The Lead
With draft picks made and college free agents added, the Broncos are ready to take the next step toward the 2020 season.
That begins today, as the Broncos previously announced that their three-week voluntary virtual offseason program starts on April 27. Though teams may not begin on-field work or reopen facilities until all 32 facilities are allowed by local, state and federal regulations, during this time teams may host virtual meetings and workouts, in addition to non-football educational elements.
"That's just for two hours of video and meetings, and then there's the potential for two hours of working out," said Brandon McManus, who is the Broncos' NFL Players Association representative. "Now, teams don't have to opt in to a virtual workout; they could choose not to do that, but they can choose to do the virtual meetings, which players then voluntarily report to in this time period — and that goes through May 15. …
"Pretty much at that point on May 15, it's a wait-and-see period, if the facilities are open. But if they're not, then they will continue to do these virtual workouts for two hours, meetings for two hours — potentially for virtual workouts — and hopefully at some point, facilities will be open. But if not, we'll maintain the virtual up until whenever they reconvene about training camp."
As Head Coach Vic Fangio said Saturday, this period will be quite uncertain, but they will nevertheless press Drew Lock and the offense as they learn a new offense under Offensive Coordinator Pat Shurmur.
"I'm sure there will be some trial and error with the total communication, because now you're communicating with a bunch of different players at one time and from all different locations," Fangio said. "We're going to see how it goes, but we're going to be aggressive to push the limits of this teaching situation because it's critical especially for our offense and quarterback ... with Drew [and] putting in a new offense. We're going to make the most of it. I'm sure some of it will be trial and error. We'll make adjustments as we get through these next three weeks, but I'm confident we'll get a lot out of it."
The voluntary program does not include the team's rookies.
Below the Fold
In a fascinating profile about Jerry Jeudy’s path to the NFL and what drives him, The Denver Post's Sean Keeler talks to a handful of people who have witnessed Jeudy's talents grow. In the eyes of Mike Locksley, who was Alabama's offensive coordinator in 2018 and their wide receivers coach in 2017, Jeudy could be even more productive in the NFL.
With the Denver's third-round selection of Lloyd Cushenberry III, the Broncos completed their 2019 draft-day trade with the Steelers. In exchange for the 10th-overall pick, Pittsburgh gave Denver the 20th-, 52nd- and 83rd-overall picks. John Elway then used the No. 52 pick in a package to trade up for pick No. 42, where he selected Drew Lock. In all, the Broncos got Lock, Noah Fant and Cushenberry. Over at The Denver Post, Ryan O’Halloran muses on the trade results.
With the offseason roster practically finalized (there will probably be some occasional tweaks over the coming months), Aric DiLalla breaks down the status of each position group.
