NFL 2024 season - Denver Broncos team preview

Yahoo Sports' Jason Fitz and Frank Schwab discuss the state of Denver's roster and how long it will take before the Broncos can become contenders. Listen and subscribe to the “Zero Blitz” podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.

Video Transcript

My one big thing for the Broncos is just thinking about how long is this rebuild going to last?

And when you think about it, they traded for Sean Payton, they traded for Russell Wilson, they gave up five first and second round picks for those two guys.

When you think about the construct of any roster in the NFL A good one, any way.

1st and 2nd round picks are the foundation of your team.

You throw five first and second round picks in the last few drafts on the Denver Broncos all of a sudden, I like them a lot more.

This is supposed to be the foundation of their team for the next few years and they're just zeros.

You add on the Russell Wilson cap hit which is hovering over them for the next couple of years.

And it's a really dire experience on the, with the Denver Broncos right now.

The one thing they do have is a great coach, Sean Payton is a great coach.

I do wonder is he here long term for this mess though.

If, if this is a five or six year rebuild, is Sean Payton still here in 2028 or is he just like whatever?

I'm going back to Fox II, I don't like this anymore.

I think these are real questions for the Denver Broncos.

Whereas most NFL rebuilds two or three years.

Look at the Houston Texans, they're gonna be the, the team we, we cite all the time.

Right.

You know, you hit a home run at quarterback, you hit a home run at coach, you could be right back at being a contender in a year or two.

I don't see that for the Broncos.

I think this is long term and given how much this fan base has suffered since Peyton Manning retired.

That's pretty depressing.

I, I'm not gonna lie.

Maybe Peyton could dig him out of this.

Maybe Bo Nix is awesome right away and he just carries them to the playoffs in a couple of years.

But if there's a long term rebuild out there in the NFL, I think it might be the Denver Broncos.

Yeah.

And so, you know, me, I love cooking shows and there's, there was a show, I don't know if you ever saw it on, it's called Next Level Chef.

Ok.

So all these chefs are on a floor, like third floor, second floor, first floor and they've got their hand against the wall as a, a thing is dropping down and it has ingredients on it.

So part of what the chef has to do is they have to run up not only knowing that they're making a dish, it's whatever challenge they've got to.

While this, this platform is moving, they've got to grab a protein and everything they need to cook their entire dish while this platform is moving.

And half the time you'll see a great chef standing there at the end, they just didn't go to get a good grab.

And so he's looking around, he's like, I don't have anything to cook with.

That's how I feel about Sean Payton right now.

Like Sean Payton's look around and he's like, man, I, I, somehow I didn't get a protein that's good enough and none of my sides are going to be good enough to make this a, a competent dish like the Broncos to your point.

I, I do believe they're in the part of this process that rips it back to the studs.

But, uh, it's important to remember what they gave up before they got to this process because it makes the rebuild tougher.

It's just, there's no two ways around this.

They, they're going to need time.

Even if Bo Nick turns out to be the A quarterback, they're gonna have to surround Bo with more talent that's gonna take two or three in a beautiful offs season.

Frank in the best off season you could ever imagine in my mind you'd be lucky to get four or five.

Can't miss, oh my God, starters that you are going to build on through the future and I'm talking through the draft and free agency combined.

If you get four or five landmark guys in one free agency or one off season, you've hit a home run, the Broncos, even if they hit a home run with their quarterback, probably still need, what, 16 new starters over the course of the next couple of years, that, that's just real, their roster is really depleted.

I mean, Patrick Certan and who, I mean, that's kind of who the Broncos are right now and maybe some of their younger kids develop quickly, but I don't really like the direction of Denver Broncos.