Between now and the end of August, TGS will offer up a quick snapshot of every NFL team heading into the 2015 regular season. Today, the Denver Broncos.
2014 in a nutshell: The Broncos win 12-plus games for the third consecutive season with Peyton Manning, but Manning goes cold down the stretch and Denver falls on its face in a divisional-round loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
Why 2015 could be different: Manning — the league’s oldest starting position player — was dealing with injury issues last season. But he has reportedly looking very healthy this offseason. Plus, John Elway got fed up and replaced head coach John Fox with Gary Kubiak.
Major additions: Kubiak, new offensive coordinator Rick Dennison and immensely undervalued new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, who almost always delivers in that role.
Major losses: 2014 starters Terrance Knighton, Julius Thomas, Orlando Franklin and Rahim Moore are all gone, and they’ve also already lost Pro Bowl left tackle Ryan Clady to a torn ACL.
Breakout watch: Virgil Green, because somebody’s gotta replace Julius Thomas. Also keep an eye on 2013 first-round nose tackle Sylvester Williams.
Position to watch: It’ll be interesting to see what Phillips gets out of his linebackers. Danny Trevathan and Brandon Marshall both have a lot of talent but small sample sizes as starters and have been hampered this offseason as they recover from injuries. Throw in the aged DeMarcus Ware and the enigmatic Von Miller on the outside and you have a very intriguing group.
Prediction: A weird transition at coaching staff, lots of offseason losses and Manning’s age all concern me, especially with the Chargers and Chiefs looking solid. Don’t be surprised if Denver limps to a division title and once again goes one-and-done in the playoffs.
