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The 10 mistakes that have led the Broncos into the abyss

Sep 30, 2019, 11:17 AM

How does a team go from hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in February 2016 to being on the brink of reaching an all-time nadir just 32 months later? A lot of missteps have taken the Broncos from the pinnacle following Super Bowl 50 to being one loss away from the worst start to a season in franchise history.

Some of the mistakes have been massive. Others have been small. But they’ve all added up to an eight-game losing streak, an 0-4 start on the heels of the first back-to-back losing seasons in more than four decades, and a franchise that is nosediving.

To help understand how the Broncos went from the mountaintop to the cellar, here’s an overview of the 10 blunders that have gotten them to the quandary they’re currently in:

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1. Letting Peyton Manning retire with one year remaining on his contract (March 2016)
Statistically, Manning’s final season in Denver wasn’t a good one. But that had much more to do with Gary Kubiak forcing a square peg into a round hole, as asking No. 18 to run an offense from under center at that stage of his career was asinine. When asked to do what he did best during that 2015 season, Manning was still his old self; a game-tying touchdown drive in Week 2 at Kansas City was a prime example. But instead of coaxing the future Hall of Fame quarterback for one final year by allowing him to do what he was comfortable doing, John Elway and Company were ready to turn the page. They were anxious to turn the reins over to Brock Osweiler, a player they thought was better suited to run Kubiak’s offense.

2. Not having a backup plan in place if Brock Osweiler didn’t re-sign (March 2016)
As silly as it was to let Manning walk out the door, it was even more ridiculous considering the fact that the heir apparent wasn’t signed, sealed and delivered. Elway thought he could ink Osweiler to a long-term deal, underestimating how upset the quarterback was about being benched in Week 17 when Manning returned. As a result of those hurt feelings, Osweiler took the money and ran to Houston, leaving the Broncos with a huge void. Suddenly, they didn’t have a quarterback on the roster with any experience, forcing them to explore journeyman veterans, draft choices and inexperienced backups as options.

3. Letting Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan leave via free agency (March 2016)
Keeping together a championship-caliber team is impossible; winning creates opportunities for players on the roster, as other teams will offer them big money in a hope to tap into the mojo. Unable to keep everyone, it’s vital to keep the right players. On that front, the Broncos whiffed. They re-signed Derek Wolfe and Brandon Marshall, letting Jackson and Trevathan leave via free agency. In hindsight, Jackson and Trevathan were bigger parts of what made the Super Bowl 50 defense so good; they brought the swagger and nasty that was needed, something Wolfe and Marshall couldn’t match.

4. Drafting Paxton Lynch (April 2016)
After Manning retired and Osweiler bolted for Houston, the Broncos were desperate for a new plan at quarterback. They became enamored with Lynch, an athletic quarterback out of Memphis who seemed perfectly suited to run Kubiak’s offense, so they traded up in the first round to pick their “QB of the future.” It never worked out, as Lynch was overwhelmed from the get-go by an NFL playbook, after running a system in college that featured a whopping eight plays. In addition, the young quarterback’s lack of work ethic and mental toughness spelled doom, as he lasted just two season in Denver.

5. Deciding to defend a Super Bowl title with a quarterback who only had taken one snap in the NFL (September 2016)
Heading into training camp 2016, the plan was for veteran Mark Sanchez to be at the helm to start the season, allowing time for rookie Paxton Lynch to develop. But during the preseason, Kubiak made the same mistake he and Mike Shanahan did in 1999, convincing themselves that a quarterback who was great at the whiteboard was the answer on the field. As a result, they went with Trevor Siemian as their starter, despite the fact that he had one kneel down on his career resume. That’s it. Sanchez wasn’t great in the preseason, but he outplayed Siemian, despite what the Broncos tried to tell everyone. The smart move would’ve been starting the season with an experienced quarterback.

6. Hiring Vance Joseph (January 2017)
After somehow getting the Broncos to a 9-7 record in 2016 with Trevor Siemian at quarterback, Gary Kubiak resigned as the team’s head coach, citing health reasons. When it came time to replace him, John Elway decided to go with Joseph, a coach who brought only one year as a defensive coordinator to the job. Joseph was overwhelmed from day one, as he never seemed to know for sure what he wanted to implement. He was forced to hire Mike McCoy as his offensive coordinator, a decision that proved disastrous. And he didn’t seem to have much say in terms of personnel (see No. 9 on this list).

7. Letting Wade Phillips leave for Los Angeles (January 2017)
Things might’ve gone better for Joseph if the Broncos had kept an experience coach on his staff. No one would’ve been a better choice than Phillips, the architect of the defense that led the Broncos to a win in Super Bowl 50. But when the Rams offered the long-time defensive coordinator big money to join Sean McVay’s staff in Los Angeles, the Broncos decided to go a much-cheaper route, promoting Joe Woods to be the DC under Joseph. Phillips took his talents to L.A. and helped the Rams reach the Super Bowl two years later. Meanwhile, Woods was in over his head, as Denver’s once-mighty defense was torched by the Jets, George Kittle and others.

8. Drafting Garett Bolles (April 2017)
For years, the Broncos tried to piece together an offensive line via free agency. It worked when Peyton Manning was the quarterback, as he helped overcome the team’s deficiencies in the trenches. But at No. 18 retired, the practice became a mess. In 2016, Denver missed on Russell Okung and Donald Stephenson. A year later, they overspent on Ron Leary and Menelik Watson. Prior to last season, they tried to fill a hole with Jared Veldheer. And this year, it was Ja’Wuan James. Miss. Miss. Miss. Miss. Miss. Miss. Of course, they haven’t been much better in the draft. In 2017, they took Bolles at No. 20 overall, who has been a resounding disappointment.

9. Cutting T.J. Ward (September 2017)
The final cutdown prior to the 2017 season went from ho-hum to dramatic in the blink of an eye, once it became apparent that the Broncos were parting ways with the veteran safety. It was news to Ward, news to Vance Joseph and news to his teammates. And it didn’t go over well. To say it resulted in a revolt in the locker room would be an overstatement, but it certainly caused a rift between the players and the front office. And it undermined Joseph, as the head coach clearly wasn’t the person making the decision. Yet he was forced to try to sell it to the media and the team, which didn’t go well.

10. Signing Case Keenum (March 2018)
After two seasons of trying to making due with Trevor Siemian at quarterback, the Broncos decided to upgrade at the most-important position in sports. The notion was correct, but the execution was poor. Unfortunately for the Broncos, they decided to give a two-year, $36-million to a journeyman quarterback who was coming off of a few magical games in Minnesota. Not only was Keenum that ready for primetime, as has been proven again this year in Washington, but his presence on the roster prevented Denver from thinking long-term with the No. 5 overall pick in a quarterback-rich draft.

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