Broncos preseason: 3 biggest questions facing the offense

The Broncos offense features some encouraging new faces but some serious questions remain heading into the 2019 slate of preseason games.

Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports

Football is officially back! After what has felt like one of the longer offseasons in recent memory, the Denver Broncos return to the field Thursday night to take on the Atlanta Falcons in Canton, Ohio for the Hall of Fame Game. 

While the Broncos and Falcons are both unlikely to play their starters, opinions will still be made about how the teams are looking and the direction they are heading in the 2019 season. For the Broncos, perhaps no question looms as large as that of how effective the offense can be this upcoming season.

After the ‘Star Wars’ numbers put up by the Broncos in 2013, it is almost unimaginable how quickly Denver’s offense would fade into oblivion with the falling off and eventual retirement of Peyton Manning. Of course, any time a team loses a legendary quarterback, things are likely to regress, but the nosedive in offensive performance has well outstayed its welcome in the Mile High City.

Over the last few seasons, the Broncos’ offense has simply flat out stunk. From backup-level (at best) quarterback play, offensive line play that resembled that of a turnstile, and play-calling that left players and fans alike scratching their head, the Broncos inability to move the ball and score points coming off the Manning years has been borderline painful. Especially in an era of ever-increasing offensive output, the Broncos have been heading the wrong direction with each passing season.

However, with a new offseason and change from coaching to personnel, hope springs eternal. From the upgrades on the coaching staff in ‘wunderkind’ Rich Scangarello to the addition of Hall-of-Famer Mike Munchak to coach the offensive line, to the additions to the offense in veteran (Joe Flacco and Ja'Wuan James) and rookie (Noah Fant, Drew Lock, Dalton Rinser) reinforcements alike, the offense appears to be heading in the right direction.

It is important to note that while things can look good on paper, no team ever bats 1.000 in their offseason. Every team and fanbase feels like they've improved and will be better this upcoming season than the last. That is, until the rubber meets the road. 

Things, in theory, don’t always add up to working in practice. Look no further than last season moving from Trevor Siemian to Case Keenum and Mike McCoy to Bill Musgrave, the allure of shiny new toy can lose its luster quickly when the reality of the NFL season comes to head.

Early returns from the Broncos' offense in training camp should create some worry that perhaps the offense may just end up a different version of underwhelming. However, given the high number of variables at play such as; a new scheme and play-caller, new quarterback, new pieces on the offensive line, new weapons being broken in, it is indeed too early to panic.

Not all questions can be answered in the present, especially in the Hall of Fame Game, but If the Broncos can answer the following three questions with ‘yes’, the offense will be well on their way in climbing out of the cellar this upcoming season.

1. Can the O-line do enough in pass blocking to help Joe Flacco?

Ja'Wuan James, Ron Leary and Elijah Wilkinson take five during Broncos Camp / Denver Broncos

Early returns for the Broncos’ offensive line have left many wanting. Even with the addition of the legendary Munchak, many are starting to have flashbacks towards the O-line ineffectiveness, specifically in pass blocking, that surrounded the Broncos over the last few seasons. 

Garett Bolles has been up and down, and there are questions surrounding his mentality as much as there are surrounding his technique. Connor McGovern, who was solid at guard in run blocking but a let down in pass blocking, only to really struggle after converting to center in 2018, has had at least one poor snap in each practice resulting in a negative play.

The right side of the line in Ronald Leary and Ja’Wuan James have had their struggles in practice, but perhaps most concerning is that injury history of the duo, with both already missing reps due to current or previous injuries. It is doubtful that both, if either one, makes it a full 16 games this season, given their consistent bouts with the injury bug. 

The offensive line will likely do enough in the run game just like last year when they were a really good run-blocking unit, but it is really the pass game that will make or break their effectiveness. It is 2019 after all.

If the Broncos had a twitched up athlete at quarterback such as Russell Wilson or Patrick Mahomes, or an extremely quick decision tight release player such as Tom Brady or Philip Rivers, the O-line’s ups and downs in pass blocking wouldn’t be as much of a red flag. Instead, the Broncos will start one of the more 'pocket dependent' quarterbacks in the NFL in Joe Flacco. With a longer release and heavier feet, Flacco will need to be kept clean, comfortable, and upright if the offense is to improve in 2019.

So far, that hasn’t been the case as the Broncos' O-line has led Flacco to continually take pressures or throw dump-offs. The Broncos do have one of the better pass-rushing units in the league, which could be confounding how poor the O-line has looked in the pass game, but alarm bells should be going off. 

Preseason games against strong defensive lines for the san Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, when the first teams will receive the most reps, should be noted as most indicative towards what the unit will look like this season. If they can even be just ‘solid’, that might be enough.

2. Do the Broncos have enough speed at wide receiver to open up the offense?

Undrafted rookie WR Trinity Benson hauls in the pass during Broncos' practice.  :: Joe Amon/Getty Images

One key component for Kyle Shanahan offense has been speed. From Taylor Gabriel in Atlanta to Marquise Goodwin (winner of the 40-yard dash contest this offseason), Shanahan has placed high value in speed in opening up the offense, stressing defenses, and creating space for other players on the offense. New Broncos' OC Rich Scangarello hails from the Shanahan system. 

Given how early the likes of receivers like Andy Isabella, Mecole Hardman, Parris Campbell, and Hollywood Brown went in the draft compared to the likes of Kelvin Harmon and Hakeem Butler, the value of speed at wide receiver is at an all-time high and necessity in the modern pass game. 

With Emmanuel Sanders still recovering from an Achilles injury suffered late last season, if there is one thing the Broncos’ wide receiver corps does not possess, it is true speed. Incredibly, it does appear as though Sanders is progressing rapidly, and could shatter the 11-month recovery time expectation with an Achilles injury. 

Still, what can be expected from Sanders returning after missing so much time? In a new offense with a new quarterback coming back off of a serious injury, he may take some time to reach the level of play Broncos Country has grown accustomed to over his time in the Mile High City.

If Sanders can return to form quickly, a tall ask for a 32-year-old receiver coming off of a serious injury, the offense may have just enough speed at receiver in 2019. The SMU product ran a blazing 4.4-second 40 at the 2010 NFL Combine (along with really having an outstanding athletic showing). However, what if Sanders doesn’t show out and the injury and/or father time impact his on-field ability?

The speed at receiver outside that of Sanders should leave anyone wanting. DaeSean Hamilton was injured and didn’t run at the Combine, but came in with a 4.52-second official time at the Penn State Pro Day (however some did record him slightly faster). Even still, his on-field game is not down the field speed predicated, but rather an underneath solid route runner. Hamilton has his value, but it’s not in stressing defenses with speed vertically or after the catch.

Courtland Sutton had a really good Combine in about everything but speed metrics. Running a 4.54-second 40 is solid for his size, especially in tandem with how he jumped and dominated in agility drills, but it won’t strike fear in defenders hearts in a way that pulls coverage to him. Sutton could take a step this year, but he is more of a jump ball out physical the defender X receiver. Players like Alshon Jeffery and Allen Robinson have made careers with similar types of playing style, but it isn’t the speed the Broncos' offense craves.

Furthermore, the likes of early camp standout Juwann Winfree (4.5s to 4.55s) and depth size receiver Tim Patrick (4.52s) are very likely to make the roster and will have their roles, but in terms of bringing true speed to the offense? That just isn’t their game. 

Perhaps the Broncos will carry six wide receivers this year in one of Trinity Benson (4.52s), Kelvin McKnight (4.62s), or cornerback convert Brendan Langley (4.43s) can bring some speed to the offense at receiver as all three have flashed in camp in different ways, but more than likely the Broncos ability to stress defenses vertically with speed in 2019 will depend on the health of Sanders. If not, expect a lot of compressed coverages this year from opposing defenses. Even if Flacco has the arm to stress secondaries, the lack of speed at receiver will limit the offense.

3. Can Noah Fant provide a needed jolt to the pass game?

Noah Fant hauls in a pass at Broncos Camp.  :: Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports

If Sanders is indeed not quite up to speed to start the season, whether being brought along slowly, not looking quite ‘right’, or simply not ready to go Week 1, then the Broncos most explosive true pass weapon might seriously be a tight end. Running an official 4.5-second 40 at the Combine despite some reporting a tweaked hamstring, Noah Fant is as fast or faster than any wide receiver that is most likely to make the Broncos’ roster in 2019. 

This is a testament to the athleticism of Fant, but also an indictment of the speed on the roster at wide receiver. With the high value being placed on ‘chunk’ plays in today’s NFL, Fant is going to have to grow into a good receiving weapon and quickly if the Broncos offense is to be anything beyond below average in 2019. 

This perhaps might be a bit too tall of a task though given the history of the tight end position and how long, typically, it takes for them to acclimate to the demands and speed of the NFL game.

Watching Fant, it’s obvious he has special traits for the position, but it’s going to take more than that to fulfill the value of his draft slot. As Vic Fangio stated earlier this offseason in regards to the first-round tight end, “He’s got tools, but you know I can go into Home Depot and walk out with a bunch of nice tools and I’m not a carpenter. We have to teach him how to be a tight end in the NFL."

Fant has been up and down in camp so far, as is to be expected from a rookie tight end. From concentration drops and a difficulty in reading how to find the soft spot in zone coverage and manipulating defenders, his reported struggles mirror that of his receiving ‘weaknesses; at Iowa. 

Fant is a better blocker than many had believed or stated coming into the season, which has been reiterated in the compliments of Rich Scangarello, but it is his ability in the pass game that is needed.

The Broncos' offense absolutely needs Fant to step up quickly this season in order to make the offense hum. He, along with Phillip Lindsay, are the most dynamic and explosive play-makers on the offense, will be relied upon to make plays that spark the unit and, given that they are big-play threats, draw coverage and attention from opposing defenses and in turn open up opportunities for their teammates around them. 

Worst case, Fant offers the Broncos offense a much-needed red zone weapon they can rely upon to help turn around the team’s scoring woes. However, he will need to be more than that if the pass offense is to be good enough to help the team make a run at playoff contention in 2019.

Bottom line

The Broncos' offense should be trending in the right direction this season. With what many consider a brilliant offensive mind in Scangarello, the addition of arguably the best offensive line coach in the game in Munchak, and a pouring of resources on that side of the ball in big contracts and early draft capital, the arrow is pointing up. 

However, like most things, the ramifications of these investments might not bear fruit immediately, if at all in 2019. The offense has warts, and there is no Peyton Manning to help cover them up. 

If the Broncos can prove they can pass block consistently, find or scheme around the lack of a speed element at wide receiver, or have Noah Fant emerge as a legitimate primary weapon for the pass game, the offense could be good enough to complement a solid looking defense to playoff contention, despite the tough schedule and division.

 If not, the fanbase might be in for another frustrating year watching the Broncos struggle to move the ball and put up points. 

Follow Nick on Twitter @NickKendellMHH.