Mile High Monday: Is Deshaun Watson still on the Broncos radar?

The Denver Broncos did not let you down on Sunday – because they played on Thursday and were beat by a bunch of backups with the Cleveland Browns. It was a fun day of football – not the greatest games to be sure – but there were no Broncos games to break your heart.

I like thinking of the future of the Broncos, but we’re entering Week 8 – the Broncos haven’t even had their bye – and things are falling apart. It’s going to be a long year, and hopefully there are changes ahead to get the Broncos back on track.

I also like contemplating life and sports when driving around with the top down on my old Jeep TJ! The following is a result of those trips during the week.

Buckle up, let’s take a ride through my thoughts.

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Still Interested in Watson

The Broncos need an upgrade at the quarterback position. Everyone under the sun knows this as Teddy Bridgewater just isn’t getting it done. No, Drew Lock is not the answer for now or for the future – and this coaching staff certainly seems to have a disdain for playing Lock. They’ll play a clearly banged up Bridgewater over Lock, so “stans” of Lock need to wait for him to land with a new team before they dream about any sort of career rejuvenation.

That’s why reports are coming out from NFL Network that the Broncos are still one of a small handful of teams who are interested in Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. Had Watson not had legal problems arise (22 unresolved sexual assault allegations) there’s a good chance he’d be with a new team – and perhaps that team would have been the Broncos.

His legal problems caused teams to back off potential trade offers, but now things are heating back up. The Broncos may be proposing a trade for Watson to upgrade their quarterback position, but reports indicate the Miami Dolphins are the team most interested. The word is that the Texans are telling other interested teams (Broncos, Panthers) that they must beat Miami’s offer. With any trade for Watson including at least two first-round picks, that says a lot about the compensation needed to get him away from Houston.

From @NFLGameDay: What's the latest on #Texans QB Deshaun Watson as the trade deadline looms? pic.twitter.com/i2CSsJpFoa

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 24, 2021

We won’t see Watson deposed on his legal problems until after the regular season. The NFL has the power to put him on paid leave if he’s traded, but no decision has been made. Any team that trades for Watson would have to do so before the Nov. 2 trade deadline. The clock is ticking for the Broncos or any other team interested in the superstar passer.

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Canary in the Coal Mine… and Ruffled Feathers

Broncos Country is frustrated, I’m frustrated and some of my colleagues in the media are frustrated with me after one of my tweets on Thursday night. We all know that Vic Fangio is coaching in his final season for the Broncos. Barring a miraculous turnaround, and looking at their schedule they may not win another game, Fangio is going to be removed as the head coach after the regular season.

The Broncos might be able to get a spark (see the Raiders) if they made that move in season, but after losing in an embarrassing fashion to the Browns there are no plans of firing Fangio. There aren’t even any current plans to get rid of offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. Make no mistake about it, both Fangio and Shurmur are problems for the Broncos. They’ll likely move on from both, but when will that happen?

One way to tell what the future holds is to listen to the media around the team. Not just the Broncos, but every team in the NFL loves to control the message as much as they can. Every team in the league has “team friendly” media, and the Broncos have quite the collection around them. These are reporters who rarely say anything negative about a team, and we at The Fan have people like that – including myself at times.

When team-friendly media members start criticizing a staff it sometimes happens because a team source, sometimes but not always a PR person or frustrated coach, tells them something seen as inside information. You can’t paint with a broad brush here, but there are plenty of reporters and a smaller number of analysts. Reporters write or talk about what they see and what they hear. Analysts, usually former players, tell you about what they’ve experienced or potential changes that could be made based on their experience (or inside information).

In recent weeks on The Fan, I’ve heard team friendly reporters talk in a more negative light regarding Fangio. This is a canary in the coal mine, and it could signal that changes are coming – perhaps not during the season, but after the year. The narrative around Fangio and the staff (Shurmur specifically) is changing. I took note of that on Twitter after the Browns game and received some push back.

Interesting to note that "team friendly" media is slowly turning on Vic Fangio. That usually happens when they are TOLD things by team sources as "inside information" …that's the way a team controls the narrative. Much easier when you just TELL THE TRUTH #Broncos @1043TheFan

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) October 22, 2021

I was only talking about my colleagues at The Fan as any other outlet, be it radio, print or TV, is not on my radar whatsoever. I spend my week watching film, charting plays, writing for DenverFan.com and hosting “Nick and Cecil” on The Fan. Add in my job as program director for Footballguys YouTube and podcast network, plus starting up an independent comic book company (Smokin Gun Studios) and – MOST IMPORTANTLY – being a father, and you can see how I have little time for anything else.

Everyone knows Fangio is likely to be fired at the end of the year or perhaps sooner than that. I merely pointed out that the narrative is changing from voices around the team that appear on The Fan.

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New Guy

Von Miller avoided a serious injury on Thursday night, but he still is banged up with an ankle injury that could cost him time. As of this writing, Miller insists that he will play against the Washington Football Team in Week 8.

“I’m good,” Miller told 9News’ Mike Klis. “They just wouldn’t let me go back in.”

It’s great news that Miller’s injury was not as severe as originally thought, but that doesn’t mean he’s a lock to start in Week 8. That’s why the Broncos went out and made a trade last week. They needed more talent at the pass-rushing position, so they made a trade with the Minnesota Vikings for EDGE player Stephen Weatherly. Broncos GM George Paton worked for many years with the Vikings, and it was easy to put a trade together for a player he’s familiar with from his days in Minnesota.

coming out of Vanderbilt in 2016, some in the scouting community compared Weatherly to Quanterus Smith. 6.0 career sacks, length that helps him close quickly, good burst, can rush standing up or hand in the dirt. #Broncos need pass rush help, thus a trade @1043TheFan https://t.co/OzaOAGqVzK

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) October 23, 2021

Weatherly is a player with length and burst around the corner. His long reach helps him snare the ball-carrier or the quarterback he’s targeting with ease. He needs to better stack moves in order to get to the passer more efficiently, but there’s natural talent there with Weatherly that could be built upon in Denver.

Injuries and inconsistencies plagued his game with the Vikings and one year (2020) with the Panthers. Weatherly has 6.0 sacks in six seasons, and there are only two seasons where he was available for a full 16-game season. A fresh start can be good for players like Weatherly. I don’t think this is a great move for the Broncos, but it’s a smart move to provide them better depth with an experienced player.

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Anakin Drop!

We got a huge news drop about the upcoming Disney+ show “Ahsoka” based on Star Wars character Ahsoka Tano. Actor Hayden Christensen will reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker in the upcoming series. Tano was Skywalker’s padawan – aka Jedi apprentice – during the Clone Wars. It’s difficult to tell a future story of Anakin or Darth Vader without including his brother-sister type of relationship with Ahsoka.

Christensen played Anakin Skywalker in both “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith” during the Star Wars prequel trilogy. At the time of their release, Christensen was blasted by critics for his bad acting – but I personally loved how he portrayed a famous hero who took an infamous fall. George Lucas doesn’t write great dialogue, so Christensen had to make the most out of what he was given on the script.

I’m excited about the “Ahsoka” show coming up, and I think it’s going to rival and perhaps best the fun we’ve had with “The Mandalorian” on Disney+. The main reason? JEDI! Having Jedi like Anakin (likely in spirit form) and Ahsoka on this show will put it in Star Wars lore where the more rugged world of bounty hunters does in upcoming shows like “The Book of Boba Fett.”

I think @rosariodawson is so 🔥 as #Ahsoka I am thrilled for any good news for her upcoming show

Can’t wait!#HaydenChristensen #DarthVader #StarWars #DisneyPlus https://t.co/qF9li48YOe

— Grace Randolph (@GraceRandolph) October 23, 2021

Did you like Christensen in the prequels, and are you excited that he’s going to reprise his role? Hit me up on social networking and let me know!

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