Insider James Palmer Says Broncos Will Target Edge & Cornerback Early in Draft
After filling out the roster aggressively in free agency, building off of a very good 2021 NFL draft class, and acquiring franchise quarterback Russell Wilson via trade, the Denver Broncos still have areas they could address. But overall, this appears to be as solid a Broncos squad that has been assembled since Super Bowl 50.
As Broncos Country has found out recently, though, a football team can be solid top to bottom but if it doesn't have a legitimate franchise quarterback under center, that team will likely end up dead on arrival — well before the postseason. It’s the simplest truth in today’s NFL: without a quarterback, your team is nothing.
However, with a franchise signal-caller in the fold, it’s important to keep that quarterback happy and invested in the team-building process.
NFL Network's James Palmer recently indicated that Broncos’ GM George Paton is doing just that with his newly acquired quarterback, whom he has been in communication with about which prospects the Broncos may be targeting with their current selections in next week's draft.
“They liked what they did in free agency. That’s why they feel like they don’t have a ton of needs and with those picks they feel like they can go ‘best player available’. Broncos’ general manager George Paton and (Russell Wilson) have been in a constant dialogue letting the quarterback know who the Broncos are looking at. Then Russell Wilson goes and watches tape on him and gives his feedback. Obviously, they are keeping him abreast of what they are thinking.”
In the end, it will be up to Paton, the front office, and the coaching staff as to which players will be the best options for the Broncos to select when they're finally on the clock, barring any trades, at pick 64. When a team has a quarterback as intelligent and driven as Wilson, why wouldn’t it gather his opinion and hear what he has to say?
A football team needs to overcome miraculous odds to be a contender without a legitimate quarterback under center. Life with Wilson is going to be much better for Paton than without, but there has to be some part of the GM that will miss all of the draft capital he sent over to Seattle in the trade for his new quarterback.
It's no secret how much Paton loves himself some draft picks. But as Paton said during his pre-draft press conference, he has a plan for the no-first-round-pick blues next week.
“It’s a blessing. We love having first-round picks," Paton said on Friday. "We love having the early second, but we also love having a franchise quarterback that sets the tone every day in the building. I come in here and he’s here working. There is a reason he’s great. It’s because of the work he puts into it. All the players and the entire organization is watching. There is no pain in that. On that first day, we’ll watch Russell Wilson highlights.”
Paton jokes but Palmer isn't fooled.
“They do like these picks. They do love draft picks. George Paton joked that he is unlike his good friend Les Snead, the general manager of the Los Angeles Rams, he loves draft picks. Keep an eye on them moving around. It’s unlikely that they move into the first round but he’s going to be calling to see if they can move up or back and specifically back to get some picks in this draft and get some picks in next year’s draft if it’s falling in a way that they can still trade back and get somebody they have their eye on.”
The Broncos have nine selections in the 2022 draft with five picks in the top-120 slots. Not having any top-50 picks will make it exponentially harder for Denver to walk away with premium players in the draft this season as it did last year, selecting Patricks Surtain II at No. 9 and trading up from 40 to 35 to select Javonte Williams.
That shouldn’t be too much of a problem for the Broncos, though, whose roster is already relatively filled out and ready for 2022. The low volume of 2023 draft selections, four in total, that the Broncos currently possess will likely be added to if at all possible if Paton has his way next week.
“We’ll look into that if it makes sense," Paton said. "Obviously, we do love picks. Unlike the Rams, we like picks a lot. [Rams GM] Les [Snead] is a good friend. If that comes up—we don’t want to force it, but we’d definitely like to add more picks next year.”
Paton making a trade, if not multiple, when the draft is officially underway is essentially a guarantee given his desire to move up and down the draft board. However, which players and positions the Broncos target and select with their earlier selections is anyone’s guess at this point.
Given Wilson’s impending monster contact and the state of the Broncos’ salary cap next season, though, there are a few positions of value that make sense for Paton to look to draft early for the long-term health of the roster as Palmer elucidated.
“Two positions that are somewhat of need to create some depth for them are positions George Paton believes are deep in this draft. One is cornerback and I know they have been putting a lot of work in on evaluating the cornerbacks and they believe Day 2 you can get an impact player as well as edge rush. George Paton believes that edge rushers is perhaps the deepest group in this entire draft. They would like some depth behind Randy Gregory who they brought in in Free Agency and Bradley Chubb the former fifth overall pick for them who is entering the final year of his contract.”
As Paton said in his pre-draft press conference, "You can’t have enough pass rushers.” This is exceedingly true because the defensive line is a heavy rotational position.
Last year’s top-5 edge rushers in sacks — T.J. Watt, Robert Quinn, Myles Garrett, Nick Bosa, and Trey Henderickson — each played 65%, 71%, 77%, 78%, and 64% of their team’s defensive snaps last season, respectively. Even if Randy Gregory and Bradley Chubb play a full season and avoid injury, which is far from a guarantee, the Broncos' depth will be depended on given how rotational pass rushers are in today’s NFL.
Furthermore, an early investment at edge gives Paton and the Broncos flexibility with Chubb entering the final year of his contract. Cornerbacks are not as much of a rotational position in today’s NFL but it is a position where even a slight injury can result in a dramatic drop in form.
With the quarterback and pass-catching talent in the AFC West, it would make sense for the Broncos to look to raise the floor of the room and protect against injury by looking to draft a cornerback early. It also wouldn’t be shocking if the Broncos look to play more defensive backs on the field this year than in the past.
After all, Broncos’ new defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero is coming from a Rams coaching staff that played more six-plus defensive back looks than almost anyone in the entire NFL over the last few seasons.
Finally, and perhaps a sign of preparation for the future, just like with Chubb and the edge position, Denver’s No. 2 corner in Ronald Darby (who has only played a full season in his career to date once) could very well wind up a cap casualty next year saving the Broncos $10 million against the cap with only $3 million dead cap.
The Broncos could go any number of ways in the draft next week but given the close ties between Palmer and Paton, the value of edge rusher and cornerback compared to nearly every other position in football (outside of quarterback), and how Denver very well could be looking forward and preparing for the future with its selections, don’t be shocked if edge or corner is the direction the Broncos go early in next week's draft.
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