The Denver Broncos may have a long, tough season ahead of them. This team had so many holes to fill going into the off-season it resembled Swiss cheese. Then they created another huge hole by trading quarterback Jay Cutler.

The Broncos biggest holes are in the defensive front seven. Many Broncos fans and draft experts expected the team to focus on these positions in the draft. In the end they used only one pick on the front seven—first round pick Robert Ayers, a defensive end from Tennessee. 

 

There will be as many as four new starters in the front seven and another two that are going to playing new positions in the 3-4 scheme this season.

The secondary has been completely revamped as well. The only hold over from last season in the secondary is corner back Champ Bailey. However, the free agent acquisitions in this part of the defense are proven starters in the league. 

The biggest addition is strong safety Brian Dawkins.

To say the defense has a new look is a huge understatement. With 80% of the starting defense being changed,fan are going to need a roster sheet just to know who these guys are.

 

The offense moved the ball effectively last season, ranking second in the NFL in total offense.  As we all know, they count points not yards in the NFL. The Broncos were not as proficient at scoring those points. 

The argument can be made that, because the Broncos defense was so bad, the offense was constantly in a position to have to go 80-90 yards to get into the end zone.  In fact, the Broncos did have the worst starting field position in the league.

 

General Manager Brian Xanders and head coach Josh Mcdaniels were wise to leave the offensive line and starting receiving corps intact. The running back position is a different story. 

It has been revamped with the addition of first round pick Knowshon Moreno and free agents Correll Buckhalter, LaMont Jordan, and JJ Arrington.  Peyton Hillis, a starter at half back for part of last year, has been moved back to full back.

Of course, the biggest change on the team is at quarterback. McDaniels and Cutler had a very public falling out, which led to the franchise quarterback being traded to the Chicago Bears for two first round draft picks and quarterback Kyle Orton. 

With the addition of Orton and free agent Chris Simms, McDaniels believes there is no hole at quarterback.  However, neither quarterback has proven to be a consistent, quality starter in the NFL.

Orton was third on the depth chart in Chicago at times in his career. Chicago is not exactly a hot bed of quarterbacking talent; this is why they wanted Cutler. 

In fact, Orton spent some time behind Brian Giese.  Broncos fans will not doubt remember that name from his time spent quarterbacking the team after John Elways retirement.

Simms hasn’t thrown more than two passes since a spleen injury in 2006.  He spent 2007 season on injured reserve.  He threw those two passes last season, and was third on the depth chart for the Tennessee Titans.

The coaching staff has a monumental task to get the completely remade defense to play together.  They also have their work cut out for them when it comes to coaching up the most important position on the field, quarterback.  

Only time will tell if the holes truly have been filled or simply spackled over.

Sponsored Links

Buy Denver Broncos Tickets, NFL Tickets, Football Tickets and Sports Tickets at StubPass.com.

BroncosZone Latest

• The Denver Broncos Must Face Their New Reality
• Denver Broncos: The Beginning of a New Era, Or The Beginning of the End?
• Hey Denver, Where’s the Love for Josh McDaniels?
• Josh McDaniels Is the Poster Boy for “Too Much, Too Soon”
• Denver Wide Receiver Brandon Marshall: “I Love Being a Bronco”