Ten things about the Broncos entering Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers:
1. If itap Sunday or next week at Houston, the final part of the season is important for right tackle Ja’Wuan James. No, he’s not going anywhere — his four-year contract basically guaranteed a second year because the “dead” cap charge is $19 million. But on an offense that has allowed 36 sacks, getting James equal parts up to speed health-wise and feeling good mentality-wise should be a priority. James has played only 32 snaps this year because of a knee injury.
2. Does offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello need to discover what James does well because of his limited action? We thought, “Yes.” But … “Not really,” Scangarello said. “We evaluated him as a free agent and (assistant offensive line coach Chris Kuper) had him in Miami. We feel like we know what he is and what he’s capable of and thatap why we brought him here. The reality of it is, he’s got to be confident and healthy and we know he can be a top tackle in this league.”
3. If James returns the Broncos can give Elijah Wilkinson a shot at left tackle. Even if coach Vic Fangio wanted to sit or rotate Garett Bolles at left tackle, he had no option while James was hurt. Wilkinson may not be the left tackle of the future, but if he plays well there, he can definitely be a “swing” tackle candidate in 2020. Wilkinson has played better in pass protection than Bolles, allowing only one knockdown and two pressures in the last four games.
4. Over the past five games, Fangio is looking for which players are potential solutions to turning the team around and which players are, well, getting in the way. I went to veteran cornerback Chris Harris for the translation: “It just means to be a professional,” Harris said. “He wants to see guys be professional, handle their business like men, go out there and play with pride and try to win. … It will be easy to see who quits and who’s going to be a problem if that happens, but I don’t see that happening with anybody on our team.”
5. Fangio continues to praise safety Justin Simmons (team-high three interceptions) at every turn. “It means a lot,” Simmons said. “Vic is the type of guy that doesn’t really sugarcoat anything. He says exactly whatap in his heart and on his mind. Hearing something like that definitely goes a long way. With that being said, I also know the mistakes week and week out we’ve made as a unit and especially myself and now there is still obviously a lot of room for improvement and growth.”
6. If the Broncos don’t sign Simmons to a new contract before the end of the season and talks don’t gain much traction before next March, applying the franchise tag would be the team’s next option. The 2019 franchise tag for a safety was $11.19 million and it usually goes up slightly each year.
7. The Broncos’ offense must be better equipped to handle adversity. The latest example was against Buffalo last week. On the first drive, the Broncos had a second-and-4 from the Bills’ 29, but left guard Dalton Risner’s unnecessary roughness penalty was followed by a batted pass intended for a wide-open receiver, Tim Patrick. “Itap hard to get 11 guys to do everything right on every play, but when you’re rolling and you’ve been together, a lot of times you overcome some of those things,” Scangarello said. “The good teams definitely do. Unfortunately, there have been a few times where someone hasn’t’ picked up on the next play to make it right.”
8. The Broncos had five three-and-outs against Buffalo, second-most this year behind six in the win over Tennessee in Week 6. The offense has 17 three-and-outs in the last five games (1-4 record).
9. When the Broncos beat the Chargers in Week 5, Los Angeles’ offensive coordinator was Ken Whisenhunt. He was axed by coach Anthony Lynn on Oct. 29. Quarterbacks coach Shane Steichen was promoted to play-caller and the Chargers are 1-2 (26, 24 and 17 points) since that move. “The offense hasn’t changed a whole lot,” Fangio said. “They’re still doing a lot of the same things, majoring in some things more than they were and some things less than they were. Since we’ve last played them, (tight end Hunter) Henry is back and (running back Melvin) Gordon is back to being himself.”
10. Fangio on former Broncos safety Steve Atwater, named a Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist on Tuesday: “Steve was really a (heck) of a player. It was a different era as far as safeties go. In his era, he was definitely a force to be reckoned with and was one of the top safeties in the league for a long time.”
