Denver Broncos

While the Denver Broncos are in the market for a quarterback this offseason, they have their limits.

NFL Network's James Palmer reported the Broncos are interested in Houston Texans star Deshaun Watson and would be "aggressive" if the Texans make him available. However, Denver wasn't interested in Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz and prefers to add someone from the "top group" at the position:

ESPN's Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen subsequently reported the Eagles agreed to send Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2021 third-round pick and a conditional second-rounder in 2022.

Palmer mirrored a report from Denver7's Troy Renck.

Watson would be a big upgrade under center for all but a handful of teams. His age (25) and contract status (four-year, $156 million extension through 2025) ensure he'd be a long-term solution at the position, too.

That Denver's list expands beyond Watson may speak to a lack of confidence in Drew Lock.

Dan Patrick reported on his radio show that the Broncos went after Matthew Stafford and was prepared to put Lock and the No. 9 overall pick in the 2021 draft in their trade package to the Detroit Lions:

The Lions instead dealt Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Goff, a third-round pick and two future first-round picks.

If the Broncos ultimately don't bring in a marquee quarterback, Lock will clearly be under the microscope in 2021.

He made five appearances as a rookie, throwing for 1,020 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions. However, lack of progress in his second year raised cause for concern. The 2019 second-round pick's completion percentage fell from 64.1 to 57.3 while he threw for 2,933 yards, 16 touchdowns and an NFL-high 15 interceptions.

While it's too early to label Lock a bust, he's may be on a trajectory to follow Paxton Lynch and Brock Osweiler as former general manager John Elway's biggest whiffs in the draft.

Should the 24-year-old put together another shaky season in 2021, the Broncos would presumably be more active in looking to move on.

The Denver Broncos plan to go after Deshaun Watson should the Houston Texans make their star quarterback available in a trade, according to Denver7's Troy Renck.

Renck added the Broncos don't see Philadelphia Eagles signal-caller Carson Wentz as a target.

Drew Lock isn't a lost cause already, but the 2019 second-round pick struggled in 2020. He finished with 2,933 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and an NFL-high 15 interceptions.

That Denver would pursue a trade for Watson and not Wentz seems to indicate the front office isn't looking to swap Lock out for the sake of change. But the team might be casting a wider net at quarterback.

Dan Patrick reported on his radio show the Broncos were willing to include Lock and the No. 9 overall pick in the 2021 draft for Matthew Stafford. Stafford instead went to the Los Angeles Rams.

For different reasons, a trade for Watson may be similarly difficult to execute.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Jan. 28 the three-time Pro Bowler requested a move weeks earlier and that the hiring of David Culley as head coach didn't change his mind. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Feb. 3 that Houston was effectively giving the teams the cold shoulder:

Exploring a Watson trade is a no-brainer for the Broncos, who haven't had a true franchise quarterback since John Elway retired in 1999. The four-year interlude with Peyton Manning helped the franchise win a Super Bowl but was only a short-term solution.

Watson turned 25 in September and he's signed through the 2025 season. Any team that lands him could be set at quarterback for a decade.

As long as the Texans remain steadfast, he won't be going anywhere this offseason.

The Denver Broncos have not yet made a decision on Von Miller's future with the team, according to Troy Renck of Denver7.

If the Broncos don't decline his 2021 option before March 17, the linebacker will be guaranteed $7 million, leaving them another month to evaluate the roster.

Miller would have a $22.2 million cap hit for next season if Denver picks up his option, but the team can save $18 million by declining it, per Spotrac.

The Athletic projected Miller could be a salary-cap casualty this offseason.

The 31-year-old missed the 2020 season because of a dislocated peroneal tendon in his ankle, just the second time he has missed more than two games in a season.

Miller earned his eighth Pro Bowl selection in 2019 after totaling eight sacks with 46 tackles, 10 for a loss.

He has made the All-Pro First Team three times and was a major reason the Broncos won Super Bowl 50 in the 2015 season. Miller's 106 career sacks rank 25th in NFL history, more than anyone who played in 2020.

Though he could likely still contribute to an NFL team in 2021, the Broncos need more help than a single player can provide after a 5-11 season. The squad could let Miller go and focus on the future with younger pass-rushers like Bradley Chubb and Malik Reed.

The Denver Broncos are reportedly releasing veteran cornerback A.J. Bouye, according to Mike Klis of 9News and Ryan O'Halloran of the Denver Post. 

With no guaranteed money due to Bouye in 2021, the move will clear $13.2 million in cap space for the Broncos. 

Bouye, 29, had a rough 2020 season. In his first season with the Broncos after being traded from the Jacksonville Jaguars, the veteran cornerback appeared in just seven games, posting 23 tackles and six passes defended. It was the first year of his career he didn't post an interception. 

He suffered a shoulder injury in Week 1 that kept him out of action until late October. He played in the team's next six games before he was suspended by the NFL six games for violating the performance-enhancing substances policy. 

That cost him the final four games of the season, with the final two games of the suspension to be carried over to the beginning of the 2021 campaign. 

The 2017 Pro Bowler should have interest on the market as a generally reliable starting corner despite his tough 2020 season. The question for the Broncos will be whether they make any other cap-clearing moves ahead of next season. 

According to Troy Renck of Denver7 ABC, the Broncos have a "decision [to make] on Jurrell Casey. He is a fantastic person on and off the field. But he is due $11.6 million salary in 2021 with no dead cap money if cut. So can they work something out to keep him? No decision yet on the defensive lineman."

The 31-year-old defensive tackle would be a logical player to cut if the Broncos decide to clear out as much cap space this offseason as possible in their ongoing rebuild.  

The Denver Broncos announced two-time Super Bowl champion offensive tackle Tony Jones has died at the age of 54.

Jones won back-to-back Super Bowls with the 1997 and 1998 Broncos. He started every game during those two seasons, manning right tackle in 1997 before protecting Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway's blindside in 1998.

The Broncos' offense was sensational both years, leading the NFL in scoring in 1997 and finishing second in points per game in 1998, when Denver started 13-0.

Jones played 13 NFL seasons. He started his career with the Cleveland Browns in 1988 as an undrafted free agent out of Western Carolina and earned second-team All-Pro honors in 1994.

Jones stayed with the team through its move to Baltimore to become the Ravens in 1996 and became the team's first-ever starting left tackle.

However, Baltimore decided to go in a different direction at tackle, selecting superstar prospect (and eventual Pro Football Hall of Famer) Jonathan Ogden in the 1996 draft.

Ogden moved from left guard to left tackle after his rookie season, and Jones was traded to Denver for a second-round draft pick.

The Ravens' loss became the Broncos' gain, as Jones played an integral role on the Broncos' two Super Bowl teams. He notably held Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Reggie White without a sack during a 31-24 upset win over the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI.

Numerous Broncos teammates immediately offered condolences and kind words upon the news, per Broncos lead writer Aric DiLalla.

"We lost a great man," wide receiver Rod Smith posted on Instagram. "Just happened to be a hell of a ball playa. We love you and miss you Bone. One of the Broncos all time best tackles. greatest dresser of ALL-TIME!"

Safety Steve Atwater added:

"He was an amazing guy, a heck of a nice guy. Great football player—mean, nasty. That's the kind of guy that you want to go to war with if you're going to war. And we were really good friends. We lived in the same neighborhood when we lived in Georgia — lived down in Sugarloaf down there. We had a pretty good friendship. ... He and one other friend of mine, we got lunch a little bit before I moved from Atlanta, took me out to lunch. I always remember how nice of a guy he was, how great he was with his kids. A good guy, man."

Wideout Ed McCaffrey and offensive lineman (now Fox NFL color commentator) Mark Schlereth tweeted:

Jones finished his career as a Bronco, retiring following the 2000 season to cap a stellar 13-year career. He is a member of the Broncos Top 100 Team.

The Denver Broncos brass is noncommittal regarding the future of quarterback Drew Lock.

According to Mike Klis of 9News, president of football operations John Elway said Lock could be replaced in 2021, even though he is a fan.

"Drew did a nice job this year, but [general manager George Paton] will continue to look to fill that spot if we don't think that Drew is that guy," Elway said. 

Paton told Klis he hasn't "spent a lot of time studying" Lock, but he noted that "you're always trying to upgrade every position, and it'll be no different here."

Lock appeared in 13 games for the Broncos this season, collecting 2,933 yards and 16 touchdowns on 57.3 percent passing and leading the league with 15 interceptions. Per Klis, he ranked 32nd in passer rating this year, his first complete campaign as the Broncos starter. 

In five starts as a rookie in 2019, Lock completed 64.1 percent of passes for 1,020 yards and seven touchdowns. He was picked off just three times.

Paton joins the Broncos after more than a decade with the Minnesota Vikings, where he most recently served as the team's assistant GM and vice president of player personnel. He was partly responsible for the decision to do away with Case Keenum under center heading into 2018, after he led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game. 

"I think we all want the franchise quarterback and that's the No. 1 goal," Paton said, via KMGH-TV's Troy Renck. "You try to draft and develop and acquire any way you can. We are looking."

Denver Broncos president of football operations John Elway said Tuesday new general manager George Paton has the authority to replace Drew Lock as the team's starting quarterback before the 2021 NFL season.

Kyle Fredrickson of the Denver Post provided the comments from Elway, who said he still believes in the 2019 second-round pick:

Lock showed promise after taking over late in his rookie season. He completed 64.1 percent of his throws for 1,020 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions while leading the Broncos to a 4-1 record.

He couldn't match that success in his first full season as the starter. His completion rate dropped to 57.3 percent, and he recorded 16 touchdowns with a league-high 15 interceptions across 13 games. He ranked 29th out of 33 players in ESPN's total QBR (48.9).

"I do believe I'm the guy here," Luck said in December. "With progressing over time with this offense and hopefully getting another year in the same offense, the sky is the limit for us as a young team. We learned a lot this year."

A new general manager often searches for a quarterback when there isn't an established one in place, knowing success—or the lack thereof—at the position will often determine their own fate as the leader of the front office.

Paton, who was the Minnesota Vikings' assistant general manager since 2012, didn't commit to Lock during his first news conference Tuesday, instead providing an open-ended answer about the future of the position.

"I think we all want the franchise quarterback, and that's the No. 1 goal," he told reporters. "You try to draft and develop and acquire any way you can. We are looking."

The Broncos own the ninth pick in the 2021 draft.

While the top quarterbacks—Clemson's Trevor Lawrence, Ohio State's Justin Fields and BYU's Zach Wilson—will likely be gone if Denver doesn't trade up, it could have its choice of second-tier prospects, a group that features Alabama's Mac Jones and Florida's Kyle Trask. The Broncos hold the 40th and 71st picks as well.

Denver could opt to give Lock another year to prove himself while using that top-10 selection to upgrade the roster elsewhere after a 5-11 season, its fourth straight losing mark.

Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller is the subject of a criminal investigation by the Parker Police Department. 

Per Mike Klis and Kevin Vaughan of 9News, Parker Police spokesperson Josh Hans confirmed Miller is under investigation but said there would be no comment on the nature of the allegations at this time. 

Troy Renck of ABC 7 in Denver noted that if the Parker Police Department determines a crime has been committed, the case will be submitted to the district attorney's office. 

Miller's contract with the Broncos includes a $17.5 million team option for 2021 that has to be exercised before the first day of the new league year (March 17). 

Denver has been Miller's home for his entire 10-year NFL career. The 31-year-old missed the 2020 season after suffering a dislocated peroneal tendon in his ankle during practice on Sept. 8. 

Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon III has pleaded not guilty to a pair of charges stemming from an October arrest, according to Mike Klis of KUSA. 

Gordon was charged with driving under the influence and speeding.

He will reappear in court for a disposition hearing on Feb. 24, followed by a jury trial scheduled for April 8. 

According to Klis, a guilty plea could have earned the star a three-game suspension from the NFL for a violation of its policy on substances of abuse, and would void his $4.5 million salary guarantee for 2021.

Gordon was arrested in Denver on Oct. 13 after being pulled over when police say he was clocked driving 71 mph in a 35 mph area. He elected to participate in a field sobriety test rather than take a breathalyzer, but officers did not let him get back behind the wheel.

According to the probable cause statement from the incident, Gordon's "speech was slurred, his eyes were watery and ... his breath had a moderate smell of alcohol." 

A blood test from the scene has yet to return results. 

“I had a hard time dealing with it myself," he said in October, per Klis. "Like I said, I hadn’t been in trouble before, so it was tough. To the people of Denver and everyone, I don’t want anyone to feel like I don’t care and say, 'Oh, he got his money, he doesn’t care.' I do. I’m not happy I was in the situation. This is something I wanted to let you know that you can put out to the people for me."

Gordon was seemingly able to put the arrest behind him to finish another productive season in the league. He collected 966 rushing yards, good for 10th in the league, with nine touchdowns for the 5-11 Broncos. 

After nearly a decade-and-a-half working with the Minnesota Vikings, George Paton is heading to Denver. The longtime Vikings executive was named the Denver Broncos' general manager Wednesday.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Paton signed a six-year deal to take over Broncos personnel moves from John Elway, who stepped away from handling the day-to-day grind after the 2020 season. Elway remains the team's president of football operations, but Paton will have full say over the roster.

Elway told reporters earlier this month:

"Looking at the last 10 years, I knew there was going to be a time at some point that this was the position I was hoping to move into. I think it's the right time for me with everything that's gone on this year and being 60 years old. There are some other things in life that I'd like to do, but I'd still like to be involved with football."

Paton most recently served as the Vikings' vice president of player personnel and Rick Spielman's assistant general manager in Minnesota. The two previously worked together with the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins before heading to the Vikings.

Paton is respected as an identifier of young talent. He worked in the Bears front office in their scouting department and was then the Dolphins' director of pro personnel.

The Broncos have a promising group of young talent on both sides of the ball, with Elway stocking the pass-catching cupboards in recent seasons. However, Elway struggled with identifying quarterback talent. The Broncos have been near the bottom of the NFL in passing efficiency since Peyton Manning's retirement following the 2015 season. 

Paton's first order of business will be deciding whether to continue with the development of Drew Lock or to identify his own quarterback to build around.