When it comes to the Denver Broncos, many questions surround this team. Why shouldn’t there be? They are the defending super bowl champions. There have not been many teams that have won the super bowl and then had so many questions. Here are five burning questions as we head into the 2016 season.
When will Paxton Lynch play? It is well-known that the Denver Broncos QB situation is not the best. When you are looking to have Mark Sanchez as your starting QB things cannot be that good. There is a silver lining to this, however. That comes in the form of Paxton Lynch. The Broncos used their first-round pick on the young quarterback out of Memphis. Many say that he will not play a down this year, while some say that if he does not play it would be a shocker. If Sanchez falters in any way, the Broncos will need to do something at the position. If not, the fans in Denver will get mighty restless.
Can Demaryius Thomas cure the dropsies? Last year Thomas was 6th in the league in dropped passes. He had several of them in critical moments of Broncos games. Can he cure this issue? If he can, he is one of the best receivers in the NFL. He is a threat to go all the way anytime he touches the ball. If he is unable to catch the ball, this threat diminishes. D.T. should be able to cure this ailment. I look for him to do big things in 2016.
Can the offensive line improve? In 2015 the Denver Broncos were sacked 39 times. Ranking them 13th in the NFL. They made some moves on the offensive line to try to rectify this situation. They signed OT Russell Okung from the Seattle Seahawks and OL Donald Stephenson from the Kansas City Chiefs to try to solidify the line. If successful in those two signings the Broncos should be able to get back to the ground game that Gary Kubiak like to employ. This will, in turn, help the Broncos passing game and could limit the turnover opportunities by Mark Sanchez.
Who will be the Broncos RB? C.J. Anderson was a free agent. The Broncos matched an offer that was placed by the Miami Dolphins for his services. This should make him the starter. He has come in leaner and is looking to be more aggressive. However, last year’s leading rusher, Ronnie Hillman also returns and the Broncos drafted Devontae Booker out of Utah. All three could see significant action with the hot hand given the ride. Stay tuned to this story throughout the pre and regular season.
Who will be the starting QB? Days before the draft the Broncos traded for QB Mark Sanchez from the Philadelphia Eagles. This came after they tried significantly to acquire Colin Kaepernick from the San Francisco 49ers. At the time of these moves, the Broncos had only 1 QB on the roster, a second-year veteran Trevor Siemian. The Broncos also drafted the a-fore mentioned Paxton Lynch out of Memphis in the first round. All indications are that Mark Sanchez should be the starter. However, he could be in a heated battle with the lone rostered Trevor Siemian. I do not look for Lunch to be the day one starter. I do, however, look for a serious and open competition between Sanchez and Siemian with the loser a mistake away from playing.
The Denver Broncos are poised again to make some possible noise in the AFC. They will face a stiffer schedule and a stiffer division. The rise of teams like the Oakland Raiders, in the division, and other young teams in the conference could make it difficult. Keep your eyes on these questions and see how they are answered in 2016. It could be interesting for the Denver Broncos and their fans.