And still, he returned for a Broncos curtain call, on Monday, in the building where he helped lay the current foundation.

Ten years to the day that the Broncos drafted him in 2016, the 32-year-old Simmons announced the end of his playing days on Wednesday morning through a video announcement on the Broncos’ account. After a one-year stint with the Falcons and a year-long absence from football, Simmons also signed a ceremonial deal to retire with the Broncos.

Simmons welled up several times in a 30-minute-long press conference later Wednesday afternoon in Dove Valley, thanking a seemingly never-ending slew of backers: wife Taryn for supporting him, Broncos executive John Elway for drafting him, general manager George Paton for extending him, and the Denver fanbase for sticking with him.

“It just felt like there was a lot asked, and I feel like I fell short,” Simmons said, on his eight-year career in Denver. “So, that’s why — a lot of the emotional aspect of it. And so, I felt like I let a lot of people down over the years.”

“And so, to see that type of reaction for me is more than I deserve,” he continued, on the response to his retirement. “It’s heartwarming. I’m thankful. I’m blessed, I’m honored.”

The heartbeat of the Broncos’ defense

For eight seasons after Elway took him with the final pick of the third round in 2016, Simmons led the Broncos’ secondary, defense and locker room at large. His 30 interceptions are tied for seventh all-time in Denver franchise history. And he lives in rooms he’s never touched — still flashing across the tape that Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker shows players, a deep-safety model for the defense that the former Broncos secondary coach wants to install in Dallas.

Parker has a simpler lasting memory of his years with Simmons, though.

By Jan. 8, 2021, the Vic Fangio era as the Broncos’ head coach was over. The locker room, Parker remembered, had a “feeling” about that, heading into a Week 18 matchup with the Chiefs. For a fifth straight season in Denver, they had nothing to play for. Simmons’ safety partner, Kareem Jackson, was hurt. Future Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II was hurt. Ronald Darby, the other starting corner, was hurt.

And yet Simmons trotted out to play like everything was on the line.

“He was still scratching,” Parker said, remembering. “He was clawing, out there.”

One’s football legacy is strange, Simmons said. His is no exception. He was a two-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro, and tied for seventh all-time in Broncos history in interceptions. He showed up, as Parker pointed out, playing 118 of a possible 131 games in Denver. He also had one season with a winning record but never made the playoffs.

It ate at him, as Simmons said. He told reporters on Wednesday that he believed each passing year would be the year. Behind the scenes, he had “a lot of talks” with Parker about a burning desire to simply make the postseason, as the Dallas defensive coordinator recounted.

“That����ap really all he wanted to do, to be honest with you,” Parker said. “I think if you asked if he would trade some of those career accolades relative to the interceptions and All-Pro nominees, and all that kinda stuff — to have that taste of January and February football, he would trade it in a heartbeat.”

That never came, and the Broncos cut Simmons for his price tag while rebuilding under Payton after the 2023 season. He signed in Atlanta in 2024 to try and chase a playoff berth — but found it “miserable,” as he said, to be away from his wife and FaceTime-parenting his three children, who were still living in Denver.

Simmons continued to train throughout the 2025 season but never signed with a franchise. The time he regained with family, though, was invaluable, as he recounted. Eventually, he found peace in realizing that it was “just time” to move away from his playing days, he said.

The safety had always wanted to retire a Bronco, even after being cut, Parker said. And the two years away from Denver helped Simmons find peace, too, with a tenure that lacked wins but had a much greater effect on the orbit around him.

“My overall goal was to leave here, and continue the legacy and to be a Hall of Fame player,” Simmons said. “Obviously, I fell short of that, I think. Not I think — I know I fell short of that.

“I think what I’m the most proud of, though, is the adversity that popped up in those eight seasons … it����ap hard to get recognized as a player when your team is not doing well,” Simmons continued. “It����ap a very difficult thing. So I’m proud of the way I was able to fight through some adversity in that aspect. It����ap hard when you have a lot going on. It helped me, though. It����ap part of my journey and my career. I’m thankful for it.”

Simmons has been a bridge between eras in Denver. He was drafted in 2016, the year after the Broncos’ Super Bowl 50 win. His time ended in 2023, the year before the Broncos returned to the playoffs. Denver went 52-79 in Simmons’ eight seasons, and saw six different coaches don a headset, and pivoted through a massive ownership change from the late Pat Bowlen to the Walton-Penner Group.

Still, Simmons became a “legend in his own way,” as former teammate Melvin Gordon told The Post. He organized Thursday bowling sessions and dinners with the defensive backs, and took care of the youngsters, Gordon said. Simmons was named a three-time captain and remained consistently accountable to local media during losing seasons. His impact ripples through foundational pieces still on the Broncos’ roster — Garett Bolles, Courtland Sutton, Surtain and Alex Singleton.

Gordon, a former Pro Bowler who played for the Broncos for three seasons, is quick to admit he fell into a bad place in Denver by his final year. He fumbled five times in 2022 and said he began to lose his “love for the game.”

Simmons, Gordon said, helped keep that passion burning through simple words and simple locker-room games of UNO.

“Sometimes, you do need a leader to show you the way,” Gordon said. “And I think he made his mark that way.”

The safety made his mark in the community, too, serving as an active mentor at the Broncos Boys and Girls Club. And after retirement, Simmons said he intends to try to wedge a foot into the broadcasting world — and explore a potential position at a local high school program, similar to Cherry Creek High head coach Dave Logan.

“I want to be the guy in the community that����ap a consistent, reliable figure for kids to look up to,” Simmons said.

And he hopes he left a legacy, as he said Wednesday, of a man who cared.

“I passionately cared,” Simmons said. “I wanted to do well. I really wanted to win. Didn’t work out. And I’m so glad that they’re winning now.”

The Broncos haven’t had a 1,000-yard rusher in the 2020s. Do you think that’ll change this year?

— Mike, Denver

Hey Mike, thanks for writing in and getting us going this week. Good question, and from this stage at the outset of training camp, it����ap pretty difficult to guess.

While the Broncos do have a 1,000-yard rusher drought, there’s not a ton of difference between Phillip Lindsay’s 1,011 in 2019 and Melvin Gordon’s 986 in 2020.

Still, it����ap a symbolic mark.

Push comes to shove, at the moment I’d say the streak does not end this fall. But for the first time in at least a couple of years, that won’t be because of a lack of punch at the position.

RELATED: Broncos training camp primer: Position battles, storylines, numbers and subplots as Year 3 under Sean Payton begins

There just figures to be a pretty good split in workload between J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey, and at least three others — Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estime and Tyler Badie — will be trying to carve out roles, too. Then you factor in Dobbins’ injury history and the consideration that even if he begins the season as the lead guy, he may or may not be by season’s end.

Here’s what I do think, though: Both Dobbins and Harvey have a chance to have really good seasons, particularly when you add up a combination of rushing yards and receiving yards.

If Harvey’s got 700 rushing yards but almost equal yards receiving on, let����ap say, 60 catches, that����ap a darn good rookie season. If Dobbins ends up with 850 and 600, that����ap a really good year.

Interesting, Denver’s rushing production from running backs specifically has been remarkably consistent the two years so far under coach Sean Payton.

They combined for 1,422 yards on 346 carries in 2023 and 1,415 yards on 343 carries last fall, both of which work out to 4.1 yards per carry. The three previous seasons looked like this:

2022: 1,540 on 367 carries (4.2)

2021: 1,863 on 413 (4.5)

2020: 1,669 on 372 (4.5)

Regardless of the 1,000-yard rusher conversation, it’ll be a surprise if the Broncos aren’t closer to the 4.5 range than where they’ve been the past three years. They’ve got an overhauled running back room and an offensive line that ranked as the league’s best run-blocking unit by some metrics last year.

Parker, there is a lot of hype and expectation for the Broncos this preseason. However, it may very well be mostly in Denver, as many of the other experts may not be buying in. Many rate the Broncos behind the Chargers in their division and as a more likely candidate for possibly replacing Kansas City as the best in the AFC West. What are your thoughts?

— Jon, Edwards

Yeah, I don’t think it����ap just in Denver, Jon. Many of the national types are pretty bullish on the Broncos, too. You see the team peppered all over lists of teams in contention, playoff projections, Super Bowl dark horses and all of that. . Last summer, they had the Broncos ranked No. 31. That����ap a massive year-over-year jump. That����ap also not to pick on ESPN. Certain beat reporters, including the one looking back at me in the mirror, had Denver pegged for six wins last year. I said a year ago that the way I’d end up very wrong on that was if Bo Nix played well in his rookie year and that����ap exactly what happened. But the Broncos also got terrific production up and down the roster, saw their first two free-agent classes under Payton pay off and benefited from development among many young players.

That sets the stage for high expectations this year. But you’re exactly right about the division. I’ve said this several times and believe it: The Broncos could be demonstrably better as a football team this year and end up 10-7 and finish third in the division. It����ap a tough sled.

Not only is Kansas City the favorite until proven otherwise, but the Chargers should be really good. And Las Vegas will be picked to finish last nearly universally, but the Raiders had a nice offseason and nailed down some core competencies with the hire of Pete Carroll, the trade for Geno Smith and the completion of the Maxx Crosby extension. They won’t be a pushover, particularly with Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty as a couple of young offensive cornerstones to build upon.

Today, I’ll say the Chargers are the best bet to knock off Kansas City, but it����ap essentially a coin flip with the Broncos. Tie goes to the team that swept the season series a year ago.

What have you observed about how travel affects the team? Sleeping, eating, changing routines — do the Broncos use a chartered plane? How about the equipment guys, video guys, cafeteria/food guys? How do they prepare and function when the Broncos play away from Denver?

— David Brown, Silverthorne

Hey David, great question. It����ap always a little hard to tell week by week how travel impacts a team. When the Broncos got 70 hung on them in Miami in 2023, was that impacted at all by the fact that they were traveling all the way to South Florida? Or was it just a historically bad day at the office? And what of the fact that they spent extra time in Buffalo before a Monday Night game later that same season and won? Did the extended stay on Lake Erie help them? Was the preceding bye week more beneficial? Or do we remember it mostly because Wil Lutz got a do-over on the game-winning field goal and now know drama was brewing between the club and Russell Wilson?

What we do know is Payton likes traveling early when the team goes to the Eastern time zone. They’ll usually leave Friday evening rather than Saturday afternoon to get the extra adjustment time. Like all NFL teams, they do charter.

The Broncos take a lot of steps to make the road as much like home as possible. They bring their chef and some nutrition people along on every road trip and those folks typically work in conjunction with the hotel kitchen wherever the team is staying. When the Broncos went to West Virginia last year, they brought along a lot of their own food, from rice to sauces and spices to even their own honey.

That����ap pretty much the approach in every facet. You want your players and coaches to be able to watch film like they’re at home, eat like they’re at home and do as much as similarly as possible.

What are the games you’re looking forward to covering most this year, Parker? I’m sure that London one has to be near the top of your list.

— Tom, Parker

Hey Tom, thanks for writing in. Yeah, the London trip is a circle-the-calendar event. Plus, even though the Broncos and Jets have played each of the past six seasons and eight of the past nine, this matchup has some good storylines. Primarily, of course, Darren Mougey leaving Denver to be New York’s general manager and the club hiring one of Payton’s former players and assistant coaches, Aaron Glenn, as head coach.

There are a bunch of other good ones: At Philadelphia the weekend before London, at Washington in late November, the Packers and Cowboys visiting Denver. Cincinnati at home, too, and those are all before the division matchups.

Night games are rougher on newspaper reporters from a deadline perspective, but it typically means you’re covering a big game — some Thursday night games notwithstanding.

Do you think we’ll ever see Von Miller return to the Broncos?

— Ryan, Aurora

Hey Ryan, hard to see how it happens at this point unless Miller’s available and Denver has a major change in their depth at outside linebacker.

Just a guess, but it wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see Miller do the one-day thing to retire as a Bronco someday. But he’s got a one-year deal with Washington as of last week and told us earlier this offseason that he wants to play as long as he feels like he can still make an impact.

Nik Bonitto was the breakout star of the defense last year, but Jonathon Cooper has steadily improved over the past two seasons. Do you think he can become a Pro Bowler this year?

— Marshall, Parker

Hey Marshall, there’s no doubt Cooper has been a key cog in what the Broncos do defensively. That����ap why he got a four-year extension in the middle of last season that����ap worth up to $60 million.

For better or worse, whether he makes a Pro Bowl probably depends on where his sack total ends up. If he’s in the 8-9 range again, probably not. If he has one of those years where he ends up with 12, then it����ap definitely possible. That tends to be the nature of individual accolades like that, particularly for edge players and defensive linemen.

No matter where Cooper ends up, though, the 2021 seventh-round pick has turned himself into an indispensable part of the Broncos’ operation and he enters 2025 as a leader on one of the best units in football.

Melvin Gordon piled up more yards from scrimmage than Ashton Jeanty. Kapri Bibbs ran for more touchdowns.

Before your Heisman Trophy ballot dies on that hill of , consider two things:

Since 1981, seven different Football Bowl Subdivision players, have rushed for 2,200 yards in a season.

Since 1981, you know how many guys have picked off four passes while also grabbing 13 touchdown catches and piling up at least 1,100 receiving yards? In the same year?

Just one.

You’ll see Jeanty again.

You’ll never see Ever.

“Special,” Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy said of CU’s two-way star, who intercepted a pass and caught 10 balls for 116 yards and three scores in a 52-0 thrashing of his 3-9 Cowboys.

“We threw at (Hunter) six or eight times, 10 times. There’s not really a reason to challenge him at times. Going in, I said this on Monday, he plays about 135 plays per game, on both sides of the ball, and he’s a special player.”

Hunter was Halley’s Comet in his Folsom Field farewell on Friday, and just about every white and orange jersey walked away eating his dust.

With a Thorpe Award Trophy snub fresh on his mind, and on the mind of coach Deion Sanders, No. 12’s pick came 1:45 into the game,

“He’s amazing,” offered Brennan Presley, the senior Oklahoma State wideout to whom that wounded duck was thrown. “He’s really, really, smart. He is as advertised at the end of the day. He is one of the best players in the country.”

With that, Hunter became the first CU player with 1,000 yards of offense and four interceptions in the same campaign since Byron “Whizzer” White in 1937. In a historical footnote that you hope portends nothing, Ol’ Whizzer became the Heisman runner-up later that year.

“Heisman” moment? As usual, you could pick from a buffet. I’m partial, funny enough, to one catch the guy didn’t make. Up 21-0 with 11:14 to go until halftime, Buffs QB Shedeur Sanders, under duress, lofted a ball up the right boundary in Hunter’s general direction. There were two guys blanketing No. 12 at the time, but Shedeur liked the odds. In one motion, Hunter leaped about five feet, extending one arm to the heavens. The ball skipped off his fingertips. Hunter came crashing down to earth, then rolled back up to his feet, making a “this-close” sign to the crowd, and to the Pokes secondary, with his thumb and forefinger. And it was. Still, anything traveling at altitude, and with that kind of speed, ought to come with beverage service and a TSA Pre-Check.

As acrobatics go, Hunter would have his revenge. On first-and-10 at the Cowboys’ 23 some four minutes into the fourth quarter, the Heisman front-runner drew single coverage of OSU’s Kale Smith as the two raced to the back left corner of the end zone. Smith got there first, only for Hunter to twist the young man like a pretzel. Recognizing a slightly underthrown ball, the Buffs wideout stopped on a dime, leveraged into an inside position and secured the rock between his numbers. . You could almost hear Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence screaming with joy back in Duval County.

Hunter’s last catch of the day, his last at Folsom Field, was a viral strike for six from Shedeur and a 51-0 CU lead. Some Hollywood endings write themselves.

“There’s no argument at this point,” the younger Sanders, who finished with five passing scores and 438 through the air, said of his favorite target. “How many touchdowns did he have? Three receiving touchdowns, (an) interception. He went for another 100 yards … that’s a lot, and that’s crazy, the consistency that he has. I feel like that’s what the award is about.

“And, of course, the other contenders in there are having consistency also. But I just hate whenever you got to knock down other players for your guy to win. I don’t like that, because I respect what Ashton Jeanty’s doing at Boise State, because he’s doing an amazing job.”

He is. We already know Jeanty looks killer in orange and blue. Can you imagine how much fun he’d be at Dove Valley, taking snaps from Bo Nix? Look, 192 rushing yards against No. 1 Oregon is a star turn against a star defense.

Yet for as mid as the Big 12 has looked, top to bottom, where parity rules and shutdown corners are rare, the Mountain West is a train wreck.

If stat-stacking matters, relative schedule strength should matter, too. Jeanty’s fight card includes only two defenses that came into the weekend among the top 30 in fewest rush yards allowed. Seven Boise foes are giving up more than 175 yards per game on the ground.

Hand that man the Doak Walker.

Hand Hunter the Heisman.

“It’s just, what difference are you going to make when the lights (are) on?” Shedeur continued. “And Travis proved that week after week, throughout injuries and throughout everything, he’s the life of our team.”

If the argument is that Hunter isn’t the best player at his position, best find another windmill to tilt. Say you’ve got an MVP candidate who hits just for a crazy-high average and another who threatens to land the Triple Crown. Are you going with Wade Boggs or Mickey Mantle?

“You don’t see guys like that,” Gundy said, “come along very often.”

Like the man said, there’s no argument. One day, you’ll tell your grandchildren how you saw Travis Hunter say goodbye with a pose and a smile, rare joy in the rarest air imaginable.

Right on.

How cringe was Oregon State 26, CU 19?

No joke. The real McCoy. Because surreal is the new normal in Boulder, legendary actor Samuel L. Jackson, star of the “Shaft” remake from the summer of 2000, in the middle of the Buffs’ third straight loss to tap out this:

“Brain Farts all around, the OC can’t call 3 run plays to get off the field! The DC can’t get his guys to stop a baby carriage!! (Shedeur) can barely walk & is going to end up playing wheelchair football behind that OLine!! My rage is better served watching villains in a good Bollywood movie!!”

For three quarters Saturday, Buffs Nation was “treated” to ����apountry’s greatest hits from 2021. Horizontal passes. Throwing out of your end zone. Routes that stopped short of the sticks. Beat-up QBs.

The only things missing from the Pat Shurmur bingo card in his CU play-calling debut were a tight-end screen and a Melvin Gordon fumble. A boy can dream.

“That’s just the preference of the OC (with) the call, in the rhythm of the game at the time, whether we use the tight end to block,” CU coach Deion Sanders said after his Buffs dropped a third straight tilt and dipped to 4-5 overall, 1-5 in the Pac-12. “If we’re gonna throw to (the) third (target), I’d rather (a wide) receiver be out there. That’s my preference, (rather) than the tight end.”

Who is the mannnnn, who won’t help

Can you dig it?

“We’re not gonna demean (offensive coordinator) Sean Lewis. We just needed change at the time, we needed to try something else,” Sanders said. “And that����ap what we did. I don’t look back on it. Let����ap just trust the process.”

It’s Shurmur we don’t trust, coach. We know better.

After averaging 5.5 yards per play with Lewis running the offense, the Buffs averaged 4.1 yards per snap under Pencil Pat. CU averaged 40.8 points in its previous four home games with Lewis calling plays. The Buffs scored 19 — two came via a special-teams safety — at Folsom Field against the Beavs, who sported the Pac-12’s, um … No. 6 scoring defense heading into Saturday night.

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders limped into the locker room at the half with just 41 passing yards on his ledger — his lowest total at the break to date.

The clocks fell back an hour Saturday night. Shurmur’s offense fell back months, erasing eight hard-fought games of identity, tempo, mantra and momentum.

“I make a decision to help the team win,” Sanders said of his call last week to flip the play-calling duties from Lewis to Shurmur, whose Broncos offenses in ’20 and ’21 were so anemic that the franchise ran to Nathaniel Bleeping Hackett for salvation.

“You guys (in the media) don’t know all the intangibles … just from the outside of the crib looking in, I’ve got tinted windows and you can’t even see in the house. But you’re making conclusions on what I should and should not do.”

The logical conclusion, Prime?

You should give Lewis back the reins.

It’s OK. Really. Chalk the past week up to a moment of madness. Pencil Pat is Mike Zimmer’s pal. Mike Zimmer is your pal. It happens.

Urban Meyer went to bat for Steve Addazio at CSU once, too. Didn’t end well.

This won’t either, if Saturday was any harbinger of what’s to come.

CU’s first 10 non-kneeling drives on the evening produced 12 points. And seven came early in the fourth quarter, with the Buffs already down 23-5 on a hazy homecoming night.

Was the quick slant outlawed in Boulder County after Halloween? CU seemed bizarrely fixated on just two types of pass routes during the first and second quarters: The swing in the flat or the “go” route. It took OSU defensive coordinator about three plays to crack the code.

“We found out (about the play-calling change) kind of late,” Beavers coach Jonathan Smith told reporters after the game. “So, not a ton.

“They’ve had a season and so you’re following the tape and so that wasn’t a major factor on what we decided to do defensively.”

Shurmur’s anemic start wasted a guts-and-grind effort by the Buffs’ defensive front seven, which got bent silly by one of the better offensive lines in the Pac-12 but still held OSU scoreless on six of the Beavs’ first seven drives.

And the touchdown that capped OSU’s eighth drive, a score that proved critical later, never should’ve happened.

With 34 seconds left in the first half, after the Buffs trailed 7-3 and were backed up to their own 4, they threw out of the end zone twice (both incomplete), ran once for no gain, and went three-and-out, eating up all of 27 seconds in the process.

The Beavs had enough time for a big punt return, and a Buffs flag gave them the ball with 22 seconds at the CU 20. One heave was all it took for OSU quarterback DJ Uiagalelei to find Deshaun Fenwick in the end zone for a quickie score the other way.

The ranked Beavs went from stalled out to taking a 14-3 lead into halftime — from seemingly out of nowhere.

“That hurt tremendously,” Coach Prime said.

So did four more sacks of son Shedeur. And more in-game treatment for No. 2, who looks as if he’s lost the legs he had earlier this season, all while losing some zip on the fastball along the way. Collateral damage from weeks of brutal poundings in the pocket.

“The pain of not being there for them,” Shedeur said of his teammates, “overides the pain that’s going through my body.”

Sanders went after the wrong former Broncos assistant. You needed to flag down Mike Munchak, Prime. Not Pencil Pat.

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Gordon recently opined that running backs, if capable, should switch positions. In his opinion, the compensation wasn’t worth the physical toll of prying through the trenches.

“I don’t blame him just because you look around the league and see how the running back group as a whole is being treated,” said Perine, who left the Cincinnati Bengals for the Broncos this past offseason.

“At the end of the day, being in it, (I know) how valuable we actually are,” he said.

That doesn’t mean he disagreed with Gordon’s sentiment.

“I just know with my son, I’m not going to push him to play sports period,” he said. “But if he wants to play football, I’ll try to (steer him away from running back).”

Perine might be squeamish about the health of his position in general, but his love for his role hasn’t waned. He said the last time he played anything other than running back was in middle school, when the stocky, muscular veteran took the field as a linebacker.

“It’s just always been what I’ve done, what I’ve done the best, and I’ve loved every bit of it,” he said. “I mean, what the outside perception of it is, that doesn’t really pertain to me, but I just still love to do it. I love to break the long runs, love catching it out the backfield, protecting the quarterback and take a lot of pride in that. So for me, it’s just always been a love thing and I still love to do it and I hope the position regains traction.”

That����ap not his problem this season, nor any other.

He came to Denver because he saw the teeming possibilities of a two-back system under new head coach Sean Payton. He assessed what he had with the Bengals — a pass-first offense already with a productive back in Joe Mixon — and wanted to push himself as a player.

He was tired of being used primarily as a third-down running back and wanted, instead, to be counted on earlier in downs. Paired with Javonte Williams, who recovered from last season’s ACL tear faster than anyone could’ve imagined, Perine sees a potent combination.

In Perine’s view, there wasn’t — and isn’t — a running back competition. Officially, Williams is listed higher than Perine on the depth chart, but considering the spry back’s injury concerns, Perine’s dual-threat value isn’t hard to deduce. He caught a career-high 38 passes last season for 287 yards, and rushed 95 times for 394 yards. His six combined touchdowns were more than any running back the Broncos employed last season.

Rather than any type of internal competition, Perine said he was “looking forward,” to having Williams back so that they could optimize one another. His recovery didn’t dissuade him from joining Denver.

“It’s already been like we’ve been together for years now, just kind of gelled right away,” Perine said. “Wasn’t any getting used to one another. And I think the biggest thing is we are both not big personalities. We are both pretty easy to get along with, so I feel like that helped a lot. But yeah, we embraced each other. We look after each other and it’s like we’re already a brotherhood really.”

Between the two of them, there’s little ego in the Broncos’ running back room, which allows for seamless communication and a willingness to share what the other sees. They’ve also taken a leadership role for younger players like emerging undrafted rookie Jaleel McLaughlin, who quickly became one of the biggest revelations of training camp.

Under Payton, who has a history of finding ways to optimize skill players’ strengths, Perine trusted there’d be enough work for as many backs as the Broncos can identify.

Perine knew he needed a change in scenery. What he landed on was an opportunity a mile high.

Taking to the air

Coach Sean Payton showed a penchant for finding ways to get his running backs involved in the passing game during his time in New Orleans. With Samaje Perine coming off a career year receiving with Cincinnati, there’s reason to believe he could offer Denver a dual threat out of the backfield. Here’s a look at the top single-season receiving yard totals produced by running backs under Payton:

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The Ravens announced the move on Friday, the same day they put running back J.K. Dobbins and fullback Patrick Ricard on the physically-unable-to-perform list. They also put defensive tackle Rayshad Nichols, wide receiver Mike Thomas and defensive back Pepe Williams on the PUP list.

Baltimore put linebacker Tyus Bowser on the non-football injury list and receiver Rashod Bateman on the did-not-report list.

The 30-year-old Gordon spent his past three seasons with the Denver Broncos. He ran for a career-low 318 yards on 90 carries in 10 games in 2022. Gordon was a 1,000-yard rusher in 2017 with the Los Angeles Chargers and ran for over 900 as recently as two seasons ago.

Jimmy Butler on Jamal Murray? Now that was the work of a chess master.

“You just try to make it tough on (Jokic), take the other X-factors out of the game, slow Murray down to get to that pick and roll,” Heat forward Kevin Love explained after to steal a game at Ball Arena and hit Game 3 in South Florida with the series tied 1-1. “They’re so devastating — maybe, probably, the most devastating 1-2 punch in the league. That’s why they’re here.”

With all apologies to Rui, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Darvin Ham, ESPN and armored tanks, having Butler guard Murray wasn’t just the tweak of the NBA Finals.

It was the tweak of the playoffs.

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra just slapped the button on the chess clock, leaned back in his comfy chair, hands on the back of his neck, and dared Denver’s Michael Malone and his staff to get their queen out of a pickle.

The Blue Arrow (18 points, 10 assists, four boards, one turnover) was good Sunday night. But for the Nuggets to come back to Ball Arena with a 2-2 split or 3-1 series lead after Games 3 and 4, Murray’s probably gonna have to flip that switch to great. And Spoelstra knows it.

Denver can win when the Arrow’s launching duds — see Timberwolves Game 3 (Murray was 7 for 16 from floor) or Suns Game 2 (3 for 15, 0 for 9 on treys). Yet smothering Kitchener, Ontario’s finest is as good a gambit right now as any, given the alternatives.

For one thing, it asks the Nuggets’ other guys on the wing to find a way to beat you. In Game 1, Aaron Gordon saw a hole and ran through it like Terrell Davis with a full head of steam. In Game 2, Michael Porter Jr. saw that same hole — and hit it like Melvin Gordon.

Denver is 10-2 this postseason when Murray drops 20 points or more; the Nuggets are 3-2 when he doesn’t. Denver’s 8-0 when the Blue Arrow connects on four or more treys in a game; 5-4 when he doesn’t.

If Jokic beats you, Spoelstra figured, fine, cool, whatever, he’s Nikola Jokic. Murray, though? No. 27 shot straight to the top of the scouting report for Game 2, and with good reason. If the Arrow is firing, you’re toast. If he isn’t, well, flip a coin.

The adjustment after Game 1 proved as effective as it was simple: Start Love in the frontcourt while handing Jimmy Buckets most of the responsibility for keeping Murray in check.

So far, so good, at least for South Beach. In the eight-plus minutes Butler has guarded Murray in the Finals, per NBA.com tracking data, the Arrow is 3 for 8 from the floor (37.5%), with five assists and one turnover. Murray’s made 15 of 29 shots (51.7%) when guarded by anybody else in Miami red.

“It’s funny how when your best player is running through the brick wall,” Turner Sports NBA analyst Reggie Miller said of Butler’s playoff intensity, “how everyone else is running right behind him, pushing them through. (The Heat) have gained that confidence because of Jimmy Butler, and you see how they perform on the road. Which is great.”

The Nuggets, meanwhile, smelled of entitlement early in Game 2, giving off the air of premature paper champions with three quarters of the Finals mountain still to climb. Which had to drive Malone, a terrier who wants that locker room to mimic his bite, completely mental.

“We can’t just have spurts of (the) second quarter (being) good, end of the third (being) good,” Murray reasoned after Game 2. “We can’t have spurts of good play. We’ve got to play all the way through, through ups and downs, stay together and play with intensity and energy, and I don’t think we had that (Sunday).”

The Nuggets are more talented than the Heat, pound for pound. Then again, so were the Bucks and Celtics. Butler is going to make Murray bust his tail for every look. And you remember the old adage about hard work beating talent when talent doesn’t work hard?

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Five key defensive numbers

21.1 — Points allowed per game, No. 14 in the NFL

5.0 — Yards allowed per play, T-3

16.2% — Percentage of drives ending in touchdown allowed, No. 2

34.1% — Third down conversion percentage allowed, No. 2

51.1% — Red zone touchdown percentage allowed, No. 7

High Point

A case could be made for the entire first half of the season — outside of allowing 32 points to Las Vegas in a Week 4 loss — considering the work the Broncos did. In the other seven games before the bye week, Denver allowed 274.6 yards per contest and just seven total touchdowns. Naturally, that����ap also when this group was at its fullest personnel-wise. They thrived despite missing Justin Simmons for four weeks with a quad injury in part because Randy Gregory (for the first four weeks), Bradley Chubb and Baron Browning made for a disruptive edge group. The Broncos logged multiple sacks in each of their first eight games and averaged three per.

NFL’s stingiest scoring defenses

Low Point

Easily the singular low point came on Christmas Day against the Los Angeles Rams, who rolled up 51 points and scored on all eight of their non-kneeldown possessions. Less dramatic, but also a low point: Allowing Carolina to possess the ball for more than 37 minutes in a 23-10 loss in late November. The defense got little help from the offense — a central 2022 theme — but also gave up 185 rushing yards to a 3-8 team and couldn’t keep quarterback Sam Darnold from leading three scoring drives on four second-half possessions.

MVP: Cornerback Pat Surtain II

Even on a talented, tight-knit defense this is an easy call. The second-year corner is Denver’s best player and was recognized as a first-team All-Pro by his fellow players as well as The Associated Press. Interim head coach Jerry Rosburg made the point well when he said Surtain makes difficult things look easy. His combination of size and length along with his teach-tape footwork draws raves from across the NFL. And he should only continue to get better.

Tough Season: Outside linebacker Randy Gregory

Gregory averaged two quarterback hits per game through the first four weeks and looked like the impact player he’s been throughout his career… when he’s been on the field. And then he went down with a knee injury against the Raiders and played just 34 total snaps — including an embarrassing penalty and fine fest against the Rams on Christmas Day — the rest of the year. In all, Gregory missed 11 games and played 189 defensive snaps.

Under the Radar: Defensive lineman DeShawn Williams

The 30-year-old journeyman didn’t have a sack until Week 13 but then finished with a career-best 4.5. His real impact, though, was in helping do the dirty work on the defensive interior for a defense that proved mostly stout against the run. Dre’Mont Jones and D.J. Jones garnered most of the attention, but Williams and Mike Purcell helped make the Denver defensive rotation a deep and productive one.

Run Defense

Five key numbers

4.3 — Yards allowed per carry, T-11 in the NFL

12 — Rushing touchdowns allowed, T-10

5 — 100-plus yard rushers against Denver

9 — Games allowing 89 or fewer rushing yards

The Good

The Broncos put some impressive pelts on the wall in 2022, holding San Francisco to 88 rushing yards in Week 3 and Tennessee’s Derrick Henry to 53 yards on 19 carries in Week 11. Under first-year coordinator Ejiro Evero, Denver’s defense played fundamentally sound and rarely got creased for big, explosive plays. A couple of exceptions: the Jaguars beat them consistently in London with same-side gun runs and the ability to get to the edge and Jets rookie Breece Hall’s 62-yard scoring run, which looked like just the start to a big day before he suffered a season-ending knee injury.

The Bad

No matter who the coordinator is, Denver can’t figure out how to slow down Las Vegas’ Josh Jacobs. The Raiders running back topped 100 yards in both outings and ran for 253 against Denver on the season, helping his team sweep the season series. Just as frustrating: In the first meeting, quarterback Derek Carr picked up five first downs with his legs. The Raiders finished that Week 4 win with 212 rushing yards, the most the Broncos gave up in a game this year.

100-yard rushers vs. Broncos

The Unknown

The biggest question is who will be running the defense in 2023. Evero’s stock took off in his first year as a coordinator and he’s a candidate for the head coaching job. If he doesn’t get it, will the next coach keep him? Would Evero prefer a fresh start? He’s under contract for 2023, so Denver and the next coach will largely make that decision.

Pass Defense

Five key numbers

5.6 — Net yards per attempt allowed, T-4 in the NFL

20 — Passing touchdowns allowed, T-5

83.1 — Passer rating allowed, No. 7

15 — Interceptions, T-10

5.6% — Sack percentage, No. 26

The Good

The Broncos overall had one of the best pass defenses in the NFL thanks in part to the fact that they’ve got two of the best secondary players in Surtain and safety Justin Simmons. Simmons tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions despite missing five games and also forced two fumbles and recovered one. Damarri Mathis played well as a rookie corner after he stepped into starting duty for injured Ronald Darby. K’Waun Williams is a versatile slot man.

Justin Simmons INTs by season

The Bad

After a hot start, trade and injury stunted Denver’s pass-rush. Evero had to start blitzing at a far greater rate after Chubb was traded to Miami. Denver had 24 sacks in eight games with Chubb and just 12 in nine games without him. The Broncos averaged 10.4 pressures per game, per Pro Football Reference, over the first eight and then 4.9 over the final nine. Chubb finished tied for second with Dre’Mont Jones at 16 pressures, two off Baron Browning’s team lead.

Broncos 2022 pass rush

The Unknown

Denver’s secondary is in good shape regardless of whether veteran Kareem Jackson returns on another free agent deal. At linebacker, will the Broncos bring back Alex Singleton after his 163-tackle season? Will Dre’Mont Jones get the lucrative extension he’s looking for from the Broncos or will he go elsewhere now that his rookie deal is up? Can rookie Nik Bonitto take a needed step in Year 2? What about Gregory staying healthy? Any of those would help revitalize a pass-rush that lagged badly down the stretch and make a talented secondary even tougher to beat.

Special teams and Miscellaneous

Five key numbers

17.5 — Kick return average, No. 32 in NFL

77.8% — Field goal percentage, No. 28

41.5 — Net punting average, No. T-16

970 — Penalty yards, most in NFL

113 — Total infractions, second most

The Good

Well, uh, the Broncos had one very good special teams game against Kansas City in Week 17 under interim head coach Jerry Rosburg. Eyioma Uwazurike blocked a field goal and Alex Singleton forced a fumble on a punt return, helping Denver stay close to the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Overall, the coverage units mostly performed fine, which is about the best to be said about the group’s special teams performance this year. Rookie return man Montrell Washington has talent and showed it in bursts.

The Bad

On the other hand, Washington fumbled five times and lost one — it set up a game-winning field goal in overtime for the Chargers in Week 6 — and made too many poor decisions. Kicker Brandon McManus tied for the NFL lead in field goal misses (eight) and missed three times from inside 40 yards. A blocked field goal after a Melvin Gordon fumble on the goal line just before halftime Week 11 against the Raiders was particularly brutal. The Broncos’ kick return unit was the worst in the NFL at 17.5 yards per return

The Unknown

Washington will have to win the job in his second year as a pro. So might the rest of the Broncos’ specialists. McManus, 32, is under contract for two more seasons, so any competition brought in this offseason would have to clearly outperform him. Punter Corliss Waitman was decent in his first full-time duty and has talent. Can his placement be refined and consistency improved a tick? That will be for Denver’s next special teams coordinator to sort out.

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Five key offensive numbers

16.9 — Points per game, No. 32 in NFL

5.1 — Yards per play, T-23

14.6% — Percentage of drives ending in touchdowns, No. 29

29.1% — Third down conversion percentage, No. 32

55.6% — Red zone TD percentage, T-14

High Point

Too little, too late, but the Broncos did get it going offensively in the final stretch of the season, particularly the last two games with offensive coordinator Justin Outten calling plays. Denver scored 55 points over its final two games. The team had just four outings of 24-plus points on the season and they all came in the final five weeks. Maybe Nathaniel Hackett����ap fate would have been different had that stretch not been spliced by a Christmas Day embarrassment against the Los Angeles Rams. Regardless, though, quarterback Russell Wilson showed more consistently over the final month that he still has the ingredients to play at, if not an elite level, then at least a competitive one.

Low Point

There’s more than one to choose from — two inexcusable Wilson fourth-quarter interceptions against a bad Indianapolis team in a 12-9 overtime Week 5 loss come to mind — but what cost this group any chance to rebound from a slow start to the season was scoring three touchdowns in four games after the bye week against Tennessee, Las Vegas, Carolina and Baltimore. Three of the Broncos’ five outings of less than 100 rushing yards came in that stretch. Denver scored three touchdowns in 45 non-kneeldown possessions (a 6.7% TD rate). The rest: 27 punts, eight field goals, three missed field goals, two lost fumbles, an interception and a turnover on downs.

MVP: Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy

Denver’s third-year receiver exploded midseason. Through six games, his catch rate of 47.2% of targets was worse than all but five of 125 NFL players with at least 20 targets. From that point on, he caught 79.4% of balls thrown his way at a nearly 1,500-yard season rate.

Tough year: Quarterback Russell Wilson

Wilson had never accounted for fewer than 22 touchdowns in a season in Seattle and finished with 19 for the Broncos in 2022 (10 in final four games). He had only missed three starts in a decade and missed two this year, landing on the injury report with three different issues (lat, hamstring, concussion). He had never lost more than eight games in a season as a starter and lost 11 this year.

Russell Wilson career TDs

Under the Radar: Center Graham Glasgow

The veteran offensive lineman struggled in early season work at right guard but bounced back with a steady presence at center. He started nine games there after Lloyd Cushenberry suffered a groin injury. Glasgow won’t overwhelm, but given the number of injuries the Broncos had up front, the group could have really gone off the rails had the seven-year pro not played every snap over the final eight weeks.

Run game

Five Key Numbers

7 — fumbles by running backs (six by Melvin Gordon, one by Javonte Williams) through Week 11. Denver lost three (two of Gordons), including two on the goal line vs. Seattle in Week 1.

0 — Fumbles by running backs in 180 touches (147 carries, 33 catches) the final seven weeks of the season after Gordon was cut.

5.1 — Yards per carry over the final seven weeks of the season. The Broncos averaged 3.9 per over the first 10 games and 4.4 overall for the year.

7 — Rushes of 20-plus yards, tied for 27th in the NFL. Cleveland led with 21. Denver didn’t have one until Week 12.

10 — Combinations the Broncos started on the offensive line over the season. They did not manage to stick with the same quintet for any more than four games (Weeks 2-5) and at one point started a different lineup six straight games, spanning Weeks 5-11.

Chart: Broncos 2022 OL snapshot

The Good

Latavius Murray was a revelation after being signed off New Orleans’ practice squad. Once he cracked the starting lineup in Week 12, he carried 97 times for 494 yards (5.09 per rush). He’s old by running back standards (just turned 33), but is worth bringing back in 2023 for his steady work and his leadership.

The Bad

Denver needed eight running backs to make it through the year because of injuries. By the season’s stretch run, they were often rolling out a backfield featuring only players who arrived to the franchise Week 5 and after.

The Unknown

Williams’ injury really hurt the Broncos’ offense but it also comes with an arduous recovery process for him. Whether he’ll be ready – let alone back to his normal self — by Week 1 in 2023 remains unknown, but Denver likely has to plan as if it’ll take well into the season. Also, what will the offensive line look like going forward? Quinn Meinerz is likely set at right guard and Garett Bolles at left tackle (assuming his return from a leg fracture goes smoothly), but the other three spots? Up in the air.

Worst third-down conversion rates in franchise history

*Numbers tracked by Broncos since 1972

Pass Game

Five key numbers

5.7 — Net yards per passing attempt for the Broncos, the No. 24 mark in the NFL. In the past decade, Denver’s only been that low twice (5.4 in 2017, 5.7 in 2019).

60.5% — Russell Wilson’s completion percentage, worst of his career. His completion percentage over expected of -4, per NFL Next Gen Stats, was No. 32 out of 39 QBs with at least 135 pass attempts.

181 — Total QB pressures, per Pro Football Reference. No team was sacked more than Denver (63) and Wilson (55) tied Chicago rookie Justin Fields for the NFL lead. Wilson’s time to throw of 2.92 seconds per NFL Next Gen Stats was tied for sixth-longest with Pittsburgh rookie Kenny Pickett.

11 — Completions of 40-plus yards for Wilson, tied for fifth-most in the NFL. He had three of 50-plus in the season finale against the Chargers alone.

29 — Games in Wilson’s career with a passer rating of 75.0 or worse (16.8% of 173 starts). In 2022, he had five in 15 starts, nearly double his career rate.

The Good

Jeudy blossomed over the course of the season and Denver found a dangerous weapon in rookie tight end Greg Dulcich. It����ap not good, per se, that Kendall Hinton finished third among wide receivers with 311 yards, but he proved he can be a useful utility knife for the Broncos in his third pro season.

The Bad

Lengthy list. Wilson’s 10.2% sack rate is unsustainable and Denver vacillated between decent and bad in pass protection most of the year. Wilson’s 16/11 TD/INT ratio was by far the worst of his career. The Broncos were rolling out a revolving cast of undrafted receivers most of the second half of the season. TE Albert Okwuegbunam disappeared for most of the year. Courtland Sutton wasn’t bad (64 catches, 829 yards), but didn’t get into rhythm after a hot first three games and has two TDs in his past 26 games.

The Unknown

What does Denver’s pass-catching group look like at full strength? Tim Patrick missed the entire season. KJ Hamler missed 10 games. Dulcich seven. Jeudy and Sutton two apiece. The top four receivers count $36.4 million against the cap in 2023 at present, including $29.3 million for Sutton and Patrick, who signed extensions late in the 2021 season. Run it back? Tweak the group? Overhaul it? An interesting offseason ahead.

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The defense? Legit. The offense? Concerning, but they’d put it together, right?

Wrong.

Denver lost nine of its following 10 games, lost nine games decided by one score, fired first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett after 15 games and finished 5-12, last in the AFC West, despite trading for quarterback Russell Wilson in March and logging three victories against playoff teams (49ers, Jacksonville, Chargers).

Now the Broncos are again looking for a new head coach and again faced with questions about how to jumpstart an offense that in 2022 finished last in the NFL in scoring at 16.9 points per game.

“It����ap a resilient team and a team that����ap hungry to win,” wide receiver Courtland Sutton said. “Willing to come in and do whatever we have to do to be able to get to that. Practice, meetings, whatever it may be, they’re going to get everybody’s best.”

Unlike a year ago, the Broncos are moving forward with a quarterback in place who is under contract through 2028 and whose salary cap number is only going up from a workable $22 million in 2023.

General manager George Paton and company have decisions to make on 17 free agents and several cut/restructure/trade candidates. They are again working without premium draft capital — they acquired San Francisco’s first-round pick from Miami in exchange for Bradley Chubb, but the pick will be late in the first round — and will likely end up with a useful amount of cap room to work with, though not anywhere near the top of the league.

To both look back on 2022 and look ahead to 2023, here’s a positional breakdown of where the Broncos’ roster stands and perhaps where it����ap headed.

Quarterbacks

Analysis: The Broncos finally landed their long-term answer at quarterback and Wilson turned in the worst year of his decade-plus in the NFL. Silver lining? He looked better down the stretch (outside of a terrible game on Christmas Day) and accounted for 10 touchdowns over his final four games. If he plays like that or better in 2023, the Broncos will be just fine. But that����ap still an “if” and the next head coach will have to have a plan for him. .. How does Denver feel about Rypien as the No. 2 going forward? He’s had moments, but also owns a 6.2% interception rate on 130 career attempts (Wilson’s is 1.9%). … The Broncos liked Guarantano enough to sign him to the active roster and keep him from going back to the Arizona Cardinals late in the year. … Paton should follow the Ron Wolf quarterback approach and draft one QB each year, even if it����ap a late-round flier.

Running backs

Also: Tyreik McAllister

Analysis: In a wide-ranging race, the RBs win the 2022 award for most turnstile-esque position on a Broncos roster littered with injuries. Williams’ season-ending knee injury in Week 4 stunted Denver’s offense and Melvin Gordon wasn’t up to the task of taking the lead role (or protecting the ball). … What a revelation Latavius Murray was, though. From the time the Broncos cut Gordon and started Murray, he averaged 5.1 per carry. Bring him back in 2023. … Edmonds is a restructure candidate and perhaps can give the Broncos some burst. With the nature of Williams’ injury, finding three others (Murray, Edmonds, draft pick, perhaps?) to have ready to go in September is probably the safe move.

Wide Receivers

Also: Victor Bolden

Analysis: The good? Jeudy emerged over the second half of the season into Denver’s potential answer as a No. 1 receiver. He played his final eight games at a nearly 1,450-yard pace and caught 79% of balls thrown his way (47.2% his first six games). Jeudy destroys man coverage and, if he masters zone defenses, too, can be a premier player. His fifth-year option for 2024 will check in about $12.8 million and looks like a much better bet to be exercised than it did four months ago. … Losing Patrick on Aug. 2 might have been the biggest single injury loss of the year. … Sutton started fast but then struggled to find consistent rhythm. … Hamler faces a critical 2023 after another injury-plagued season. Everybody in this group is under contract for next season, so will Paton run it back or shuffle the deck?

Tight ends

Analysis: Dulcich, the third-round pick, missed seven games due to hamstring injuries. His blocking improved as the season went along and he has a chance to be special. … What to make of Albert O? His role disappeared under Hackett, but Denver found no suitors for him at the trade deadline. Is he part of the future or perhaps draft weekend trade fodder? Any or all of the three free agents could return but among the deciding factors will be what style of offense the next coaching staff plans to deploy.

Offensive Line

Also: Parker Ferguson and Hunter Thedford

Analysis: This group is in need of something, whether it����ap a re-tool or a rebuild. The run game came along as the season progressed, but the group struggled to protect Wilson — certainly, not all of his 55 sacks or Denver’s 63 total are on the offensive line — and there are more questions than answers. Bolles enters a turning-point year coming off a leg fracture that ended his season in Week 4. Cutting him would save $10 million on the cap but also come with $8 million in “dead” money. And who takes his spot? Risner is a free agent who sounded late in the year like someone wishing the Broncos valued him as a player worth paying rather than a guy expecting to get paid by his hometown team. Cushenberry was inconsistent before a groin injury cost him the final nine games and Glasgow is cut/restructure candidate. Denver could save $11 million by cutting him, but a restructure could also be in play. … Compton and Turner battled injury as free-agent additions… Fleming could return as a depth piece/swing tackle. … Denver hasn’t drafted a tackle since Bolles in 2017. They’ve only got six picks currently, but need to find offensive line help in there somewhere.

Defensive line

Also: Jordan Jackson

Analysis: Dre’Mont Jones is the biggest question and will be the most expensive of Denver’s free agent crop. Paton called him a “core player,” but does he want to pay Jones top-shelf money? A franchise tag could be in play, too. … D.J. Jones and DeShawn Williams were savvy signings and Mike Purcell turned in a solid season on the interior. … Purcell could be a cut/restructure candidate. … Williams had the best year of his career, but will he find a multi-year contract at his age? … The return of one or both depend on where Dre’Mont Jones ends up, but the Broncos are also high on their two Day 3 draft picks from 2022 — Henningsen and Uwazurike. They look like solid draft finds.

Inside linebackers

Also: Ray Wilborn

Analysis: Maybe the most pleasant surprise on the Broncos roster was the level of play between Jewell and Singleton along with Jonas Griffith before a broken foot ended his season. … Now, does Denver want to pay Singleton? They’d love to have him back, of course, but at what price tag? North, perhaps, of Jewell’s two-year, $11 million deal from last year? Singleton does valuable work on special teams, as well, but the Broncos are high on Griffith. … Jewell had a terrific season (128 tackles, 7 TFLs, two INTs) when healthy and played every snap the final 10 games after missing four of the first seven with calf and knee injuries.

Outside linebackers

Also: Wyatt Ray

Analysis: This group started the season on fire and then got whittled by injury and trade. Bradley Chubb was shipped to Miami after eight games and finished second on the team in pressures (16) and sacks (5.5). … Gregory made just two appearances (34 snaps total) in the final 13 games of the season, while Baron Browning emerged as a promising edge man who still needs to refine his game. … Nik Bonitto had an up-and-down rookie year and must not only put on weight but show he can be a consistent pro. … Martin and Cooper are nice role players, but Denver needs more edge depth.

Corners

Analysis: A position group that looks to be in good hands well into the future. Surtain is perhaps the best in the business already in his second year, and Mathis put forth a promising rookie season after he was thrust into starting duty by Darby’s season-ending knee injury. … Surtain’s eventual fifth-year option for 2025 (exercised after next year) is a no-brainer, but he may never actually see it because he’ll be eligible for a massive contract extension beginning a year from now. … Darby carries a $13 million cap hit and is a cut/restructure candidate. Cutting him would save the Broncos $10 million, but he played well before his injury. … Williams, the nickel, is one of the most underrated players on the team and had a productive season despite various ailments. … McMillian played well in Week 18, his NFL debut. … Surtain and Mathis are an exciting duo, but teams are always looking for secondary help and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Denver looked to the draft for more depth.

Safeties

Also: Devon Key

Analysis: Simmons continues to be one of the best in the NFL. He finished tied for the league lead in interceptions (six) despite missing five games due to injuries….Jackson’s been in Denver on consecutive one-year deals now. Is this the year they go their separate ways? The 13-year vet misses some tackles, but he’s a leader and has synergy with Simmons. … Sterns looked ready to blossom playing in place of Simmons early in the year, but missed the final 12 games with a hip injury. … Locke is trusty on special teams and in certain packages, while Turner-Yell must take a big step as a second-year pro. … Another area the Broncos could stand to address in the draft.

Special Teams

Analysis: Is there anybody in this group that will avoid competing for a job in 2023? McManus was asked to kick a lot of long field goals in 2022 (8 of 13 from 50-plus yards) but also missed three times from inside 40 yards (tied for most in NFL) and missed two extra points. His eight total field goal misses (28 of 36) also tied for the most in the league and his make percentage (77.8%) is No. 24 among 27 kickers who attempted 25 or more field goals. … Waitman had an inconsistent year as a first-time, full-time punter. His net punting average of 41.6 was 15th in the NFL.

Note: Ages as of July 25, 2023. FA — free agent; D — Draft pick; UFA — Unrestricted free agent; CFA — College free agent; W — Waivers; T — Trade; RFA — Restricted free agent; and ERFA — Exclusive rights free agent. … 2023 cap hits via Over The Cap.

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