apountry is mad because it feels misled.
The Broncos’ messaging was off. When owner Greg Penner, general manager George Paton and Sean Payton talked this offseason, they inferred Denver would do something. Make at least one move, preferably a big one. They have every offseason with Paton.
Instead, the Broncos woke up Friday as the only team not to sign a free agent from another team. Will fans understand if they admit they swung and missed? Not likely.
The Broncos pursued Travis Etienne Jr., and drew a line in the sand somewhere shy of $13 million per season. Turns out they were a stalking horse. Etienne confirmed that the Broncos and Chiefs wanted him, but he was determined to return home to Louisiana.
The Broncos chased receiver Jalen Nailor, but exercised restraint when he secured an offer of $23 million guaranteed from the Raiders.
Once these two were off the board, the Broncos stood pat. They have signed 17 of their 22 in-house free agents. The only players not returning are John Franklin-Myers (forced to leave to get a huge payday), P.J. Locke (returned home to Texas), Marcedes Lewis (41 years old), Mike Burton and Sam Mustipher. There is irony that Burton is the only Broncos player who has a Super Bowl ring.
When Denver brought back Jaleel McLaughlin on Friday — he is an all-time great dude with a Disney story — it was objectively hilarious.
It was as if Payton were trolling us.
The coach declared improving the run game was a top priority and then ran it back at running back. The entire room is the same, pending the draft.
Offensively, players who took 94 percent of the snaps last season are under contract.
Mafia families are not this loyal.
Why the static nature? The Broncos signed 11 contract extensions over the past 19 months, so they had fewer needs. Payton keeps culture guys, valuing their off-field impact as much as their on-field contributions. And once the third wave of free agent players arrived, there was a calculus involved.
Clearly, teams love the 2027 draft. The Broncos can argue that it is not worth losing a fourth-round compensatory pick for Franklin-Myers to overpay a pedestrian player.
But don’t blame fans for their reaction.
They see a team in a Super Bowl window with an offense that scares no one. They watched the Chiefs and Chargers get better, and Denver stood pat. The inactivity places priority on hitting on the draft with a running back like Arkansas’ Mike Washington Jr.
The problem is that Payton, in Denver, has not developed an offensive skill player into a star. Vance Joseph turned Nik Bonitto into an All-Pro; Jonathon Cooper into an impact starter. Troy Franklin improved last season, but he is still not a feared No. 2 receiver. Same goes for Pat Bryant. Maybe both take a huge step forward, easing concerns.
It is not guaranteed. Even at running back. I am old enough to remember when Audric Estime was going to develop into a frontline starter. He was cut after one season.
In a vacuum, there are sound explanations for the Broncos keeping so many of their own. But don’t expect apountry to understand. The fans thought they were getting a new ride, and instead, their old whip sits in the driveway sparkling from a car wash.
Bam Bam Mad: Don’t be mad at Bam Adebayo for scoring 83 points on Tuesday night. Direct rage at the tanking Washington Wizards. They chose not to guard him for three quarters, then turned the game into a mockery by fouling him in the fourth. Is Miami innocent? No. But once Adebayo reached 70, he was going for it. The ending was cringeworthy. My anger, however, is focused on the hapless Wizards for making the achievement feel tainted.
Final Thought: Denver Post Headline in 2040: Broncos re-sign receiver Ol’ Jordan Humphrey. I kid because I care.
