With Russell Wilson, are the Broncos suddenly in “win now” mode?
Mar 11, 2022, 6:47 AM
The Denver Broncos are out of the doldrums of quarterback purgatory. With the addition of Russell Wilson, they are no longer looking for a franchise quarterback. It’s a huge step forward for the Broncos as they have missed the playoffs over the last six years. They are the worst post-Super Bowl winning team in NFL history, but with Wilson they are back in a championship window – at least I think they are.
I might not be the only one to think that. Broncos general manager George Paton has already proven that he can make the aggressive moves it takes to upgrade the roster. Does he think the team is in a Super Bowl window – essentially in “win now” mode? I believe that answer is yes – of course! However, there are many on The Fan who believe the Broncos have too many holes on the roster to fill and it could take a couple of years – maybe a few years – before this team is ready to compete for a championship.
Are the Broncos in “win now” mode? If they’re not, should they be? Let’s take a look.
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Lower Value on Draft Picks
I’m “Mr. Draft” when it comes to the Denver media market, so it pains me to admit this, but draft picks don’t matter as much as most think. It’s a tough admission, and it may not be true in every instance, but I believe that to be the case for the 2022 NFL Draft. The Broncos gave up four draft picks (and a few players) to get Wilson, so they won’t pick until the final pick in the second round.
There is some good talent at the top of this draft, mostly pass-rushers and offensive tackles, so they’re missing out on potential starters. However, no player – of any position – is as valuable as Wilson is to the franchise. This draft class has some talent, there are some mid-to-late-round gems, but overall, it’s not a great class of players coming into the NFL. Thus, the Broncos picks surrendered for Wilson this year simply aren’t worth as much as other years where the overall talent is greater.
When you look at players coming into the NFL, it’s common to compare them to veteran players – many who are still playing in the league. Instead of getting a young player who may or may not develop, why not find a way to trade for the proven player you’re comparing the rookies to? Paton is great at the draft, and he proved last year he has an eye for talent. He’ll be able to do more with mid-to-late-round picks than many other GMs in the league. This year’s draft class is not top heavy, but there are some great value picks from 50-120. Even with the Wilson trade, the Broncos have five picks (64, 75, 96, 113, 114) in that range. Expect Paton to find more than one starter and more than a few solid players with those five picks.
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Salary Cap Doesn’t Exist
The salary cap is a myth. There are several examples of this through NFL history, but let’s look at one team this offseason that was once around $60 million over the cap. That team would be the Green Bay Packers. I was keeping track of the Aaron Rodgers situation closely – as everyone in Denver was – so I’m quite familiar with how much salary cap maneuvering the Packers had to do in order to get under the cap.
The Packers wanted to place the franchise tag on superstar wide receiver Davante Adams, and they needed around $22 million to do that the moment the tag was placed. In the matter of a couple of weeks, the Packers went from over the cap by a wide margin to being under the cap enough to tag Adams – and ensure that Rodgers was staying with them. It seemed like an impossible task, but with some cuts and restructured contracts they were able to get under the cap and keep most of their team intact.
Good teams, and the Broncos have almost always been great with the salary cap, are able to work through contracts to benefit the team. The Broncos are looking ahead, not just to this new league year but to years after that. They’ll structure deals so that in a couple of years they can move on from players if things aren’t working out. Since the salary cap is a myth, and the Broncos work under it so well, I feel the team must go “all in” to build the best team possible. They have a franchise quarterback in Wilson, and there’s no need to wait. Understand the market, know the price of doing business and add the best players to help your team make a Super Bowl run every year with Wilson under center.
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Get to the Dance
Even the analysts who don’t think the Broncos are in “win now” mode believe they’ll push for a wild card spot and make the playoffs in 2022. It may seem like an impossible dream, especially for a fan base who has suffered over the last six years, but the Broncos could make it to the Super Bowl if they just get to the dance.
Last year, both teams who played in the Super Bowl (Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams) played in the Wild Card Round. In fact, both the Bengals and the Rams were No. 4 seeds in their respective conferences. The No. 1 seeds in the AFC (Tennessee Titans) and NFC (Green Bay Packers) didn’t make it out of the Divisional Round. We’ve seen it time and time again in the NFL where wild card teams make it to and win the Super Bowl. Why not the Broncos?
Time is short in the NFL. We can most all agree the Broncos have a playoff team – even a week before free agency and without holes filled on the roster – because they have Wilson at quarterback. Why not us? The clock is ticking on the Wilson era, and he hasn’t even been officially introduced as the new Broncos quarterback. There is no need to waste time. Paton, Wilson and the Broncos must be in “win now” mode in 2022 so they can make as many runs at the Super Bowl as they possibly can.
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