Did the Broncos get better or worse after the Draft?

If you ask Dane Brugler, the Broncos got worse. He may not be wrong in the short term.

Good morning, Broncos Country!

According to Dane Brugler, unofficial draft guru for The Athletic, the Broncos actually got quite a bit worse after their seven draft picks and 14 UDFA selections — sliding to No. 31 on the power rankings chart.

The interesting aspect of this ranking is to watch its evolution following the end of the 2023 season, where Denver almost eeked out a winning record but instead landed at 8-9 and No. 23 on the power rankings.

At the time, Russell Wilson hadn’t been let go but the assumptions were there. The Athletic’s Josh Kendall wrote this:

23. Denver Broncos

It’s hard to see where this team will find a solution at quarterback. Sean Payton still won’t say if Russell Wilson will be back, but things aren’t trending in that direction. The Broncos are set to pick 12th so they’ll either have to trade up or decide they can live with one of the second-tier quarterback prospects if they want a rookie quarterback. They are $23.9 million over the salary cap and will take another big cap hit if they cut Wilson ($85 million in dead money if he’s released before June 1), so attracting a name in free agency seems unlikely.

Following the first few weeks of free agency, Kendall dropped the Broncos two spots in his post-FA power rankings, primarily for getting rid of Wilson but having only Jarrett Stidham on deck for quarterback.

25. Denver Broncos

Post-Super Bowl rank: 23

Notable additions: S Brandon Jones, DT Malcolm Roach

Notable losses: C Lloyd Cushenberry, LB Josey Jewell, QB Russell Wilson, S Justin Simmons

Head coach Sean Payton got Wilson out of town, but Jarrett Stidham is the only quarterback on the roster now. The Broncos made Stidham the starter to finish out last season, but during a four-year NFL career in which he’s 1-3 as a starter, he hasn’t proved that he can be a long-term answer. The Broncos still have $22 million in cap space, but they didn’t see fit to use any of it on Cushenberry or Simmons as Payton continues to remake the organization.

Finally came the Draft where — thanks in part to Atlanta taking a quarterback — Denver did not entertain trading down for fear of not getting a QB and instead took Oregon’s Bo Nix. Other additions included Oregon wide receiver and favorite Nix target Troy Franklin, Utah edge rusher Jonah Elliss, Missouri cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine and Notre Dame running back Audric Estimé.

Brugler was unimpressed, putting the Broncos second-to-last, just above the dumpster fire Carolina Panthers.

Despite all the talk of Broncos needing a QB, It’s clear much of the motivation for the drop was primarily taking Nix at 12, when Brugler had Nix as a clear second-rounder.

31. Denver Broncos

The Falcons’ quarterback selection kept Denver off the national hot seat. The Broncos took Oregon quarterback Bo Nix at No. 12, which was 32 spots higher than The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had him ranked. If it works, Sean Payton can turn Denver around quickly. If it doesn’t, it’ll be another in a series of very curious Broncos moves.

Obviously rankings this time of year are the same as grades – completely irrelevant.

And whether Nix was low value at 12 is also irrelevant given that the Broncos had to do something at the position and — at least according to Sean Payton and George Paton on Draft Day — Nix was their top-rated rookie QB behind the two guys definitely going No. 1 and 2.

Whether you like the QB pick or not, the truth is that the Broncos very likely may be that bad next season. Although Broncos Country has generally been optimistic about the 2024 Draft Class, this will still be a young team with a rookie QB, after all.

And I’m here to say that is just fine. At the beginning of March I asked if Broncos Country could handle a rebuild:

So fasten your seatbelts because rebuilding isn’t for sissy fanbases – and yet here we are.

As one of the whiniest, most reality-challenged fanbases in the NFL (and I fully include myself and my orange-and-blue-tinted glasses in this group), we may not have what it takes to withstand a true rebuild. That takes money, draft capital, elite scouting, time and mostly patience.

Haha, it’s fun to read that now because we are definitely going to find out.

The Greatest Roast of All Time

If you have Netflix and hate Tom Brady, you may have enjoyed watching the streaming service’s live roast of the frustratingly good seven-time Super Bowl winning QB. Kevin Hart was irreverent and raw yet hilarious.

But for Broncos Country, the surprise appearance from Peyton Manning near the end was pure joy.

“It is great to be here with a bunch of people sitting around, talking smack about Tom Brady,” Manning joked. “Or as we call that in the Manning family, Thanksgiving.”

Manning was quick to point out that while Brady has five more Super Bowl rings than he does, more touchdowns and more passing yards, the ladies’ man also has “more retirements, more fake hair, more TB12 bankruptcies.”

Manning joked that the “last time Tom Brady had to wait this long to get on stage, it was the 2000 NFL Draft” and then introduced him as “a three-time Super Bowl loser.”

Love PFM.

Broncos/NFL News