rookie season completely gets ignored because of what Jaden Daniels did, which it shouldn't, by the way. But Bo Nix, he threw his first touchdown in week four, first touchdown, right?

Starting point is 00:24:36 So four really went three and a half weeks without throwing a touchdown. imagine like, okay, hey, if he was at that pace in which he was in the regular season, what would that have translated to in weeks one, weeks two, and weeks three from an overall touchdown standpoint? Bo Nix might have had 35, 36 passing touchdowns last season if that were the case. So I think it's very doable. We know he had the transverse process fractures in his back that impacted his ability to use his legs as a runner down the stretch that Broncos wanted to protect him.

Starting point is 00:25:03 So, I mean, you're talking about an opportunity here where he could have 30 plus touchdowns. maybe even seven or eight rushing touchdowns this upcoming season. Best case scenario. I think that's awesome. You got to aim big, shoot for the stars. If he can do those things, I think Jonah's take is very realistic. He could have maybe, you know, the opportunity to be top five in MVP votes. I mean, if I'm not mistaken, wasn't Jaden Daniels in consideration this past year for MVP in terms of voting as well?

Starting point is 00:25:31 I think that was something. It must have been on the table. So why can't Bo Nix be in that conversation when Boe actually had more passing touchdowns, more passing yards, et cetera, et cetera. I digress. We'll continue on here. Our next one comes in from Darnell. Darnell says Marvin Mims is bound to be a legit number two wide receiver this year.

Starting point is 00:25:48 Last week, somebody said Troy Franklin. Marvin Mims now in the equation here. I kind of want to turn this into how the Broncos can maybe transform him a little bit further to build on that second half stretch. Is it more so keeping him in the backfield or is there a role where you're like, hey, let's find a way to use him from time to time there, but primarily how can we get production out of Marvin when he's lined up in the slaughter on the outside? Well, it's got to be a consistent involvement in the game plan and consistent targets,

Starting point is 00:26:17 right? That was what worked over the second half of the season was just a concerted effort by the coaching staff to get him involved. You and I talked about on this show after the Seahawks game, after the Steelers game, after all those, you know, the Jets game, we're sitting here wondering, I mean, why is Lil Jordan Humphrey getting all these targets and not Marvin Mims? Why is Josh Reynolds getting targets and not Marvin Mims? What's going on here? You have this guy that you trust to go catch punts. You trust to return kickoffs.

Starting point is 00:26:50 You trust him with the ball in his hands. And yet you refuse to get the ball in his hands. I think it's just exactly what we saw down the stretch last season, a concerted effort to get him the football. Now, he's different from other wide receivers, though, because it's not like we've seen Marvin become this route running maven out there. And it's easy for me to say, I'm not a route runner. I'm not a, you know, but Broncos receivers did struggle to create separation at the catch point last year. And the only way that he was getting it was vertically down the field.

Starting point is 00:27:23 So we need more of that from him, a more complete, well-rounded game from Marvin. And I think he can take that next step. I think maybe the addition of Evan Ingram, if you get a running back or if your run game is successful, I think it opens things up for Marvin because there's times when I'm watching film on Marvin, Marvin's open, you know, but it's for split second, right? There might be pressure that negates, you know, a clean pocket for Bow. And it's like your chance to maybe get him, like Marvin may not be the first read, but he might be the third read there and he's coming open, but because of pressure,

Starting point is 00:27:51 timing, you don't necessarily get there. That's why, like, Sean is so delicate with how he constructs his offense in terms of the routes like you get a certain coverage. This is our route concept. You get a coverage change. This is how our routes within this play call, how it changes and how it's altered. And all of that, you have to know it on the fly.

Starting point is 00:28:10 Like that's the crazy part that so many people don't realize how complex the NFL is. So there's an evolution, I think, still to be had there. And Marvin's obviously taking strides. I think he can get some help if the Broncos offense gets better in a couple of those areas, tight-in production, run game production as well. I think that'll be a big key for him. to become a potential wide receiver two here. Our last one here on takes on takes Thursday,

Starting point is 00:28:32 Codiac Bronco sends in adding a legit middle of the field weapon like Evan Ingram or another tight end in the draft or slot wide receiver in the draft is going to have a trickle down effect and make the run game so much better. I agree by definition. I mean, Sarah, this is probably one of the more important things that we've been calling for here for the Broncos offense in how many years? You have to have complementary football and the Broncos simply haven't had that. they got the pieces where I think they can start to complement this offense and open things up,

Starting point is 00:29:01 I think especially for the run game. When you have more players who are threats with the ball in their hands, it keeps defenses guessing way more often. That's the reality is that last year, the offense was Bonix carrying things. And it relied heavily on the scheme in order to be able to, hey, Bo Nix has to hit the deep dagger route down the field. They're really relying on their quick passing game. They're really relying on, you know, this concept or that concept.

Starting point is 00:29:30 When you can stop relying so much on concepts and start relying more on talented players, that is going to lead to offensive success that ripples down through every player on the roster. You and I have talked about how much Evan Ingram helps even Cortland Sutton, having those guys all out on the field at the same time, and then handing the ball to somebody like Ashton Gentie or Travion Henderson or Amerian Hampton or whoever the heck it may be, if you've got Sutton and Engram, and MIMS and all these other guys out there that can create offense. Now all of a sudden you're saying,

Starting point is 00:30:02 hey, we're going to run to the perimeter where these guys are good blockers on the outside and they can take defensive backs out of the mix. It's just it keeps everybody on their heels defensively and gives you such an advantage. So upgrading, that's why, that's the short reason why upgrading the talent department offensively is so critical, or offensively, excuse me, is so critical for the Broncos in this draft. Yeah. And look, I think flexibility, foundation options, the Broncos, they have all of this right now.

Starting point is 00:30:31 And I think they have good pieces around Bone Knicks. And you can only add more pieces. I think that will help you probably put together the puzzle that is how do you figure out how to sustain this thing long term. And I think that's where George Payton, John Payton, they've always had these meeting of the minds approaches where they are envisioning what they can do this year. But it's also what can we do next year? What can we do two years from now? Three years from now. It's about being in the present, but also forward thinking.

Starting point is 00:30:56 And that's where the Broncos are at. And I think that this is going to be a draft that's coming up next week that will, I think, give us a really great insight into where the team views their future and the direction in which they're heading and where they are going to prioritize, maybe growing this roster further. I mean, right now they have one of the highest paid defenses in football. You got a lot of highly paid players there. You got guys on that side of the ball that are coming up with extensions in the near future.

Starting point is 00:31:22 So how do you build this offense? it's the right way. That is the challenge. We'll see if the Broncos can find a way to do just that. But with that said, Broncos country, that'll wrap up today's episode of show. We appreciate you as always for tuning in and giving your takes here on takes on takes Thursday. For all you every dayers tomorrow, there's a lot of jam pack stuff going on here on the lockdown Broncos podcast. You're going to get our locked on NFL mock draft where we sat down and we looked at the board

Starting point is 00:31:47 based on every host around the locked on NFL network. They made their picks. We made our pick at pick number 21. You'll get that on tomorrow's episode of lockdown Broncos. And you'll get an NFL squad reaction show as well here wherever you get your podcast. Broncos country. We'll see you then for another episode of the show.

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