Reassessing Broncos' Offseason Plan and Breaking Down What's Left to Address

The Denver Broncos are constructing what they hope is a championship roster in 2015. The journey has a huge stop at the end of the month with the 2015 NFL draft held in Chicago.

They’ve had some tough decisions to make along the way, including what to do with their own players that were set to hit the open market. The NFL is a business, and sometimes players who fit and who want to stay with the team for a discounted price cannot be kept. It’s a cold-hearted reality of the NFL, and players know to take nothing personal in the process.

In addition to their own free agents, the Broncos had to look at the market of other available players and decide which of them would be worth adding to the roster. Without the salary-cap room they had last offseason, the Broncos had to be a bit more frugal in 2015. This means they were immediately out of the race with big-name free agents. Instead, they had to find players who provided value in their ability.

The Broncos used their ability to trade in order to add more talent to the roster as well. They’ve done an admirable job of finding the right players for the right price this offseason—but their construction of the roster is not done.

Let’s take a look at where they’re currently at in the process and what is left to address before the start of the regular season.

Free Agents Kept

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The Broncos first had to decide which of their 13 unrestricted free agents they would keep around for the 2015 season. This meant expensive players—or players who didn’t fit their new offensive and defensive systems—had to go.

One of the most important free agents they had on their roster was tight end Virgil Green. A seventh-round pick in 2011, Green has worked hard to become the best blocking tight end on the roster. In Gary Kubiak’s offense, the utilization of two tight ends is essentially the base formation.

Green is a fantastic blocker, but Broncos fans need to know that he’s an underrated receiver. There’s little doubt that he could post career-best numbers as a receiver working under the guidance of Kubiak.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Broncos decided to keep linebacker Steven Johnson. They didn’t tender him as a restricted free agent, and the one-year contract he ended up signing is likely lower than the lowest tender of $1.54 million.

Johnson is a standout special teams player, and he provides the team veteran depth at linebacker. He’s a hard-hitting run-stuffer, and Johnson has an aggressive playing style that should thrive under new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.

Free-Agent Additions

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Next, the Broncos had to look outside their own roster to see what players would be available in their price range. As previously stated, the team didn’t have a bunch of cash falling out of their pockets, so they had to find some bargains on the open market.

Offensively, arguably the best outside free-agent signing is tight end Owen Daniels. He’s worked under Kubiak for almost every snap of his pro career, and Daniels will get a featured role in this offense.

Daniels may not be the same player he used to be, but he can get open on underneath routes and has reliable hands. It won’t be a surprise to see Daniels become a favorite target for Peyton Manning in 2015.

On the defensive side of the ball, one of the best free-agent additions is defensive lineman Antonio Smith. Like many other free agents added by the Broncos this offseason, Smith has experience playing for Kubiak, as he was a member of the Houston Texans from 2009 to 2013.

Last year for the Oakland Raiders, Smith played a lot of snaps at defensive tackle and struggled to impress. This season, Phillips should slide Smith back to defensive end, where he’ll serve as a rotational player. Smith can get after the quarterback from the outside, plus he does a good job of setting the edge as a run defender.

Trading for Talent

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Instead of adding a free agent, the Broncos made the move to acquire talent via trade earlier this year. They looked at the players who will compete at the center position and decided to add more talent.

That’s why they made the move to acquire center Gino Gradkowski from the Baltimore Ravens. They gave up a 2016 fourth-round pick to acquire him, and they also got a 2016 fifth-round pick in return.

Gradkowski was supposed to be the Ravens' answer at center after All-Pro Matt Birk retired. He started every game in 2013, and Gradkowski made improvements as the season went on. However, the Ravens wasted little time in replacing him as the starter. Gradkowski barely played in 2014 as Jeremy Zuttah started every game for Baltimore in the middle.

Kubiak must have seen something he liked in Gradkowski during practice with the Ravens last year. The price the Broncos paid to acquire Gradkowski was not outrageous.

He’s certainly a player with developmental upside, but Gradkowski has yet to play up to his potential as a pro. We’ll see if he can finally do that with Denver this year. Gradkowski will compete with Matt Paradis and Manny Ramirez for the starting center job.

What Needs Remain?

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Even though they’ve made several moves this offseason, the Broncos still have needs on both sides of the ball.

On offense, the team needs to find a quarterback of the future if they don’t extend the contract of Brock Osweiler. Manning likely has one year left, although he has two years remaining on his deal. Osweiler’s rookie contract expires after this season, and Denver will be high and dry without him unless they make a move.

The offensive line still has a massive hole on the right side at tackle. Yes, second-year pro Michael Schofield is going to be given a chance to win the job. He’ll compete with veteran Chris Clark in training camp, and don’t be surprised if the Broncos add another right tackle this offseason.

The Broncos added Dixie State tight end Joe Don Duncan earlier this year after he worked out for the team at fullback. They also signed veteran James Casey earlier this month, and he could compete at fullback, H-back or tight end. However, look for the Broncos to further address the fullback position at some point in the future.

On defense, the Broncos would be wise to add more depth at nose tackle. Currently, Sylvester Williams and Marvin Austin sit at that spot. Yes, Smith could move inside to nose tackle on passing downs, but it would be nice to have more bodies to compete for playing time at the position.

In the secondary, the Broncos might look for more safety help. They added Darian Stewart in free agency earlier this year, and there has been some conversation about putting second-year corner Bradley Roby at free safety in certain packages. It wouldn’t hurt to add more talent at safety.

The Plan for the Draft

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In less than three weeks, the Broncos will add more talent via the 2015 NFL draft. Almost every mock draft you can find for the Broncos has them taking a right tackle in the first round of the draft—and for good reason. Right tackle is arguably the biggest weak spot on the roster at this time.

General manager John Elway has done a good job of finding talent in the mid-to-late rounds of the draft, and he should do that once again this year. However, he needs to find impact players with his early picks. If a right tackle is their pick in the first round, it would be best if he ended up winning the starting job for the Broncos.

In the mid rounds of the draft, expect the Broncos to add the best player available—regardless of position.

The Broncos have identified raw talent before at key positions on the final day of the draft—or even after the draft. They’ve given guys like Julius Thomas and Chris Harris the time to develop into stars. Broncos fans should be excited for players taken late in the draft because they could become household names someday soon.

Summary

The Broncos are going to have a different look and feel on both offense and defense this season.

They have a new head coach in Kubiak, a new offensive coordinator in Rick Dennison and a new defensive coordinator in Phillips. This team will run the ball more in 2015, and they’ll play a much more aggressive style of defense this year.

One constant remains—Elway.

The Broncos have put their faith in Elway, and he wants to reward the franchise with a Super Bowl championship. We’ll see if this offseason plan turns into regular-season success in 2015.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos' media department unless otherwise noted.

Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions. Draft grades provided by NFLDraftScout.com.