The rest of the NFL shows that the Broncos have their formula all wrong

Let’s assume the Broncos make drastic changes at the end of the season. They blow up the coaching staff and move on from high-priced, underperforming veteran players.

Then what? How does the rebuild look?

Well, one look at the current NFL standings provides a blueprint. Almost every team atop their respective division has the same elements.

Most have a young, innovative head coach. And/or, they have a young, playmaking quarterback.

Watching the rest of the NFL on a Sunday when the Broncos didn’t play made this crystal clear. It was visible at every turn.

Arizona had the league’s best record at 7-0. They’re coached by Kliff Kingsbury (42 years old) and have Kyler Murray at QB.

Cincinnati has Zac Taylor (38) and Joe Burrow. They might be the surprise of the league.

Buffalo has Sean McDermott (47) and Josh Allen. Los Angeles has Brandon Staley (38) and Justin Herbert. Neither team played this past week, but they’re still atop or hovering near the top of the standings.

The Packers and Rams have veteran quarterbacks in Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford, respectively. But they’re coached by Matt LaFleur (41) and Sean McVay (35).

Dallas has an older head coach in Mike McCarthy. But Dak Prescott is only 28 years old.

There are a couple of outliers. Bruce Arians and Tom Brady are grizzled veterans in Tampa Bay. Mike Vrabel (48) and Ryan Tannehill don’t seem to fit the mold. Neither do Rich Bisaccia and Derek Carr.

But otherwise, the exciting, up-and-coming teams all look the same. They have innovative coaches and young quarterbacks.

Contrast that to the Broncos. Currently, they have an old-school, defensive-minded head coach and a veteran, game-manager at QB. There’s not a team near the top of any division that currently features that type of duo.

Denver tried to zig while the rest of the league was zagging. It veered them off a cliff.

It’s time to stop trying to be buck the trend. That’s not a recipe for success.

Enough with the defensive-minded head coaches. It’s a league that is built to promote offense. Lean toward that side of the ball.

And enough with stopgap, game managers at quarterback. Roll the dice on a kid who could play in Denver for 10-15 years. If you miss, do it again. That’s what Arizona did; they kept taking a QB in the first round until they got it right.

Look around the league. It’s not hard to figure out.

The Broncos need to make changes. But they need to be the right ones.

Head coach and quarterback are the two most-important pieces of a football team. Right now, the Broncos have it backwards at both spots.

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