Reboot!

It's been a few weeks but it looks like the Broncos have finalized what they are doing in terms of cleaning up the house. The Broncos officially released Russel Wilson on March 13. We will still be paying him $53 Million this upcoming year and $32 Million in the upcoming year. It was a move that everyone saw coming. I wish Russ the best in Pittsburgh but this is a necessary step in beginning our rebuild. One move that I did not see coming was releasing Justin Simmons. Simmons had played 8 seasons for the Broncos and there was speculation that his time as a Broncos was nearing an end but I don't think people thought it would be this soon. It certainly is a tough pill to swallow especially when you release the staple of your defense but the Broncos did a good job filling the Safety void fairly quickly as they signed Brandon Jones from the Dolphins for 3 years and 20 Million dollars fully guaranteed. He was graded a 76.8 last year by Pff. For reference, Simmons had a grade of 67.9. Jones is also younger and with the core of Locke and Sterns, this is a solid group of safeties. Then the move that all Broncos fans saw coming from a mile away. The Broncos traded Jeudy to the Browns for a 5th and 5th round. The picks in return do not seem very intriguing but after his production last year, it seems reasonable. I wish Russ, Jeudy, and Simmons the best on their new teams and hopefully, both sides will benefit from this.

Now let's talk about what the Broncos need in terms of personnel. first and foremost the Broncos must draft a QB with their first pick at pick 12. Many speculate JJ Mccarthy will be the guy while some say it could be Micheal Penix or Bo Nix. I do not have enough knowledge about college ball to put forth my opinion on who we should draft but we need to draft a QB no matter what unless Sean Payton believes we are going to build around Stidham which I suspect is not on his bucket list. The next position we need to address is defensive line. A strong nose tackle is what Denver needs as their Run defense was very suspect in 2023. The Broncos were ranked dead last in ypc given up and 30th in overall yardage. The Broncos still have Sutton, Patrick and Mimms at WR so wide receiver is not high in the priority list. Hopefully Patrick can stay healthy as he has suffered season ending injuries the last 2 years. Corner is also a position we need to shore up. outside of Surtain and McMillian, we do not know much of the others in the group. We may see Riley Moss get some playing time this year but I still think we should draft a corner at some point. It's a position that you can't afford to run thin on.

Overall, I like the idea of starting over and hopefully we can build something from the ground up that leads to sustained success. Mark Schelereth on the Pat Mcafee Show said it best, "Ultimately it is time to quit putting band-aids on gaping wounds and it's time to preform some surgery." The Broncos have now begun it's surgery. Will it be a success? Or will it kill the patient? George Paton's seat has become a little warm.