Denver Post Broncos writer Ryan O’Halloran posts his Broncos Mailbag periodically during the season. Submit questions to Ryan here.
Why did Vic Fangio intentionally propulsion the crippled alternatively of fto Drew Lock triumph it? We each cognize he’s an atrocious manager and was going to beryllium fired but helium truly has to spell retired that way? Good riddance.
— Steve, Forks, Wash.
Not definite what ol’ Steve is referring to, but we’ll play on anyway. On the Broncos’ last thrust against Kansas City, they started astatine their 25-yard line. First play — Lock 25 yards to Tim Patrick. Fourth play — Lock 28 yards to Jerry Jeudy. Sixth play — Lock incompletion to the extremity zone. Seventh play — Lock incompletion wrong the 5-yard line.
Did Fangio instrumentality the shot retired of Lock’s hands by electing to footwear the tract extremity connected fourth-and-9 from the Chiefs’ 13 with 4:37 to go? Yes, but Lock besides had 2 plays to get the archetypal down oregon touchdown. As I wrote successful Sunday’s paper, I would person gone for it connected 4th down.
Now that we cognize we’re getting the No. 9 pick, who bash you deliberation the Broncos should take? I cognize the fashionable determination would beryllium a backmost similar Kenny Pickett oregon Malik Willis, but I’d similar to spot Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd. We request assistance successful the mediate of the defence (something that’s been an contented for years) and helium could beryllium a cornerstone there. Maybe prime up idiosyncratic aboriginal connected similar Kent State backmost Dustin Crum.
— Peter Drake, Denver
In the midst of the head-coaching search, it is clip to displacement immoderate of the absorption to the NFL draft. The Broncos person the ninth prime for the 2nd consecutive year; they selected cornerback Pat Surtain II past year.
I’m of the sentiment the Broncos won’t person the ninth pick, that they volition commercialized it to get a seasoned quarterback.
Pickett from Pittsburgh and Willis from Liberty were some viewed in-person this play by wide manager George Paton. He mightiness beryllium capable to commercialized down and inactive beryllium capable to draught either player.
Lloyd was a first-team All-America enactment who had 110 tackles, including a whopping 22 for mislaid yardage. Crum had 20 touchdowns and six interceptions for Kent State.
Are they doing thing astir ownership? Will determination beryllium immoderate quality astir it adjacent week?
— Jeff Davis, Aurora
Eventually, Jeff. Long communicative short, the Broncos are waiting for the right-of-first-refusal assertion filed by the property of precocious proprietor Edgar Kaiser to beryllium decided by a Denver justice earlier revealing their ownership modulation plan.
With the ownership concern successful flux, who could we attract? Do we beforehand violative enactment manager Mike Munchak to caput manager and support Ed Donatell to tally the defense?
— Steve Hershey, Scottsdale, Ariz.
As of Monday night, the Broncos had requested to talk with 8 candidates, which means the squad volition person to stack up interviews erstwhile the candidates’ playoff games are completed this weekend.
Paton said connected Sunday that nary existent adjunct is simply a campaigner to regenerate Vic Fangio and it volition beryllium up to the caller manager to determine which coaches helium wants to retain.
For a caput start, effort to get Aaron Rodgers now, past scan the skyline for endowment coming up. Then commencement with caller ideas. Call plays nary 1 expects. Be daring, beryllium tough, halt dancing connected the field, halt pointing connected archetypal downs. Play to win, not amusement disconnected your routines.
— Terry Bellomo, Aurora
I similar the mode Terry thinks. While searching for a manager during the day, Paton should beryllium calling the Packers astatine nighttime to enactment retired the particulars of a Rodgers deal. Unfortunately, that’s not apt portion Green Bay is inactive playing.
Terry does person a small spot of “Get Off My Dang Lawn,” which is fine, but he’s perfectly close astir the Broncos needing an discourtesy that threatens opponents much often with out-of-the-box plays.
I person 2 suggestions much than a question. 1. Draft a top-10 quarterback. 2. Hire an offensive-minded caput manager aged 35-55.
— Jerry Meyer, Black Hawk
1. The Broncos person the ninth prime truthful if they enactment enactment and privation a quarterback, they tin get one. I conscionable don’t expect them to person a first-round pick.
2. Among the 8 candidates the Broncos filed interrogation requests for connected Monday, lone Dallas’ Kellen Moore (age 33) doesn’t autumn wrong Jerry’s preferred property range, but 4 of the candidates are violative coordinators, including Moore.
Ryan, I’m wearing my George Paton chapeau today. Here’s what I propose. The Broncos spell aft Aaron Rodgers and/or Russell Wilson and suggest a three-year declaration for either paying $110 million. The Seahawks oregon Packers get their prime of Drew Lock oregon Teddy Bridgewater, a first-round prime and 2 second-rounders. What bash you think? Am I GM material?
— Joe D., Erie
Hire this man! Three years, $110 cardinal ($36.6 cardinal average) would beryllium a bargain. Bridgewater is simply a escaped cause truthful helium wouldn’t beryllium a portion of a trade, but Lock tin beryllium — helium could beryllium a holdover starter successful Seattle until it figures retired its aboriginal oregon beryllium Jordan Love’s back-up successful Green Bay. As for the 2 firsts and 2 seconds, I would dispersed those retired implicit the adjacent respective years, similar firsts successful ’22 and ’24, seconds successful ’23 and ’25 truthful the Broncos aren’t robbed of each their premium draught picks.
Garett Bolles has regressed, Dalton Risner and Lloyd Cushenberry haven’t progressed and the violative line, adjacent acknowledging each the unit changes, has played poorly overall. While astir of this is connected the players, it doesn’t look similar Mike Munchak has been the ‘O-Line Whisperer’ the Broncos thought they were hiring. What’s his future?
— Greg, Estes Park
Munchak’s aboriginal is successful the hands of the adjacent coach. But it wasn’t a large twelvemonth for the violative line. They’ve spent a batch of wealth and draught picks connected the enactment with disappointing results. Bolles and Cushenberry regressed successful their play and Risner was mean for the 2nd consecutive year. Right defender Quinn Meinerz was a agleam spot.
Moving forward, Bolles’ declaration locks him successful astatine near tackle for 2022, I deliberation Meinerz should enactment astatine defender and effort seasoned Graham Glasgow astatine center. That leaves near defender (Risner oregon idiosyncratic else) and close tackle (if the Broncos opt not to re-sign Bobby Massie).
How and wherefore does a caller caput manager assistance the Broncos onshore an elite seasoned quarterback? And doesn’t an imminent merchantability dissuade coaching candidates from committing conscionable arsenic overmuch arsenic the deficiency of a unchangeable quarterback? George Paton’s champion changeable astatine keeping his occupation whitethorn beryllium locking successful a prima backmost truthful however astir we fto Russell Wilson take his violative coordinator and support Vic Fangio for the stableness and calling the defense?
— Brian Giebel, Plattsvegas, N.Y.
Brian filed this question earlier Fangio was fired connected Sunday morning. I don’t cognize if a caller caput manager volition assistance the Broncos get a seasoned quarterback. The Broncos are assured the impending ownership modulation volition not interaction the coaching hunt but we’ll see. Paton’s aboriginal volition beryllium tied to 2 moves — hiring the close manager to regenerate Fangio and solving the backmost riddle.