Broncos Have 3 Big Unanswered Questions Entering Training Camp

Denver Broncos fans enter the season with cautious optimism. The Broncos are now led by an experienced Super Bowl-winning coach, who has solidified the leadership at the top of the organization.

That gives reason for optimism, but there are reasons to have caution, and it isn’t just that the Broncos have had six straight losing seasons. However, there are some questions on the roster that must be answered at training camp.

The starting group across the board may not be elite at every level, but it is solid. The defense has Justin Simmons, Patrick Surtain II, Randy Gregory, and D.J. Jones, to name a few, and the offense has a plethora of talent either ready to break out or have a bounce-back season.

However, as we all witnessed last year, injuries can take a massive toll, and for that reason, depth must be addressed with a solid rotation of backups. The Broncos are lacking in two areas of depth, and they also must solve a critical special teams position.

Broncos Need D-Line Depth Answers

The Broncos brought in Zach Allen to replace departed Dre’Mont Jones and have a very good player in the aforementioned Jones. The final starting spot can be filled with veteran Mike Purcell to give the team a solid starting group. However, the defensive line is only as good as its rotation, and that is where the team has questions.

The Broncos attempted to address the situation by signing Tyler Lancaster. He was a solid rotational piece for the Green Bay Packers since entering the NFL in 2018 but missed the entire 2022 season due to injury. The question creeps into the mind about whether or not he will bounce back after that injury to help the rotation.

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Beyond Lancaster, the Broncos are relying on two late-round 2022 draft picks to fill out the rotation. Fourth-round selection Eyioma Uwazurike played 165 snaps on defense last season, and sixth-rounder Matt Henningsen played 229. That was valuable experience, but counting on this duo to make a sizable leap in its sophomore season to round out the rotation is dubious at best.

Both second-year players and Lancaster need to show that they are the answer to the defensive line rotation in training camp. If they can't, the Broncos will likely look to add another veteran.

Keep Looking For the Right Kicker

This may seem like a low priority, but finding a reliable kicker should be high on the Broncos’ to-do list. Last season, seven of Denver's games were decided by three points or less.

The Broncos lost three games that they could have won had Brandon McManus not missed a field goal in each of them. McManus is gone, and the Broncos do not yet have a viable plan to replace him. Elliott Fry was brought in to attempt to accomplish that task, but he has only six field goal attempts in the NFL.

The Broncos would be wise to bring in plenty of competition at placekicker in camp to see who rises to the top. Going with a very inexperienced player at the position is a sizable risk.

Who Steps Up at Edge Rusher?

Was the edge rusher rotation question answered by the team signing Frank Clark? No, it wasn’t.

The health of the unit is always a question mark. Randy Gregory and Baron Browning both missed significant time last year, and Browning will miss at least some of training camp due to off-season surgery.

Even with a healthy unit, a fourth edge rusher must emerge during camp. Nik Bonitto should be the odds-on favorite, but if anyone was watching last year, he left a lot to be desired. Hopefully, he has been in the weight room and developed more pass-rushing moves. Those camp practices will flesh this out.

Besides Bonitto, the team will be counting on Jonathon Cooper and Christoper Allen. How good they can be is unknown.

Cooper has played significantly the last two seasons due to injuries, and it would be tough to bet against him making progress. Allen has loads of potential, but his career has been stymied by injuries. Training camp will be very important to understanding if this group will be good enough as-is.

Bottom Line

As the Broncos look to rebound from the six years of mediocrity, this season’s training camp will tell the tale of that rebound or lack thereof. Payton will run the camp better than in the past and will make moves if these important questions are not answered.

Fans can rest assured that he will not go into the season with just hope as the main ingredient for success.

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