2018 Broncos Season, Free Agency

Free agency has begun, as has the new league year. And that means the Broncos working on the process of re-building. Full disclosure: No matter what moves the team makes, I won't believe we have a solid future as a winning or contending team until we get a real coach. That being said, this hasn't been a bad first week.

Of course, it was somewhat of a bummer to see Aqib Talib traded. But I like Chris Harris, Jr., and Bradley Roby, and I think they'll be a solid starting tandem. And Talib's contract made him an almost certain cut or trade candidate for a team that needed cap space to fill some holes. And that's why signing Case Keenum at quarterback might make more sense than going for Kirk Cousins.

Is Cousins a better player? Maybe. He has more starting experience and some gaudy numbers on marginal teams. But Keenum took a team within a game of the Super Bowl last year, going 11-3 in 14 starts. That's more than Cousins can say for any of his seasons. And Keenum, while somewhat expensive at two years and $36 million, is more affordable at the most crucial position in this market. And he provides some veteran leadership that will be an upgrade over what the Broncos' saw in 2017.

Keenum was one of the most sought after QB options on the market. That’s on the strength of a season where he threw for 3,547 yards, 22 TDs and seven INTs. Those were all career best marks by quite a bit, but it’s also the first season he started more than 10 games for a decent team. In Denver, he will have Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, so that's a good start. But the Broncos have to hope to find a solid third WR option. It seems unlikely that will be either Carlos Henderson, the rookie who missed all of the 2017 season and was recently arrested, or Isaiah McKenzie, the rookie who had butter hands as a special teamer in 2017. It's also likely not Jordan Taylor, who returned as a restricted free agent. But we'll see. At tight end, the Broncos have Jake Butt, who also missed all of the 2017 season with injury, and Jeff Heuerman. But it seems likely they will be a player in that market, too, or address it in the draft.

In the backfield, the Broncos got a spot of good news as Von Miller's salary was mostly converted to bonus, freeing up additional cap space. That seems to indicate, at least for the moment, that C.J. Anderson will remain with the team, joining Devontae Booker and DeAngelo Henderson in giving the Broncos a dynamic RB core to begin the season.

In terms of the rest of the offense, the team still has work to do on the offensive line after missing out on Nate Solder and will probably still do more at the quarterback position. The Broncos traded Trevor Siemian to the Vikings, and Brock Osweiler is a free agent unlikely to return. The team has Paxton Lynch, a first round draft pick entering year three, and Chad Kelly, a seventh round pick entering year two after spending his rookie year on injured reserve. They also still hold the fifth pick in the first round, a high pick in round two, and a pair of third round picks. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Broncos draft a quarterback in there somewhere, even though Keenum is the clear starter in 2018.

On defense, the Broncos signed Tremaine Brock to provide depth at corner. He's a 30-year-old journeyman, but the cost was right at one year, $4 million. The Broncos will likely add another piece here, either via draft or in free agency. The Broncos also re-signed Todd Davis, and tendered Shaq Barrett at a level that means he'll be back. That keeps a lot of the core in tact (though it's worth monitoring Adam Gotsis' legal situation). But the Broncos have lost a lot of depth the past few seasons, so they will need a good draft and some savvy free agent pick ups to help in that area, and provide some pieces for Special Teams.

Overall, it has been a good start to the new league year, and I'm excited to see what else happens moving forward.