Broncos Notes: Kubiak, Okung, Quarterbacks
The Broncos could look a bit different in 2017, and those changes could start with the coaching staff. Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post writes that both head coach Gary Kubiak and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips will have to decide whether they want to return to Denver for next season.
Kubiak’s health could play a significant role in any decision. The head coach was hospitalized earlier this season with a “complex migrane,” and he previously collapsed during a 2013 contest with the Texans. Naturally, the 55-year-old claims that he isn’t focused on the future.
“I love this league. I love the Broncos. I love this work. I’m all in on the Raiders right now,” Kubiak said. “There will be time for reflection and all of that stuff next week.”
Meanwhile, Phillips’ two-year contract is set to expire following this season. The 69-year-old has been responsible for Denver’s stifling defense, but the coach could decide to hang it up after having coached 39 years in the NFL.
“We think the world of Wade,” Kubiak said. “Everybody knows the job that Wade has done. (Contracts) are things that will be addressed after we get through this week. But Wade’s a tremendous person and a tremendous football coach.”
Let’s take a look at some other notes out of the Mile High City…
- The Broncos offensive line has struggled this season, and Wolfe writes that the organization will have to choose whether they want to “cut the cord” on Russell Okung and/or Donald Stephenson. The team has until the first day of the league year (March 9th) to pick up a $1MM option on Okung’s contract – which would then trigger a unique four-year, $48MM extension ($19.5MM guaranteed). “It’s not on me. We’ll get to that hurdle when we get there,” said Okung. “For now, we still have to play Oakland.”
- Meanwhile, the Broncos could save about $3MM in cap space if they release Stephenson. The veteran has struggled in 2016, making only 12 starts. As Wolfe writes, the lineman has been responsible for three sacks and 11 penalties. “I work my butt off,” said Stephenson. “The problems definitely aren’t from not trying. I’m giving it all I got. There’s some things I’ve got to get better at.”
- Besides fixing the offensive line, NFL.com’s Chris Wesseling believes the Broncos should prioritize fixing their run defense and solidifying the quarterback position. The organization could choose between Trevor Siemian or Paxton Lynch as their future signal-caller, or Wesseling suggests the team could make a move for Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.
Wade Phillips’ Contract Set To Expire
There is a chance that the Broncos’ season finale against the Raiders on Sunday will be Wade Phillips’ last game as Denver’s defensive coordinator. The 69-year-old isn’t mulling retirement, but his contract is about to expire, reports USA Today’s Tom Pelissero, who adds that Phillips and the Broncos weren’t able to reach an extension during negotiations last offseason.
At the time of their discussions with Phillips last winter, the Broncos were fresh off a Super Bowl championship that his dominant defense sparked. Phillips earned AP Assistant Coach of the Year honors as a result, though this season hasn’t gone gone as well for him or the Broncos. The club is 8-7 and won’t make the playoffs, but that’s hardly Phillips’ fault. Evidence: Despite losing Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan in free agency, the Broncos’ defense ranks first in DVOA (for the second year in a row), third in sacks, sixth in yardage and scoring, and ninth in takeaways.
Should Phillips join Jackson and Trevathan in exiting via the open market, it would end his second tenure with the Broncos after only two years. He was previously in Denver from 1989-94 – first as a D-coordinator and then a head coach – before serving in at least one of those roles with the Bills, Falcons, Chargers, Cowboys and Texans through the 2013 campaign. Phillips was also on Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak‘s staff in Houston, which – along with Denver’s immense defensive talent – might help the club retain him.
Without Phillips, the Broncos could turn to one of his assistants to coordinate their Von Miller-headlined defense, according to Pelissero. It’s perhaps worth noting, then, that the team called on linebackers coach Reggie Herring to handle play-calling duties for the majority of a 27-19 win over the Chargers in Week 8. The decision to elevate Herring on a temporary basis came after Phillips bore the brunt of a second-quarter sideline collision and left on a stretcher.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/28/16
Here are today’s practice squad updates.
Denver Broncos
- Signed: DL Iosia Iosia, WR Hunter Sharp, OL Reese Dismukes
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: WR Cayleb Jones
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: LB Brian Blechen
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Kelvin Taylor, OL Ross Burbank
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: RB Blake Sims, DE Deonte Gibson
- Cut: OL Kyler Kerbyson
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Kourtnei Brown, WR K.J. Maye
Washington Redskins
- Signed: LB Rufus Johnson
Broncos Place DeMarcus Ware On IR
5:42pm: Ware needs back surgery, Arnie Stapleton of the Associated Press reports. This could threaten to end Ware’s career, per Stapleton. The Broncos’ blind-side pass-rusher and vital instrument to the team claiming its third Super Bowl title last season, Ware has dealt with significant back issues over the past two seasons — missing almost all of this offseason and five games last season as a result of this issue. 
Although Ware’s contract with the Broncos is up after 2016, he expressed desire to play one more year, with Mike Klis of 9News reporting the outside linebacker wants to do that in Denver. The Broncos chose Shane Ray in the first round of the ’15 draft and have fellow backup Shaquil Barrett playing a steady role off the bench, so a Ware reunion might not be in the cards for the Broncos, at least not at the price he signed for in 2014 (three years, $30MM). The team has some cap space but has bigger issues to deal with this offseason than addressing a pass rush that still would rank toward the top of the league without Ware.
3:17pm: The Broncos are placing DeMarcus Ware on injured reserve, the team announced. Ware was unable to go in practice on Wednesday as he deals with a back injury.
This may mean that Ware has played his final game with Denver and his final NFL game. He’s slated for free agency at the end of the year and it may be time to call it a career at the age of 34. This year, Ware appeared in 10 games and totaled 15 tackles and four sacks. That’s a step down from his previous two Pro Bowl seasons with the Broncos and several notches down from his best years with the Cowboys.
From 2005-2012, Ware was a staple in Dallas’ front seven. He earned four first-team All-Pro nods and seven Pro Bowl selections during that time and he did not miss a single regular-season game. He posted double-digit sack totals for the Cowboys in every season there, except for his first and last. In 2008, he led the entire league with 20.0 sacks. If this is the end of the line for Ware, he’ll leave behind a legacy of terrorizing quarterbacks while being a mensch off the field.
In other Broncos news, defensive back Kayvon Webster was also placed on IR with a concussion. The Broncos promoted nose tackle Kyle Peko and cornerback Taurean Nixon from the practice squad to the active roster.
Broncos Considering Paxton Lynch For Week 17
- Gary Kubiak said he will make a decision on Paxton Lynch starting Week 17 for the Broncos soon, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post reports. The defending Super Bowl champions are now eliminated from the playoffs, and this season finale against the Raiders would give the first-rounder a third start in advance of an offseason where he’ll be expected to compete with Trevor Siemian for the 2017 starting job. Although, Siemian seems to have the leg up despite being previously viewed as a stopgap solution.
Broncos’ Matt Paradis To Undergo Surgery
The bright spot on an embattled Broncos offensive line, Matt Paradis played through hip injuries this season. Enough so he will undergo surgery on both hips during the offseason, Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post reports.
These injuries limited the ascending center to one practice per week for most of the season, per Wolfe, but the second-year player has not missed a snap since the Broncos made him their starting snapper at the 2015 season’s outset. The defending Super Bowl champions will consider resting injured starters and making IR moves this week, Gary Kubiak said, but Paradis will start against the Raiders in a game that means plenty for Oakland but little for now-eliminated Denver.
A third-year sixth-rounder out of Boise State, Paradis became the anchor of a Broncos front that has struggled this season after parting with several veterans during the offseason. He was the only player to return as a starter in the same position he played during the ’15 season. Paradis ranks as Pro Football Focus’ No. 2 center this season, marking a significant improvement from his initial NFL campaign. The 27-year-old blocker spent 2014 on the Broncos’ practice squad.
Paradis will be an exclusive-rights free agent in March, but the Broncos will almost certainly retain him. The remainder of Denver’s starting line is under contract, although a decision to trigger the second part of Russell Okung‘s two-pronged deal is forthcoming, but changes are likely on the way after the team struggled mightily to run the ball or protect quarterbacks down the stretch.
2017 NFL Draft Order Through Week 16
This weekend, the Browns got the best of both worlds when they won their first game of the 2016 season while the 49ers also found their way to victory. Now, the 1-14 Browns remain in the top spot as we head into the final week of the NFL season.
Here’s where we stand through Week 16. (Note: Ties are broken by strength of schedule):
- Browns 1-14
- 49ers 2-13
- Bears 3-12
- Jaguars 3-12
- Rams (pick belongs to Titans) 4-11
- Jets 4-11
- Chargers 5-10
- Bengals 5-9-1
- Panthers 6-9
- Eagles (pick belongs to Browns) 6-9
- Cardinals 6-8-1
- Bills 7-8
- Colts 7-8
- Vikings (pick belongs to Eagles) 7-8
- Saints 7-8
- Titans 8-7
- Ravens 8-7
- Buccaneers 8-7
- Broncos 8-7
- Redskins 8-6-1
Broncos Waive Austin Davis
The Broncos parted ways with their third-string quarterback due to injuries at tight end. Denver waived Austin Davis to bring up Henry Krieger-Coble from their practice squad, Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post tweets.
Davis signed with the Broncos just before the season, doing so just after the team cut Mark Sanchez. The former Rams starter has not played in a game this season, serving as the No. 3 man behind Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch. He did dress for two, however, when Siemian was sidelined. The defending Super Bowl champions signed Davis for $1.25MM this season, and although another $200K in playing-time incentives was available if he took 50% of the snaps, he obviously didn’t come close to that.
The 27-year-old quarterback will venture onto the waiver wire, so it’s possible he could return after this week’s game. He made 10 starts between the 2014 and ’15 seasons but did not have a path to a backup job in Denver, particularly after news the Broncos are strongly considering staying with Siemian in 2017 emerged earlier this week.
Denver saw both of its top two tight ends, Virgil Green and A.J. Derby, suffer concussions. Both are still in the protocol and will not be available against the Chiefs on Sunday, joining Brandon Marshall and T.J. Ward in that regard. Jeff Heuerman (four receptions, 88 yards this season) will serve as the Broncos’ starting tight end, with Krieger-Coble being a backup in Kansas City. A rookie UDFA out of Iowa, Kreiger-Coble has not played in a game this season.
Broncos To Stick With Trevor Siemian In 2017?
Although Denver invested a first-round pick in quarterback Paxton Lynch last spring and has been speculatively linked to soon-to-be former Cowboy Tony Romo, the Broncos are likely to move into the future with current starter Trevor Siemian, reports James Palmer of NFL Network (via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com).
“Talking to people within the building, the thought process is that even though they picked Paxton Lynch in the first round, Trevor Siemian is in mind to be the guy moving forward for the next couple of seasons” Palmer said Wednesday.
Palmer added that Broncos defenders, whom Siemian practices against, “have gained an immense amount of respect” for the second-year man because of his toughness. Meanwhile, Broncos coaches admire his calm demeanor.
Siemian didn’t attempt a pass as a seventh-round rookie in 2015, when he sat behind Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler as the Broncos’ defense carried the team to a Super Bowl title. This year’s Broncos are 8-6 and have only a 17 percent chance to make the playoffs, per Five Thirty Eight, as they prepare for season-ending tests against AFC West rivals Kansas City (10-4) and Oakland (11-3).
Siemian’s output in his first taste of NFL action this year has been superior to the production Manning and Osweiler posted last season, but that’s not to suggest Siemian has been great. All told, the 24-year-old (25 on Dec. 26) has completed 61.3 percent of his 416 passes, tossed 16 touchdowns against eight interceptions, and averaged 7.24 yards per attempt in 12 games. His overall performance places him 21st among qualifying signal-callers in DYAR, with now-$72MM Texans backup Osweiler sitting in dead last (32nd). Siemian has been effective relative to his $525K salary, then, and he’s under contract through 2018 at similarly low costs. That’s a plus for a franchise which has big money tied up in cornerstone players like Von Miller, Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Derek Wolfe and Chris Harris Jr., among others.
Lynch is slightly more expensive than Siemian, but his contract is hardly onerous and he’s controllable through the 2020 campaign. The former Memphis star, for whom the Broncos traded up to draft 26th overall, has taken the field in three games this year and started two as Siemian battled injuries. The 6-foot-7, 244-pound Lynch struggled in each of his starts, as he completed a combined 35 of 59 passes for 327 yards, a touchdown and an pick in games against Atlanta and Jacksonville. Now, given that Lynch hasn’t thrived in Year 1, it appears he’ll sit for at least another season.
C.J. Anderson's Season Likely Over
Broncos running back C.J. Anderson, out since going to injured reserve in late October with a torn right meniscus, is unlikely to come back this season, head coach Gary Kubiak said Wednesday (via Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post). “I’d say he’s probably on course (to return) sometime in February,” stated Kubiak. Super Bowl LI is Feb. 5, but it doesn’t appear the reigning champion Broncos will be in position to defend their crown. Denver (8-6) has just a 17 percent chance to make the playoffs, according to Five Thirty Eight. One reason for the team’s slim postseason hopes is a running game that ranks 28th in yards per carry (3.6). Anderson was at 4.0 yards per attempt and five touchdowns (four rushing, one receiving) before going down Oct. 24. Fourth-round rookie Devontae Booker (3.4 YPC on 155 attempts) hasn’t picked up Anderson’s slack.