Comparing Broncos' Roster to Last Year's Hints at an Advantage Over Titans
The season is upon us as the Denver Broncos get ready to take on the Tennessee Titans in what is sure to be a physical game on Monday Night Football. While the Broncos beat the Titans in 2019 (shutting them out 16-0), there have been some big changes to Tennessee's roster.
Guess what? The Broncos' roster has undergone a massive sea change as well since these two teams last met in Week 6 of last season. In the case of the Broncos, though, they have an all-new offensive identity while the Titans' remains the same. Tennessee wants to run downhill with Derrick Henry, the NFL's reigning rushing champ.
Denver has had turnover at two spots on its offensive line. The Broncos have a new starter at quarterback, wide receiver, the aforementioned O-line, and new key contributors at tight end and running back. And don't forget the new identity brought by the transplanted offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur.
So while the Broncos can very much use the game tape from last year, the Titans can't really, at least when it comes to the offense.
So when considering the turnover the Broncos have seen, how much different, in a good way, is their roster over last year's Titans matchup? Since the Broncos faced the Titans in Week 6, I'm going to compare from the opening-week roster last year to this current squad entering Week 1.
The Broncos are yet to play this year but it just didn't seem right to compare this year's opening-week roster to its Week 6 counterpart. What I look to answer, definitively, in this exercise is whether the Broncos' roster is better than its 2019 counterpart, and if it has been upgraded, by how much? And will that difference affect Denver's win/loss record in 2020?
Again, we're comparing the 2019 roster before the opening-week kickoff to the 2020 roster before this year's season-opener. Let's get started.
Quarterbacks
Denver Broncos/Gabriel Christus
2019: Joe Flacco/Brandon Allen
2020: Drew Lock/Jeff Driskel
Remember, this is a comparison of Week 1 over Week 1, and Lock wasn't on the Broncos' 53-man roster. He was on injured reserve. So as a result, he isn't part of the equation. Only players who were on the active roster.
However, Lock still makes this a very complicated discussion. He has played in only five games and is still relatively unknown. On the flip side, you had Flacco who was, at best, a veteran statue for Denver last year.
It comes down to the known product of one compared to the unknown quantity of the other. Since Allen and Driskel as essentially equal, with maybe just a slight edge for Driskel because he has more starting experience (remember Allen had no starts when he first joined Denver) and has also been with the team all offseason while Allen was a waiver wire claim on the doorstep of Week 1.
Deciding which QB room has the edge between 2020 Lock and 2019 Flacco is tougher than you might think. There was some hope with Flacco before he actually started a game. However, we have more tape of Lock as a Broncos now than we did of Flacco in Orange and Blue when the season opened last year.
So in that regard, Flacco becomes the unknown in comparison to Lock, while for 2020, we do have some idea of Lock as a Bronco.
Winner: 2020 Quarterbacks.
Lock and the 2020 quarterback situation takes the slight edge over the 2019 quarterback situation. While it is a new offense, we have seen Lock work with some of the main weapons he has, while Flacco was a complete mystery.
Running Backs/Fullbacks
2019: Phillip Lindsay/Royce Freeman/Andy Janovich/Devontae Booker
2020: Melvin Gordon/Phillip Lindsay/Royce Freeman/Andrew Beck
This battle is actually really simple. Denver upgraded massively for 2020 compared to 2019. A year ago, both Lindsay and Freeman were coming off injuries entering Week 1 and Janovich was injured (plus a few weeks more).
This year, Denver is coming in with a healthy Lindsay and Freeman, which sees both beat their status for a year ago. There is also no question Gordon is a massive upgrade over Booker.
Winner: 2020 Running Backs (Landslide)
Wide Receivers
2019: Courtland Sutton/Emmanuel Sanders/DaeSean Hamilton/Tim Patrick/Diontae Spencer/Juwann Winfree
2020: Courtland Sutton/Jerry Jeudy/KJ Hamler/DaeSean Hamilton/Tim Patrick/Diontae Spencer/Tyrie Cleveland
Before the Thursday practice, this one was easy, but that practice threw a wrinkle into it. That wrinkle was the shoulder injury to Sutton who seems like as a long shot to play in the game Monday night. That creates a dilemma as he was healthy going into Week 1 last year, but had a lot to work on, compared to this year where he has a Pro Bowl campaign under his belt but enters the opener injured.
Jeudy and Sanders cross each other out. Jeudy is an unknown quantity but Sanders was problematic behind the scenes and hadn't played a full season since 2016. Hamilton, Spencer, and Patrick for 2020 get the edge over 2019 as there is more idea how to use them based on the players they've become.
What gives 2020 the edge are the depth players in Hamler and Cleveland, compared to just Winfree a year ago.
So the edge is pretty obviously with 2020, but there still needs to be an answer for Sutton. Although he has emerged as a stud receiver, his injury may take him out of the opener.
That might give the edge here to 2019 because at least he was good to go Week 1. Does that cancel out his advantage heading into 2020 as a Pro Bowler? Not really.
It actually pushes the needle further for 2020 because having depth that can be somewhat relied upon is something the Broncos didn't have a year ago.
Winner: 2020 Wide Receivers (Thanks, depth)
Tight Ends
Gabriel Christus/Denver Broncos
2019: Noah Fant/Jeff Heuerman/Troy Fumagalli/Andrew Beck
2020: Noah Fant/Nick Vannett/Albert Okwuegbunam/Andrew Beck/Jake Butt
This is another position that is actually really easy to give the edge to. Last year, Fant was a rookie, Beck was the new addition, and Fumagalli was still an unknown. Heuerman had shown to be a solid tight end as a depth piece, but he was set to have a decent role as the No. 2 tight end. Blocking was a major concern, though that was Beck's strong point, but Beck was new and still picking things up.
As for 2020, Denver now has Fant with a year of experience under his belt, along with Beck having some good experience as well. Both of them outclass their 2019 counterparts. Vannett is relatively unknown for Denver with how he will play with replacing Heuerman, so that is one edge to 2019.
Having Butt, although he has only played in three NFL games, helps out the 2020 tight end group because he has tons of potential. Then there's the rookie Okwuegbunam, who has the traits to fill a very specific niche role within the offense. That was more than what Denver had from Fumagalli last year, who really didn’t have a defined role, but was just doing whatever was asked.
This is closer than it may seem, but the potential for 2020 gives them the edge over 2019.
Winner: 2020 Tight Ends.
Offensive Tackles
2019: Garett Bolles/Ja’Wuan James/Elijah Wilkinson/Jake Rodgers
2020: Garett Bolles/Elijah Wilkinson/Demar Dotson/Calvin Anderson
Tackle is another position that is actually quite tough to decipher which year was better. So let us look at this as a player-to-player comparison.
In the case of Bolles, this is the first year that he has consistency with his position coach. Each year prior to Mike Munchak arriving he had to deal with changes to his position coach as well as the offensive coordinator, so at least this year Bolles has some consistency.
The scheme the Broncos are implementing should also be more beneficial to Bolles and help cover some of his weaknesses. With a year working under Munchak, Bolles gets the edge over his 2019 counterpart, just as Wilkinson does.
This year, Wilkinson knows he is going to play tackle while last year he wasn’t sure for most of the games until a couple of days before each game. He also has a year with Munchak in a scheme that should benefit him more than the old one.
The only win for 2019 is James. Remember, this is before any games were played so the fact James only ended up playing 63 snaps on the season is ignored. He is a much better player than Dotson is. As for Anderson and Rodgers, they end up equal.
Winner: 2020 Offensive Tackle
Interior Offensive Line
Gabriel Christus/Denver Broncos
2019: Dalton Risner/Connor McGovern/Ron Leary/Austin Schlottmann/Corey Levin
2020: Dalton Risner/Lloyd Cushenberry III/Graham Glasgow/Austin Schlottmann/Netane Muti
This one is actually simple when you get down into it. Risner has experience entering 2020 compared to being a rookie in 2019, so 2020 gets the edge here. Schlottmann also gets the edge for 2020 for a similar reason. Levin and Muti are a wash as both of them had questions going into the season. This battle really comes down to center and right guard.
At center, Denver went from McGovern, who had experience, to a rookie in Cushenberry. Experience has been the key factor in multiple battles and it is here. While Cushenberry has more upside at center, McGovern had the NFL experience that Cushenberry doesn’t.
As for right guard, Glasgow is dependable, especially with his health. That is something Leary always had questions with. Center is the only win for 2019, which puts the overall win for 2020.
Winner: 2020 Interior Offensive Line.
Interior Defensive Line
Gabriel Christus/Denver Broncos
2019: Derek Wolfe/Shelby Harris/Adam Gotsis/DeMarcus Walker/Mike Purcell/Dre’Mont Jones
2020: Jurrell Casey/Mike Purcell/Shelby Harris/Dre’Mont Jones/McTelvin Agim/DeMarcus Walker
Harris playing outside instead of the nose is a key difference there, which gives the advantage to this year, and it is the same for Purcell, who is starting at the nose this year compared to being a depth piece next year. Both are upgrades over last year.
Jones also gives the advantage for 2020 because he has experience in the NFL and time spent in the scheme. Walker is a wash as he had experience last year, but it was a new scheme. He should have the scheme down now, but he still has to go out there and show it on the field.
Gotsis takes the advantage over Agim, and that is only because Gotsis was at least experienced. Agim has more upside, there is no doubt about that, but it isn't a matter of upside here. It's what cache they brought, respectively, heading into Week 1.
The big win for 2020 is Casey over Wolfe. Wolfe was a really good player, but he had injury concerns and was just meh as an interior pass rusher. Casey takes the edge in both aspects and gives 2020 the win in a landslide.
Winner: 2020 Interior Defensive Line
Edge Rushers
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
2019: Von Miller/Bradley Chubb/Malik Reed/Justin Hollins
2020: Von Miller/Bradley Chubb/Malik Reed/Jeremiah Attaochu
Unfortunately, this one was made easy for a very terrible reason. Miller is out for some time with a major injury. On top of that, Chubb is on a snap count as he bounces back from a torn ACL.
Reed does have experience now and Attaochu is better than Hollins but the injuries to the top two just take 2020 out of it.
Winner: 2019 Edge Rushers.
Off-Ball Linebackers
2019: Todd Davis/Josey Jewell/Corey Nelson/Alexander Johnson/Joe Jones
2020: Alexander Johnson/Josey Jewell/ Mark Barron/Joe Jones/Austin Calitro
This one is actually a little difficult. Johnson is a major win for 2020 as at this point in 2019, he was still unknown. Jewell and Jones are a wash for both as they just seem to be the same player.
What really makes this difficult is Davis compared to Barron. Davis was a solid linebacker for the Broncos, and even though he was hurt, he still offered more than Barron does, who has been terrible in coverage for multiple years. Davis was actually better in 2018 than Barron was (same held true for 2019 as well). Calitro is so unknown that he hardly factors in.
So the big wins are Johnson for 2020 and Davis for 2019. To figure out the winner, we have to compare those two. Both are good run defenders and offer upside in pass coverage.
Davis was a little more proven, though proven to be solid than Johnson is as Johnson has to show sustained success beyond the 12 games from last year. With all this considered, this ends up equal.
Winner: Push.
Cornerbacks
Getty
2019: Chris Harris/Bryce Callahan/Issac Yiadom/De’Vante Bausby/Duke Dawson/Devante Harris
2020: A.J. Bouye/Bryce Callahan/Davontae Harris/Michael Ojemudia/Essang Bassey/Duke Dawson
Harris had shown signs of decline in 2018, but Bouye has as well and has dealt with injuries. Neither of them had experience in the scheme, so they end up as a wash. Callahan for 2020 takes the edge over 2019 Callahan because he is actually healthy.
Harris and Dawson also get the edge for 2020 in having experience in the scheme instead of being added just days before Week 1. All that left is Ojemudia and Bassey against Yiadom and Bausby.
Yiadom was a questionable scheme fit, while Ojemudia is a great scheme fit. Bassey is a rookie who fits well, while Bausby had spent some time in the scheme prior to joining Denver and had preseason games.
This splits with Ojemudia winning for 2020 and Bausby for 2019. For the overall position comparison, Callahan carries 2020 to the win because he is actually healthy.
Winner: 2020 Cornerbacks.
Safeties
2019: Justin Simmons/Kareem Jackson/Will Parks/Trey Marshall
2020: Justin Simmons/Kareem Jackson/Trey Marshall
This one is actually really simple. While Simmons, Jackson, and Marshall all have experience in the scheme and provide a win for 2020, it doesn’t push the needle greatly in their favor.
Parks being the third safety gave the Broncos a lot more versatility and pushes the needle toward 2019, though not by a whole lot.
Winner: 2019 Safeties (But Barely)
Special Teams
2019: Brandon McManus/Colby Wadman/Casey Kreiter
2020: Brandon McManus/Sam Martin/Jacob Bobenmoyer
While McManus is a wash, Martin points the needle to 2020 a little bit. However, with Kreiter being replaced by Bobenmoyer, who is so unknown, the needle moves greatly to 2019.
Kreiter was a great long snapper that offered up a lot downfield as a tackler, and Bobenmoyer has no NFL experience.
Winner: 2019 Special Teams
What it Means
The point of this exercise is to show where the Broncos are now compared to this point last year. The Broncos are a better team now in multiple spots, which is why expectations this year are higher.
While Denver does have to overcome the loss of Miller, it's in a much better position to do so now. If the Broncos can stay relatively healthy this year and keep these advantages they have for 2020, they should find themselves winding up better than they were in 2019, when they ended with a 7-9 record.
Follow Erick on Twitter @ErickTrickel and @MileHighHuddle.
