2016 NFL offseason: Denver Broncos needs

Players that might leave

The only bad thing about winning a championship in today’s NFL is the near-guaranteed exodus of many of your best players in free agency. Athletes who own a Super Bowl ring know that the whole world just got a glimpse of what they can do on professional football’s grandest platform, and so many come away with inflated ideas as to how much they’re worth.

The Broncos went all-in during 2014’s signing period by bringing in DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, Emmanuel Sanders, and a number of other major contributors in an effort to maximize the closing window of their title chances with an aging Peyton Manning. Thankfully for John Elway, the plan worked, and the team won a championship. But now it’s time to pay the piper with 25 players set to test free agency, and Denver simply doesn’t have the cap space to retain all of their stars.

Peyton Manning’s imminent departure, either through retirement or being cut, will free up about $19 million. Those funds will probably be allocated towards reaching long-term deals with Super Bowl MVP Von Miller, defensive end Malik Jackson, and linebacker Danny Trevathan, all of whom Elway has named as top priorities this offseason. While it looks like Manning will probably hang up his cleats for good, the team is giving him the respect he deserves to mull over his future. A decision needs to come by March 9, however, when Manning’s 2016 salary would become guaranteed.

One of the noted weaknesses of this team during the regular season was the offensive line play. While the unit seemed to get it together down the stretch and into the postseason, they didn’t make things any easier on Peyton or on Brock Osweiler for the majority of the year, so it’s worth examining what can be done to improve things before next season.

Free agent left guard Evan Mathis was actually the only offensive lineman who finished with an above-average grade from Pro Football Focus, but he might still get the ax this summer all the same … Mathis will turn 35 this year, and with a cap hit of nearly $3 million, Denver might be forced to let him go in order to free up space. Among all the team’s free agents, Mathis is second only to Von Miller in terms of projected salary against the cap.

The champs also need to figure out what exactly is happening in their backfield. C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman seemed to alternate all year as the go-to guy handling running back duties, but neither ever seized the reins as the clear-cut starter and both now enter the offseason looking for new contracts. Because he’s a restricted free agent and he’s nearly half as expensive as his counterpart, Anderson seems like the surer bet to be retained. Hillman’s production as a pass-catching back would be missed though, and the Broncos would have to look at replacing him with a player from another team or perhaps in the draft.

Denver should also cut their losses and let tight end Vernon Davis find a new home this summer. The former 49er was virtually non-existent as a Bronco, and considering the strong working relationship between starter Owen Daniels and head coach Gary Kubiak, there’s really no reason to keep Davis around in 2016. Virgil Green provides all the depth at tight end that the team needs.

Next: Players to target