Denver Broncos: 5 Players Who Will Benefit Most from a Full Offseason

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A short offseason is hard on everyone, but developing a core of young stars is particularly difficult to do without a full complement of offseason training and preparation.

The Denver Broncos, with a new coaching staff and a slew of new offensive and defensive contributors, would undoubtedly have benefited greatly from a lockout-free offseason.

This year, they will have it.

When the Broncos take the field for the preseason in August, Tim Tebow will be the starting quarterback, and he'll also have a group of players around him who have had ample time to prepare, grow and develop as a team.

With so many of the Broncos' most notable players last year being in either their first or second year in the league, the team will be sure to tighten up during the 2012 offseason workouts and training camps.

Here are five Broncos' players who will be the greatest beneficiaries of the 2012 offseason.

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Jeremiah Johnson

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Jeremiah Johnson fit in nicely with Tim Tebow's option-style offense. While he didn't have a lot of touches in his first year of action, he may have an opportunity for a bigger role as Denver's third-string running back this coming season.

If Knowshon Moreno's time in Denver is over, expect Jeremiah Johnson to take on a more prominent role, especially if Denver spends their draft picks shoring up other areas of the offense and defense.

Quinton Carter

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Quinton Carter played in all 16 games for the Denver Broncos last season, accumulating 56 tackles and a crucial interception in the AFC Wild Card playoff game against Pittsburgh.

If Carter gets to play alongside Brian Dawkins again next year, expect him to mature significantly and to be a more reliable safety net for Dawkins to make more plays near the line of scrimmage.

Eric Decker

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Before the rise of Demaryius Thomas towards the end of the season, Eric Decker was Tebow's favorite target and most productive receiver.

If he and Thomas are again the No. 1 and No. 2 receivers in Denver, or even in the top four, Decker will benefit from an offseason getting in sync with Tebow and having a consistent, quarterback controversy-less offense.

Demaryius Thomas

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Whether Thomas will emerge as the clear cut No. 1 receiver in Denver is yet to be known; however, his late-season surge and playoff heroics have definitely put him into the spotlight of the Broncos receiving core.

Like Decker, he'll be sure to improve chemistry with Tebow during the offseason and will solidify the foundation of Denver's offense with a full year of playing time in the same scheme.

Tim Tebow

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Perhaps no one will benefit more from a proper offseason than Tim Tebow.

Tebow found himself in a completely revamped offense midseason, without so much as a few weeks to get familiar with his new role and his team's new offense. Though it was designed to suit his strengths, having almost zero preparation made it difficult for Tebow and his teammates to adjust.

It should go without saying, giving Tebow an entire year to refine his position and gather his team under one offensive game plan will make him, and the Broncos as a whole, a far more threatening team in 2012.