Lammey: 3 looming questions for Denver Broncos after 2018 Senior Bowl

The Houston Texans-coached South team beat the Denver Broncos-led North team 45-16 in the 2018 Reese’s Senior Bowl on Saturday, but in my 12 years of attending this event, I’ve learned the game doesn’t mean as much as the week of practice.

Not only is the week of practice important, but there is a lot of buzz that builds (or is created) in Mobile. Nearly everyone from the NFL scouting community is in attendance, and information starts to be tossed around by those in the know.

Broncos general manager John Elway is tasked with guiding his team through the unknowns of the offseason as they look to get back to the postseason in 2018. It’s going to be interesting to see how Elway approaches the offseason plan in free agency and the draft.

“There are a lot more unknowns going into the draft than there is in free agency,” Elway said. “We’ll look at all of the holes that we do have, see what’s available and also how everything fits with what we want to do and the value that’s there. Trying to manipulate everything to where we get the best bang for our buck when it comes down to cap dollars as well as the best football team.”

Here are the three biggest questions that still remain after this year’s Senior Bowl:

Quarterback conundrum

At this point, there is no telling whether the Broncos will add a starting quarterback via free agency or the 2018 NFL draft.

The top two quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl, Josh Allen (Wyoming) and Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma), put on a show for NFL executives in attendance. Both have question marks surrounding their skill sets, and there is a small chance that neither one of these players are available when the Broncos select with the fifth-overall pick.

In the free agent market, it sounds like the Washington Redskins will not let Kirk Cousins go without getting something for him in return. The buzz is that Washington will transition tag Cousins then put him on the trade block.

The Broncos may move on to Minnesota Vikings quarterback Case Keenum, but there’s a good chance that he’s franchise tagged after leading his team to the NFC Championship.

Will the Broncos add a quarterback in the draft or will they add one in free agency? I’m expecting them to do both.

Who those players are remains a mystery after the Senior Bowl.

Running back at the top?

There is buzz building that the Broncos want to select Penn State running back Saquon Barkley in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft. It would be surprising to see Barkley fall past the Indianapolis Colts’ third-overall pick, so the Broncos may have to move up if they want the potential superstar back.

Barkley is seen as the best back in this rich draft class. Because of the quality of backs available, the Broncos could choose to wait until the second round to add a player like Sony Michel from Georgia.

While Barkley is like David Johnson (Arizona Cardinals), Michel reminds some in the scouting community of LeSean McCoy (Buffalo Bills). Either back would be a great pick for the Broncos, but the value is clearly with Michel instead of Barkley.

Is Aqib Talib cut or traded?

Early last week, WalterFootball.com’s Charlie Campbell reported the Broncos would “probably shop Talib this offseason,” news of the All-Pro cornerback’s uncertain future in Denver resurfaced again Sunday.

Talib seems to have worn out his welcome with the Broncos.

Per Spotrac.com, Talib has a $12 million cap number in 2018, but there’s only $1 million remaining in dead money on his contract. That’s a good contract in terms of annual average salary, and it might be close to the market value Talib would get if on the open market.

Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reported that three general managers he talked to at theSenior Bowl would be willing to wait out the Broncos to acquire Talib after he was released.

Teams could wait it out for a likely eventual release of Talib, but if multiple teams are interested then some team might be tempted to trade a draft pick or a player for the veteran corner.

Traded or released is the question, but it seems like there’s no question Talib has played his last down with the Broncos.

Follow @CecilLammey