It’s not hard to find talent on the Denver Broncos’ roster.
A quick look reveals a star-studded secondary that saw three of its four key contributors play in last year’s Pro Bowl.
Wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders are both coming off a season in which they each amassed 1,000-plus receiving yards. Running back C.J. Anderson may be working his way back from a season-ending meniscus injury, but his work in the two seasons prior earned him a four-year, $18 million contract prior to last season.
Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller is coming off a 13.5 sack season in which he was very much in the running for Defensive Player of the Year.
Talent isn’t an issue.
The 2016 season was the beginning of a new chapter in Broncos football. Fresh off of a Super Bowl victory and playing their first season in four years without Peyton Manning, the Broncos caught some tough breaks and sputtered to an 9-7 finish, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
With no Manning and an injured DeMarcus Ware, the talent was there but the team’s leadership took on a different look.
Despite it only being May, key Broncos are doing their best to make sure the team doesn’t take another step backward in 2017.
“I didn’t speak up enough,” defensive end Derek Wolfe said in a press conference last week. “When I saw things, I didn’t speak up and I didn’t say things when I should have. I’m not letting that (stuff) slide this year.”
Along with talent, the Broncos have a plethora of valuable experience to the table. While plenty of players from the Super Bowl 50 team have been scavenged, the core is still there.
“I’ve been around enough great players that I’ve seen how not to do it and how to do it,” Wolfe said. “Over the years, just maturing. Every season for me is just a learning session. Every season is like a life. It’s like a life span. You learn something new every season and last season I didn’t do enough. I have to take more of a leadership role.”
The leadership doesn’t stop with Wolfe. The additions of offensive lineman Ronald Leary and defensive linemen Domata Peko and Zach Kerr in free agency are examples of veteran players coming in to help units that struggled in 2016 compared to the Super Bowl season.
“For me, I like to lead by example,” Peko, formerly a defensive captain in Cincinnati, said in last week’s press conference. “The are times also when I do have to get vocal. If I see someone slacking off or see guys that are being complacent, that’s when I’ll step in and be vocal. Most of the time, I just try to lead and work hard every day. People see that, it’s contagious. If you see someone who’s 30 years-old out here running around like a youngster, it’s contagious. I just try to lead by that way, but if I have to get vocal, I’ll get vocal.”
Veteran defensive back Chris Harris Jr. says leadership isn’t hard to find on this roster. Earlier this offseason he spoke to replacing Ware’s leadership, lost to retirement.
“Everybody has been a leader on our team,” Harris said. “Our defense, we have tons of leaders. D-Ware is just the old guy. He was just the oldest one there (laughing). That is all it was. We have plenty of leaders. We’re still the same defense. We’re going to hold everyone to a high level, talk mess to the offense and talk mess to the receivers. The same mentality.”
On offense, Sanders can rattle of a list of leaders – himself included.
“Obviously right now it is Demaryius,” he said in mid-April. “Do I see myself as a leader? Yeah, I am a leader on this team. Demaryius was a captain last year, him and Trevor. I see myself as one of those guys as well that is always trying to pick up guys and better guys and help guys out. Me and Demaryius have been in the league—it’s our eighth year. I think we might be the oldest on the offense. It’s crazy to say, but time flies. Definitely me, Demaryius, Trevor, we’ve got some new offensive linemen that have had a lot of experience. We’re sitting pretty good offensively.”
The Broncos’ roster consists of many players that have both been to the top of the mountain and also failed to reach its summit. They experienced success in the form of a Super Bowl victory in 2015 and failure in a third-place AFC West finish in 2016.
There is no light without a little darkness, and the Broncos seemed determined to get back to their shining ways in 2017.
