Broncos Offseason, Update One


"Blessed to be able lineup opposite Champ and learn from a Great . Will def be missed." — Chris Harris, Jr., via Twitter.

On Wednesday, the Broncos made their first big move of the off season, releasing Champ Bailey. Bailey, one of the Broncos' defensive captains, a sure-fire Hall of Fame player, and a 10-year veteran of the team, says he doesn't plan on retiring. His loss is another blow to the glory days of the Broncos, but I think it's also a blow to the current Broncos.

You can't argue that Bailey is the same player, he's not. Last year he was oft injured, and he appeared to have lost a step. But he is still better than most of the options out there, and that's without considering his intangibles. He's a great leader and locker room presence, and unlike Peyton Manning, he's worked to build up the next generation.

After two seasons, I don't think you can say Brock Osweiler is demonstrably better, despite being under Manning's tutelage. Of course we saw the same thing with the Colts. When Manning went out with injury, the team fell apart.

When Bailey went out, the Broncos were still in good shape. Many of the young defensive backs — Harris, David Bruton, Kavon Webster, Tony Carter, etc. — have credited Bailey with teaching them and helping them get better. It seems like his loss will be a blow to that group too.

My questions center on why the Broncos felt the need to do this. They didn't need to do it financially, so they seem to have decided they have no place for Bailey's leadership, or the way he makes the players around him better.

I can't help but wonder if this is just the first in a series of losses from the team that made it to the Super Bowl. Eric Decker, Knowshon Moreno, Zane Beadles, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Shaun Phillips, Robert Ayers, Chris Harris, and Wesley Woodyard are all free agents. That is a core group of players that made big contributions on the field last season. How will the Broncos fill all those holes? Will they pony up to re-sign some of these players?

The free agency period begins Tuesday, March 11, so hopefully we'll get some answers then. But as of now, this feels like a team headed toward a major regression in 2014.

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