Which Broncos QB Will Emerge?
- With Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler now out of the picture, Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post believes a surprising name could emerge from the Broncos grouping of quarterbacks: Trevor Siemian. The second-year player is battling veteran Mark Sanchez and first-rounder Paxton Lynch for the team’s starting gig.
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Impact Rookies: Denver Broncos
The old adage that defense wins championships may or may not be true, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a title-winning team that didn’t build heavily through the draft. Rookie classes, naturally, are evaluated on the perceived upside of the NFL newcomers, but which rookies are ready to contribute right out of the gate? And, how do they fit in with their new team schematically?
To help us forecast the immediate future of these NFL neophytes, we enlisted the help of draft guru Dave-Te Thomas who has served as a scouting personnel consultant to NFL teams for multiple decades.
Today, we continue PFR’s Impact Rookie series with his insight on the Denver Broncos’ draft class:
Even though Denver won the championship last season, you expect to see a great deal of changes for a team that relied heavily upon their defense to carry them into the playoffs. That unit, which ranked as the NFL’s leader in total defense (allowed 283.1 ypg) and pass defense (199.6 ypg) while ranking third against the run (83.6 ypg) lost two big contributors via free agency, including rush end Malik Jackson.
Speaking of the D-Line, the team made a strange move in the second round of the draft by taking Australian Adam Gotsis out of Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jacket’s technique failed to develop in college and he was viewed by most teams as just a strong man who can help support vs. the run, but also as a player with obvious pass rush deficiencies.
Gotsis, despite his power, was often stalled by combo blocks and reach blocks, rarely using his arms to escape from an offensive lineman’s clutches. He never really demonstrated much lateral agility and more often than not, he would lose sight of the ball carrier before the opponent hit the cut back lanes and showed marginal wrap-tackle skills. Gotsis has not played football since late October due to a torn ACL, making the selection even more puzzling.
Harder to replace is defensive tackle leader, inside linebacker Danny Trevathan (109 hits, two pass thefts, eight break-ups) who bolted for Chicago, where he is reunited with some of his former coaches from past Broncos seasons. Todd Davis is penciled in as his replacement, but he comes to the first unit with just 21 tackles and two career starting assignments. A former blue chip prospect whose off-field exploits resulted in a suspension while at Oklahoma, could rookie free agent Frank Shannon be the “wild card” to squash Davis’ first unit aspirations? It’s something to keep an eye on.
The offensive line was a constant problem and three of their Super Bowl starters – left tackle Ryan Harris, left guard Evan Mathis ,and right guard Luis Vasquez were jettisoned after the season. The team also traded away former left tackle starter Ryan Clady, bringing in Seattle’s Russell Okung to play the demanding position. Max Garcia, a 2015 fourth round find, takes over at left guard, but the team has a big question mark that they hope this year’s fifth round pick, Connor McGovern, could fill at the right guard position. Ouch!
I wasn’t thrilled with every pick the Broncos made this year, but these rookies could be contributors right off the bat:
Fourth Round – Devontae Booker, RB (Utah, No. 136 overall)
Ronnie Hillman led the team in rushing last year but he had to share time with C.J. Anderson, starting ten times against Anderson’s six starts. Hillman might be seeing the writing on the wall, as the front office determined that Anderson was worth a four-year deal. Still, neither player should rest easy with the training camp depth chart now that Booker is in the mix. Until he suffered a knee injury during the second half of the 2015 schedule, Booker was considered to be the best senior running back prospect in the draft. If he can return to form, the Broncos could have their most powerful runner since Terrell Davis suited up for the Orange Crush.
In two seasons at Utah, Booker earned All-Pac 12 accolades. He became just one of just two Utah players ever to record back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons and one of three to rush for 1,000 yards twice in his career. He set the school record for career rushing average (120.6) and tied the school record for career 100-yard rushing games (14). He also finished third in career rushing yards (2,773), fourth in career carries (560) and tied for sixth in career rushing touchdowns (21).
A few weeks after earning Pac-12 Player of the Week honors for his performance against California (267 all-purpose yards), Booker was forced to miss the final two regular season games and bowl action when he suffered a torn meniscus and bone bruise in his left knee against Arizona. Their was hope that Booker would at least be able to participate in the Senior Bowl on January 30th, but he did not gain medical clearance and was also an observer at the NFL Scouting Combine and Utah’s March 24th Pro Day.
Booker runs with very good balance, body control and loose hips. He has a quick short area burst and good footwork, doing a nice job of shifting his weight and staying low in his pads to slip through traffic into the second level. He generates good body lean, moves and fakes to con the defender and is very effective using his outstanding change of direction agility. In isolated coverage, he will generally win the foot race vs. second level defenders. He has swivel hips, rather than veer and weave, doing a nice job of picking and sliding trying to find daylight.
Booker is the type that can generate an explosive and sudden burst into the crease, as he has that low center of gravity that remind old time scouts of former Jets tailback Freeman McNeil. He has outstanding vision and stop-and-go action to freeze the defender and is a slippery runner through the holes. He runs with great balance and flashes good quickness on the move. He might not be able to simply fly past an opponent, but he can quickly pick and slide through trash and is a fast-twitched type who has no problem negotiating through even the tiniest of creases.
Booker has excellent change of direction agility and body control. He is very effective when taking the pitch and having time to scan the field. He is the type that can create quite a bit on his own, but also is patient following his blocks. He does a very good job of adjusting on the move and with his shiftiness in and out of his cuts, he can get past the second level consistently. He has good lower body strength to break tackles and it is rare to see him go down on the initial hit.
Booker bounces outside with good urgency. He has superb outside vision and can get to his top-end speed to take the ball to the house turning the corner. He moves well as an option running back, also, where he is able to capitalize on his balance and foot work. He has a very good feel for the cutback lanes, getting the bulk of his yardage when doing so. He might not have the timed speed to beat secondary defenders, but takes good angles and shows the head and shoulder fakes to take those opponents out of the play. With his body control, he excels at turning it up with his outside run.
Booker shows good hands for the passing game. He is fluid when trying to extend his hands away from the framework, especially when attempting to get to off-target tosses. He shows good concentration to look the ball in and is quick to turn and head up field after the catch. He has the body control to adjust to the ball in flight and has a very good feel for getting open on the screens.
Continue reading about the Broncos’ rookie class..
Von Miller's Agent Provides Insight On Negotiations
Von Miller‘s agent Joby Branion has been particularly busy recently. Today, he appeared on PFT Live to discuss his client’s extension negotiations with the Broncos. In particular, the agent talked about John Elway‘s tactics during these contract talks.
- Branion also told Florio that Miller would have been willing to sit out the 2016 season and leave the Broncos the following offseason. “Absolutely, no question,” Branion said. “You know, a lot of people think it’s bluster and all that and sometimes it is, in this case no. It wouldn’t have made any sense. I told him, ‘Look, I treat you like you’re my own son,’ and if in fact this were my son I’d have to tell him you can’t afford to play for the franchise tag, not given your overall value. I mean, he’s a guy that deserves to be in the 19, 20, 21 million dollars a year range and his tag number is only 14. So it would make no sense at all for him to play for one year for [$14 million], risk potentially getting hurt and then be in a position where the team would be able to exclusive tag him yet again next year. Which I don’t see any reason why they wouldn’t do because then the number would still be so far below his value whereas if he had restricted free agency even, as he likely would have in March, he would have made up the difference.”
Broncos Notes: QBs, Defense, Elway
Broncos defensive tackle Sylvester Williams offered some insight into the team’s three-man quarterback derby Tuesday, telling SiriusXM NFL Radio, “I think [Mark Sanchez] has to go out there and lose the job” (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today). Sanchez, 29, is the elder statesman of a troika that also includes 2015 seventh-round selection Trevor Siemian and first-round rookie Paxton Lynch. While Sanchez was previously at the helm of two defensively brilliant Jets teams that went to AFC title games, the 2009 fifth overall pick from USC hasn’t had much personal success in the NFL. It’s worth noting, though, that the Broncos’ dominant defense led them to a Super Bowl title last season in spite of subpar quarterback play.
More notes on the reigning champions:
- Although Sanchez looks like the favorite to win the No. 1 job, the seven-year veteran’s history suggests it would be a mistake for the Broncos to award him the role, argues Adam Schein of NFL.com. Given that Sanchez is known for wilting in the spotlight, as Schein writes, Denver’s best hope is for Lynch to grab the reins and take advantage of the excellent receiver duo of Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.
- Safety T.J. Ward believes the Broncos’ defense can improve on its output from last year and go down as a legendary unit. “We can become the best defense of all time. That’s what we’re working toward,” he said Monday (via Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post). Last year’s Broncos ‘D’ is arguably among the premier groups ever, having led the league in total defense, pass defense and sacks before steamrolling its three playoff opponents. Of that defense, general manager John Elway told John Clayton of ESPN.com in February that “it’s the best I’ve ever seen with the way they play and with the speed they play.” The squad has incurred a couple serious losses since then, however, with lineman Malik Jackson and linebacker Danny Trevathan taking bigger paydays elsewhere in free agency.
- Elway’s reign as an executive is beginning to rival his Hall of Fame playing tenure, contends Mike Klis of 9News. The Elway-led Broncos have accumulated 64 victories, the second-highest total in the league, in his five years as the GM, and have won a Super Bowl, two conference championships and five straight AFC West titles. Among Elway’s best work in the front office, offers Klis: Convincing Canton-bound veterans Peyton Manning and DeMarcus Ware to accept pay cuts; re-signing Pro Bowlers Von Miller, Thomas, Chris Harris Jr., C.J. Anderson, Ryan Clady, Champ Bailey and Matt Prater (the latter three of whom are now retired or elsewhere); and serving as the league’s only GM to pick up a Pro Bowler through the draft (Miller and Julius Thomas), street free agency (Manning, Ware and Willis McGahee), unrestricted free agency (Ward, Aqib Talib and Louis Vasquez) and undrafted free agency (Harris and Anderson) over the past half-decade.
Von Miller Essentially Guaranteed $78.5MM
- While Von Miller is fully guaranteed $42MM under the terms of his extension with the Broncos, the All Pro edge rusher is essentially guaranteed $78.5MM given the structure of the contract, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk details. Because of the payout schedule, Denver would have to accept $32.8MM in dead money in order to cut Miller before March 2018. The next year, $9MM of Miller’s $17.5MM fully guarantees in March, meaning the Broncos would need to be willing to release Miller rather than pay him for one more season at an effective cost of $8.5MM. Jason Fitzgerald of the Sporting News, meanwhile, points out that Miller’s relatively cheap signing bonus ($17MM) means he doesn’t have much dead money protection in the final two years of the deal.
Von Miller’s Agent Sought Trade Permission
As the Broncos and Von Miller‘s camp headed into the final week of negotiations that eventually produced a record-breaking defensive contract, one of the linebacker’s agents brought up a potential trade, Mike Klis of 9News reports.
Joby Branion helped secure the six-year, $114.5MM pact — with $70MM guaranteed — for his client, but when talks weren’t progressing to the agent’s liking, Branion made a formal request to see if he could contact other teams about the prospect of trading for Miller. This came about last weekend after talks with the Broncos intensified.
John Elway submitted the proposal that ended up being the clincher over a two-day period on July 7-8, but Branion countered with an offer that would have included more guaranteed money, Klis reports. But Elway, as he’s shown he’ll do during negotiations in his five-plus years as the Broncos’ GM, held firm on his offer. Branion then told the GM if he wasn’t prepared to consider his counterproposal, then it was possibly within the team’s best interests to consider trading Miller.
The Broncos did not entertain the notion of trading the reigning Super Bowl MVP, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports, with the sixth-year GM viewing the 27-year-old pass-rusher as a cornerstone player.
Elway’s closing pitch came to Miller much earlier in the process than it did last summer when the Broncos reached an extension agreement with Demaryius Thomas minutes before the deadline. That was partially due to a parallel negotiation not existing like it did when the Broncos were talking with Thomas in 2015 and waiting on the Cowboys to close on a deal with Dez Bryant. It also stemmed from the Broncos potentially drawing up trade plans just in case along with Elway having an out-of-the-country vacation trip booked.
It’s unclear if any contingency trade plans were hatched out much, though.
The Broncos would have, of course, held the option of tagging Miller again if he sat out the season but could only use the non-exclusive tag on him if he followed through with that persistent threat. That scenario would have induced a team to exchange a first- and third-round pick for Miller in 2017.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Teammates React To Von Miller's Extension
Following news of Von Miller‘s record-breaking extension with the Broncos, we’ve started hearing reactions from several of the player’s teammates.
More Reactions To Von Miller’s Extension
The Broncos and Von Miller finally agreed to an extension yesterday, with the new contract being worth $114.5MM over six seasons. We’ve already taken a look at some reactions to the contract, but let’s see what the Broncos organization had to say about the extension…
- Executive VP of Football Operations/GM John Elway said Miller was rewarded for his past performance and his anticipated future production. “Von’s earned this contract not only for what he’s done in the past but for what we believe he’ll do in the future,” Elway told Aric DiLalla of DenverBroncos.com. “This was a long process that ended the way we all wanted—with Von being part of the Denver Broncos for many more years. Our team had a tremendous year last season, and the way Von performed the final few weeks was such a big part of our Super Bowl run. Going forward, we expect great things from Von not only on the field but with the responsibility he has as a leader on the team. I’m proud of how we’ve handled this situation and give credit to everyone on our staff who helped get this done.”
- Head coach Gary Kubiak indicated that he was happy that the negotiations were now behind them. “I know this took a lot of hard work from John and Von to get this done, and we’re thrilled that Von is going to be a Bronco for a long time,” Kubiak told DiLalla. “I’ve known him since he was a kid in college. Most of all, I’m proud of how far Von’s come as both a person and a player. It’s a great day for him and the organization. We’re all excited to get back to work with Von as a leader of our team.”
- Finally, Miller was thrilled with finally inking that extension. “I’m super happy and excited to be back with my teammates for the next six years,” he told DiLalla. “This is something I really wanted—to stay with the Denver Broncos. I am so appreciative and grateful for this opportunity. I want to thank Mr. Bowlen, Joe Ellis, John Elway and Coach Kubiak for making this possible. I’m also thankful for the way my teammates and our fans have supported me. I’m excited for the future and ready to get back to work.”
- After looking through Miller’s new six-year contract, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com says (via Twitter) Olivier Vernon‘s five-year contract was the way to go. Fitzgerald understands the desire to get paid, but he believes these players are limiting themselves by playing for $18MM during the sixth year of the contract.
Broncos, Von Miller Agree To Extension
After months of haggling, a deal has finally been reached between the Broncos and star Von Miller, the team confirmed via press release. On Friday afternoon, the two sides shook hands on a six-year agreement which will reportedly pay $114.5MM overall. Most importantly, the deal is said to effectively include $70MM in guarantees to be paid out by March of 2018.
Here are the details on Miller’s six-year, $114.5MM contract, via Mike Klis of KUSA:
- The deal will include $23MM in upfront cash (through signing or roster bonus).
- In total, the deal includes $70MM in guarantees.
- In 2016, he’ll see a $23MM signing bonus plus $2MM in salary and other bonuses, including his workout bonus. Total $25MM (fully guaranteed).
- 2017: $17MM in salary, bonuses (fully guaranteed). Total is $42MM after two years.
- 2018: $19MM in salary, bonuses. (Injury-only guarantee, converts to full guarantee in eight months, or March 17). Total is $61MM after three years.
- 2019: $17.5MM in salary, bonuses. (Injury-only guarantee but $9MM converts to full guarantee a year earlier, or in March 2018). Total is $78.5MM after four years with $70MM guaranteed.
- 2020 – 2021: Average of $18MM per year in salary and bonuses. (No guarantees). Total is $114.5MM after six years.
Miller is now the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history in terms of both average annual value and total guaranteed dollars. His contract is also the highest in the league for any non-quarterback. Miller beat out Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox in just about every metric, except for his year one payout. Cox secured $27.3MM upfront while Miller received $25MM. After two years, Miller will receive $42MM guaranteed while Cox received $36.3MM. After three years, Miller sees $61MM versus Cox’s $55.55MM.
Weeks ago, Miller and Denver reportedly agreed to the overarching framework of an extension and had informally worked out six-year, $114.5MM contract that would make Miller the league’s highest-paid defensive player on an annual basis. However, those numbers only tell a fraction of the story. Miller’s camp has been pushing for a better guarantee structure with more advantageous triggers (ie. when the guarantees would kick in) with an eye on topping the roughly ~$60MM guaranteed given to Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.
The $70MM guaranteed figure refers to “essential guarantees” and we’ll have to wait a little longer to find out exactly what that means. Part of that figure will come via fully guaranteed cash, such as Miller’s signing bonus. The rest of that money will come to Miller in the form of injury guarantees or “effective” guarantees, the latter being money that it would be nearly impossible for Miller not to earn. At some point soon, we’ll know how it’s portioned out. Either way, the majority of Miller’s guarantee will be paid out in the first two years of the contract.
Over the summer, Miller announced that he would sit out the 2016 season if he was not given a satisfactory deal by today’s deadline. Some questioned whether the reigning Super Bowl MVP would make good on that threat, but teammates believed him to be serious. Would Miller really have opted to stay on the couch rather than chase another ring and earn upwards of $14MM? Only No. 58 knows the answer.
Had Miller opted to sit out the 2016 season, the Broncos only would have been able to use the non-exclusive franchise tag on him and would not have had the exclusive franchise tag at their disposal. Typically, a team that is able to pry a player away on the non-exclusive tag would have to forfeit two first-round picks to the former team. However, per the terms of the CBA, the compensation price would have dropped from two first-round picks to a first and a third if Miller were to sit out.
Additional details provided by Adam Schefter and Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Reactions To Von Miller’s Deal
In a day packed with enthralling stories across the NFL, none was as important to a team’s long-term future as the Broncos’ record-setting contract agreement with all-world pass rusher Von Miller, the reigning Super Bowl MVP. After a lengthy and contentious battle over guaranteed money, the Broncos finally locked up the linebacker shortly before Friday afternoon’s contract deadline for franchise-tagged players. The defending champions inked Miller to a six-year, $114.5MM deal with $70MM in guarantees. Here’s a roundup of reactions to the accord:
- While Miller was adamant about remaining a Bronco over the long haul, his threat to sit out the season in lieu of playing under the tag was not a bluff, according to agent Joby Branion. Having avoided that scenario, Branion praised Denver’s front office, calling general manager John Elway & Co. “extraordinarily smart people.” The two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback and now-title-winning executive is “the ultimate competitor,” Branion added (Twitter links via Troy Renck of the Denver Post).
- Negotiations between the Broncos and Miller became serious July 7 for two reasons, writes Mike Klis of 9News: 1. The team needed to begin drawing up trade plans for Miller if if knew it wouldn’t be able to sign him by the deadline. 2. Elway had out-of-country vacation plans. Elway’s urgency led the Broncos to significantly raise their offer from $39.8MM in full guarantees over the first two years and $58MM in partial guarantees during the initial three to $42MM and $70MM, respectively. That increase was enough for Miller to sign on the dotted line and avoid a season-long holdout or a trade.
- Largely as a result of their tug of war with Miller, the Broncos have established themselves as a brutal team to negotiate with, per Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. That stubbornness is sometimes to the Broncos’ detriment and sometimes to their benefit, notes Robinson, who reports that it’s the former in this instance. The Broncos could have re-signed Miller at a lower guaranteed amount in February, multiple sources told Robinson, who argues that doing so might have enabled them to retain quarterback Brock Osweiler via the franchise tag instead of having to use it on Miller. Without the tag tying him down, Osweiler departed for Houston in free agency, leading Denver to acquire derided signal-caller Mark Sanchez and use a first-round pick on Paxton Lynch.
- With Miller under wraps, attention in Denver now turns to contract-year receiver Emmanuel Sanders, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post explains. As of last week, negotiations between the Broncos and Sanders went on the back burner while the club turned its entire focus to Miller. Sanders hopes to stay a Bronco, though, and Elway said in June that extensions for Miller, linebacker Brandon Marshall and Sanders by mid-July would be “ideal.” The only one of those three Elway hasn’t since re-upped is Sanders, so it seems like a matter of time for the 29-year-old.
- As the cap continues to rise, Miller’s new pact will eventually set the standard for Raiders superstar defensive end Khalil Mack and Rams dominant defensive tackle Aaron Donald, Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post contends. Mack and Donald – who, like Miller, are among the league’s premier players – are controllable under their current deals for three more seasons. The two 2014 first-round picks have 2018 fifth-year options that, barring something catastrophic, their teams will undoubtedly exercise when the time comes.