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The Denver Broncos have one of the NFL's most talented rosters entering the 2021 season. Yes, you heard it correctly, the Broncos. Denver has an insanely deep and talented defense and on offense, they have a good core of young skill position players.
Despite all the talent on the roster, the Broncos fell flat in 2020 going 5-11. Injuries played a role in the disappointing season, but the main culprit of the disappointment was subpar quarterback play. Drew Lock just wasn't good enough last season.
Denver desperately needs improvement at the quarterback position in 2021 if they hope to become a true AFC contender. Aside from the quarterback position, the Broncos have more than enough talent to make a run in the AFC.
Training camp for Denver will center around the quarterback position. Can Lock show improvement or will newly-acquired veteran Teddy Bridgewater take control of the starting job?
The Broncos begin training camp on July 27 at UC Health Training Center, Englewood, CO.
Denver Broncos offseason news roundup
There was speculation all offseason that the Broncos would either draft a top quarterback or trade for someone like Aaron Rodgers. The draft came and went without a quarterback selection, and as of now, Rodgers is still a member of the Green Bay Packers.
Denver instead opted to trade for Bridgewater. Bridgewater and Lock will now be in fierce competition for the starting quarterback job. Looking back over the next couple of years, it will be interesting to see how we look at Denver's decision to pass on Justin Fields and Mac Jones.
The top priority for the Broncos this offseason was clearly to upgrade the secondary. Patrick Surtain II was selected in the first round, and Kyle Fuller and Ronald Darby were signed in free agency.
Plus, starting safeties, Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson were both re-signed. Denver's secondary is filled with high-level talent.
Another important re-signing was Shelby Harris. Harris has been one of the league's most underrated defensive linemen for years.
At running back, the Broncos essentially swapped Phillip Lindsay for rookie Javonte Williams. Williams has a ton of potential. He's extremely tough to bring down because of the sheer force he runs with.
The Broncos improved, particularly in the secondary, this offseason, but whether or not they made the right decisions at quarterback will likely determine how we view their 2021 offseason.
Broncos training camp predictions: Position battles to watch
Whoever earns themselves the starting quarterback job is by far and away the most intriguing position battle to watch at Broncos training camp. Lock and Bridgewater will both be looking to bounce back after underperforming in the 2020 season.
Lock, because of his draft position and belief that he's yet to reach his full potential, may have a slight advantage over Bridgewater. The Lock and Bridgewater battle feels like the closest quarterback battle we've seen in years. It's so close that this position battle may spill over into the preseason.
The running back spot also features a fantastic position battle. Melvin Gordon and rookie Javonte Williams will duke it out all training camp to see who becomes Denver's lead back.
Gordon was decent last season with 215 carries for 986 yards (4.6 yards per carry), but Williams offers the upside that Gordon just doesn't have any more at the age of 28.
The two backs are likely to both get a good amount of carries to start the season, but it is worth watching who earns themselves the bigger role.
The Broncos are so loaded in the corner that their first-round selection, Surtain, is unlikely to start unless he has a tremendous training camp.
Darby and Fuller will start out wide, while Bryce Callahan will start in the slot. Whether or not Surtain can unseat Darby or Fuller for a starting job will be interesting to watch.
Surtain is thought of as someone who can step in and play right away, so it's not out of the question, but it's a more likely scenario that Surtain comes off the bench to provide depth.
But as always, anything can change with a big performance in training camp.
