Lammey: How the Broncos addressed biggest weaknesses from 2016
Jun 27, 2017, 2:19 PM
The Denver Broncos did not get back to the playoffs in 2016. After winning Super Bowl 50, Denver could not find the answers necessary to get back to the postseason. For the first time since 2010, the Broncos failed to win the AFC West.
And changes needed to be made.
Changes happened with the retirement of head coach Gary Kubiak and the hiring of his replacement, Vance Joseph. A one-year defensive coordinator with the Miami Dolphins, Joseph brings a no-nonsense attitude to the coaching staff.
Joseph takes over a team that is hungry to prove they can still be one of the best in the NFL, but he has work to do in order to get them back to championship form.
The Broncos had weaknesses that had to be strengthened this offseason. They have used both free agency and the draft to add talent in order to fill those holes.
Here’s how the Broncos have addressed their two biggest weaknesses from 2016:
Broncos run defense needed help
Denver used a combination of processes to fix the problem they had last year of stopping the run.
In 2016, the Broncos ranked 26th in the NFL in rush defense and allowed 130.3 rushing yards per game. While their pass defense is the best in the league, the rush defense was gashed by opponents on a regular basis.
In free agency, they added guys like Zach Kerr to the defensive mix. Kerr can play defensive end or defensive tackle, and his main job will be keeping containment on the outside.
While Derek Wolfe can keep contain and rush the passer, guys on the other side like Kerr (or Jared Crick, Adam Gotsis, etc) should be merely asked to keep the play inside of them.
The biggest difference on the defensive line should be the addition of veteran nose guard Domata Peko.
Last year, Sylvester Williams didn’t do much to hold the point of attack while simultaneously failing to get much push on the quarterback. Peko won’t create much interior pressure, but, at 325 pounds, he’ll be difficult to move off the ball.
Having Peko inside taking up space on run downs will help free up the linebackers at the second level of the defense. Instead of having blockers get on them after the snap, Peko should be able to keep guys like Todd Davis clean so they can diagnose the play and get to the ball carrier swiftly and forcefully.
Are the offensive line woes fixed?
The Broncos added Donald Stephenson last year in free agency to be their starting right tackle, but, after a year of struggles, they’ve moved on.
Stephenson accepted a pay cut earlier this year to stay with the team, but he doesn’t seem to be in the plans at right tackle anymore.
One of their biggest signings (literally) this offseason was right tackle Menelik Watson. He’s a mountain of a man, measuring in at 6-foot-5, 315 pounds.
Watson has been held back by various injuries as a pro, but, if healthy, he can be a dominant run blocker on the right side.
The exclusive starter with the first team this entire offseason through OTAs and mandatory minicamp, Watson’s locked into the job and, if he can stay healthy, should provide an upgrade over Stephenson in 2017.
But it’s not only the right side of the line that needs help.
After letting Russell Okung walk in free agency, the Broncos needed to find a new starting left tackle. That position is shaping up to be either Ty Sambrailo or Garrett Bolles.
Sambrailo, a second-round pick for the Broncos in the 2015 NFL draft, began his career starting at left tackle for an injured Ryan Clady but only made it through three games before getting hurt.
Elbow and shoulder problems have plagued his pro career since, but Sambrailo is finally healthy and has added the upper-body strength he so desperately needed.
Bolles was the team’s first-round pick this year, and many have assumed he’s going to be the Week 1 starter at left tackle.
He didn’t get handed the opportunity, as Bolles was nowhere near the first-team unit when OTAs opened up earlier this year. However, it didn’t take long for him to get some work with the starters as OTAs went on.
Entering training camp, there should be a 50-50 battle for the starting left tackle position.
At age 26, Bolles isn’t your typical rookie. He’s got the maturity and professionalism that some in his draft class just don’t yet possess.
Bolles has even been getting tips from fellow first-round picks, like superstar linebacker Von Miller. During mandatory minicamp, Miller could be seen coaching up Bolles on the sideline.
It’s that type of guidance that could help him win the job and be the franchise left tackle in which the team has been searching.
