The Denver Broncos stood pat in free agency then made a big trade for Jaylen Waddle, so what are their big needs now?
The Denver Broncos have landed the offensive threat they wanted with the trade for receiver Jaylen Waddle, but there are still questions going forward. Luca Evans of the Denver Post raised several of the most important ones, and they raise some other issues, so let’s review some of the key points.
Evan started by reminding Broncos fans that we’ve been here before. Last year tight end Evan Engram was the all-in, big chip move, and coach Sean Payton talked up using Engram as a so-called “chaos agent” at last year’s winter meetings in Florida.
“Having had players like him,” Payton said then in Florida, “I’m excited.”
That excitement petered out quickly when Engram underperformed, which dovetails nicely into one of Evans’ key questions.
How do the Broncos plan to get the most out of Waddle?
Payton hasn’t traded for a wide receiver since he acquired Bethel Johnson back in 2006, so this is a very fair question. It can be broken down further: Do the Broncos see Waddle as an inside or outside threat? Also, how does that usage affect the rest of Denver’s wide receivers, given how much the Broncos have been talking these guys up?
Can we get a definition of “opportunistically aggressive?”
Every NFL team needs catch phrases and buzz words, and this one comes from the top down, with owner Greg Penner using it extensively during the offseason.
It sounds intelligent and pretty in the sound bites, but we still have no idea what it means. Based on what we’ve seen so far, the translation would go something like “sign or re-sign everyone who might leave with maximum value as a priority in free agency, then panic and trade for a deep threat we may or may not actually need.”
All joking aside, it would be nice to get some clarity with both specific moves and the overall plan. That extension for quarterback Bo Nix is looming, so that’s another part of this that needs to be explained as well.
How’s Bo Nix doing in his rehab?
Yeah, that one’s pretty obvious, but it’s important. Will Nix be available for OTA’s? Also, can we get a little clarity on the medical comments Payton made that Nix didn’t particularly like?
How do Payton and GM George Paton see their needs after free agency?
No team gives a complete answer to this kind of question, but it would be nice get some piercing thoughts on the running back group as currently constituted, whether Engram is still in the picture, and that whole play-calling shift that’s been walked back and recast several times now.