The Broncos’ inactivity this offseason reveals the truth about how confident they are about taking the next step.
General manager George Payton and Sean Payton love their roster. They could pretend that jobs are open, that vacancy lights are flashing. But in reality, there is roughly one starting position up for grabs: defensive end.
John Franklin-Myers, who loved talking, sacking and eating Uncrustables, left as a free agent to the Titans. The Broncos wanted to keep him. But after they signed players to in-house contract extensions for more than $400 million over the last 18 months, JFM had to leave to cash in.
So when the Broncos finally got around to picking in the NFL draft — they had no selection in the first or second round for the first time since 1995 — they plucked Texas A&M defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim.
He might not be a dancing bear. But he can play anywhere up front. Just ask him.
“Man, I feel like I am a versatile player. I can play anywhere on the line,” Onyedim, voice still excited after realizing his dream of reaching the NFL as the 66th selection overall. “I have a good first step. I feel like I am a true defensive lineman.”
The numbers add up for him to push for playing time. He is 6-foot-3, 292 pounds with go-go Gadget arms and a thirst for stopping the run. He provides depth and youth, the type of athlete capable of competing for snaps with Sai’vion Jones, who was taken in the third round last season.
He is also familiar with the Broncos Orange Rush. Before transferring to Texas A&M, Onyedim was a teammate of Denver’s Eyioma Uwazurike at Iowa State. The two have remained close, with Onyedim saying they would be in each other’s weddings.
“That’s my big bro. That’s my dog,” Onyedim said. “I have studied all of those boys, you feel me. I can’t wait to learn from the best.”
It is sure not like it used to be, back in the days of desperation, when the Broncos’ draft felt like an expensive game of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. In previous seasons, we would start talking about positioning for picks in October.
This spring, we have groused about the free agent yawnfest — they brought in special teams safety Tycen Anderson — and their desire to keep the band together. This could be a bad thing. But there’s no denying that it is a byproduct of a team that has become really, really good.
The Broncos went 15-4 last year, testing the expiration dates on miracle finishes, while suffocating opponents with a relentless defense.
The loss to the New England Patriots remains burned into memory because there are so many scenarios in which they should have won. Had Bo Nix not broken his ankle, had Jarrett “It ain’t pretty, it’s Stiddy” Stidham not turned the ball over inside the 20, had the Broncos run more successfully than a democrat in Wyoming, had Mother Nature not flexed its muscle with the only snow storm that would appear in months, Denver would have advanced to its ninth Super Bowl.
Instead, the Broncos were left with their noses against the windowpane, two wins shy of the most improbable season in franchise history.
They are banking on players improving, believing success through this path is more likely and preferable to adding outside influences to the locker room. Onyedim is, by all accounts, a good teammate who will fit in their culture.
What happened to Thursday and Friday? Jaylen Waddle. And the AFC Championship Game.
The Broncos chose to be strategic, their offseason a laser, not a crabbing net.
They sent away their first-rounder, 30th overall, to the Dolphins in exchange for an explosive, proven receiver. Waddle is everything the Broncos needed, a receiver capable of stopping and starting more effectively than a New York cabbie.
Indiana wideout Omar Cooper ultimately went to the Jets in that spot. No matter how much you like the Hoosier, there is zero chance he would have had Waddle’s impact this season.
In a Super Bowl window, the Broncos have very specific needs.
Now, this does not make them immune to second-guessing. Could they have packaged picks — there is no way seven new players make their roster — to move up in the second round for Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers (Philadelphia traded up and took him at 54), Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. (61st to Titans) or Ohio State’s Max Klare.
With the Rams taking Klare, they now have seven or eight tight ends — lost count — better than anyone on the Broncos. Denver traded back last year and bit them when R.J. Harvey fizzled as J.K. Dobbins’ replacement, making it clear they would have been better off with TreVeyon Henderson.
Listen, I would have preferred they take an offensive player. Payton likes the unit more than the rest of us. And clearly, the Broncos did not think enough of the tight ends to be aggressive. It puts pressure on them, however, to land a running back on Day 3, somebody like Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson or Washington’s Jonah Coleman.
The reality is that the Broncos are now smart and have earned trust. Now that they are a legitimate contender, apountry is willing to give the benefit of the doubt.
They are counting on the Broncos to win a Super Bowl in the next few years. With a roster as stacked as it has been since 2015, these are the expectations.
It also means that Paton and Paton don’t see many open competitions.
So, on Friday, after a nearly hour wait, you get Tyler Onyedim.
It is boring. It is also a byproduct of winning.
