Mason's Mailbag: New Broncos making a big impression

[Miles]

Do you think the lack of moves at the ILB position tell the tale about how the Broncos feel about Josey Jewell and Todd Davis, along with the drafting of Justin Hollins? Or was the price too high in free agency and the trade offer to pass up Devin Bush for a draft pick was too good?


-- Chris Stone (@badstonevader via Twitter)


The answer to your question is not an either-or/black-and-white one. It reflects how offseason plans must be elastic, and how filling every need with an optimal player can sometimes take multiple drafts. This is exacerbated by the Broncos' current state, as an 11-21 record over the last two years reflected a roster that had myriad areas in need of growth and reinforcements.


Going into the draft, every team prefers to have a core of 22 potential starters, plus some key rotational players (No. 3 cornerback, No. 3 wide receiver, etc.) with whom it is comfortable. With that, a team isn't pegged into filling a specific need, and can be flexible. That's how the Broncos went into this year's draft. A comfort zone with Davis and Jewell as the inside linebackers allowed them to take Pittsburgh's trade offer and accumulate extra picks, even though it meant pushing inside linebacker down a bit as other areas were addressed.


In some circles, the decision to re-sign Jeff Heuerman has been scrutinized because the Broncos took Noah Fant in the first round. But if Denver had not traded down, they might have waited until the middle rounds to address that position. If that scenario had transpired, the Broncos would have been in the lurch if they had not brought back Heuerman when his rookie contract expired.