The Broncos spent the offseason trying to fix their dormant offense … again. During their four-year playoff drought, the offense has finished 22nd, 27th, 24th and 28th in scoring. Two weeks after last season ended, coach Vic Fangio fired offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello and replaced him with Pat Shurmur, who will be the Broncos’ fifth play-caller in as many years. Quarterback Drew Lock, the fourth Week 1 starter in as many years, saw general manager John Elway commit to him as the starter and then add right guard Graham Glasgow, center Lloyd Cushenberry and receivers Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler in free agency/draft.
Quarterback
Drew Lock (3)
6-foot-4, 228 pounds, 23, 2nd season, Missouri
The Broncos’ fourth different Week 1 quarterback in as many seasons, Lock fueled optimism by going 4-1 last year with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. General manager John Elway moved up 10 spots in the 2019 draft to select Lock, hoping he can stop the game of musical chairs at the sport’s most important position.
Backup
Jeff Driskel (9)
6-foot-4, 235 pounds, 27, 5th season, Louisiana Tech
The Broncos added Driskel instead of re-signing Brandon Allen, elevating Brett Rypien to No. 2 status or adding a more experienced backup. An alum of Florida and Louisiana Tech, Driskel has started eight games the last two years for Cincinnati (2018) and Detroit (2019), totaling 10 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Running back
Melvin Gordon (25)
6-foot-1, 215 pounds, 27, 6th season, Wisconsin
Signed to a two-year, $16 million contract in March to leave the AFC West rival Chargers, Gordon has 47 touchdowns (36 rushing/11 receiving) in 63 regular-season games. A holdout last year derailed Gordon’s season; he set career lows in carries (162) and rushing yards (612).
Backups
Phillip Lindsay (30)
5-foot-8, 190 pounds, 26, 3rd season, Colorado
Rushing for 1,037 and 1,011 yards (16 touchdowns) his first two seasons wasn’t enough for Lindsay to earn a contract extension and may not be enough for him to start the opener. A former undrafted free agent, Lindsay has a 4.9-yard average on 416 carries and has caught 35 passes apiece in both of his pro seasons.
Royce Freeman (28)
6-foot, 238 pounds, 24, 3rd season, Oregon
Freeman was the Broncos’ starter for the first seven games of 2018 before an ankle injury created a chance for Lindsay. Freeman has eight touchdowns and a 3.9-yard average on 262 career carries. He could have a role on third down.
Receiver
Courtland Sutton (14)
6-foot-4, 216 pounds, 24, 3rd year, SMU
Sutton’s 1,816 yards receiving and 10 touchdown catches through two years is the best start in Broncos’ history and he begins 2020 as the no-doubt WR1. He caught 72 passes for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns to earn a Pro Bowl nod last year. A threat after the catch because of his speed and strength, Sutton also knows how to draw penalties.
Backup
Tim Patrick (81)
6-foot-4, 212 pounds, 26, 3rd year, Utah
A broken hand in last year’s opener sidelined him until Week 11 and he finished with 18 catches for 218 yards. Patrick was in camp with Baltimore and San Francisco before signing with the Broncos in November 2017 and developing into a special teams contributor and dependable receiver.
Receiver
Jerry Jeudy (10)
6-foot-1, 193 pounds, 21, rookie, Alabama
Jeudy fell to No. 15 in this year’s first round and the Broncos were thrilled to draft him without having to move up. He caught 159 passes for 2,742 yards (impressive 17.2-yard average) and 36 touchdowns in 42 games for the Crimson Tide. Jeudy won the Biletnikoff Award in 2018 as the nation’s top receiver.
Backup
DaeSean Hamilton (17)
6-foot-1, 206 pounds, 25, 3rd year, Penn State
Hamilton ended last year as the Broncos’ No. 2 receiver, but won’t start this year in that role. In two years, he has 58 catches for 540 yards and three touchdowns; all but 16 of those receptions came in the final month of each season.
Receiver
KJ Hamler (13)
5-foot-9, 178 pounds, 21, rookie, Penn State
Hamler was selected No. 46 overall a night after the Broncos added Jeudy. He played two seasons for the Nittany Lions (26 games), catching 98 passes for 1,658 yards and 13 touchdowns. His availability for Week 1 is uncertain due to a hamstring injury sustained on Aug. 19.
Backups
Tyrie Cleveland (86)
6-foot-2, 209 pounds, 22, rookie, Florida
A seventh-round draft pick (No. 252 overall), Cleveland played 46 games for the Gators, catching 79 passes for 1,271 yards and eight touchdowns. His play in training camp forced the Broncos to keep him as a seventh receiver instead of risking that he would clear waivers.
Diontae Spencer (11)
5-foot-8, 170 pounds, 28, 2nd year, McNeese State
Added via waivers from Pittsburgh last September, Spencer played in every game, returning 26 punts (8.0-yard average) and 15 kickoffs (29.1-yard average) and catching six passes. Played 57 games for Toronto and Ottawa of the CFL before signing with the Steelers.
Tight end
Noah Fant (87)
6-foot-4, 249 pounds, 22, 2nd year, Iowa
The Broncos’ first-round pick in 2019, Fant set franchise rookie tight end records for catches (40) and receiving yards (562). Fant had 115 yards receiving against Cleveland and 113 at Houston. He is a classic “move” tight end who can create matchup problems at all parts of the formation.
Backups
Nick Vannett (88)
6-foot-6, 261 pounds, 27, 5th year, Ohio State
Vannett signed with the Broncos in March to essentially replace Jeff Heuerman as the team’s blocking tight end specialist. A third-round pick by Seattle in 2016, Vannett caught 29 passes in 2018. Last year, he started with the Seahawks and finished with Pittsburgh (16 games/17 catches).
Andrew Beck (83)
6-foot-3, 255 pounds, 24, 2nd year, Texas
Acquired via waivers from New England last September, Beck established himself as a reliable hybrid fullback/tight end who can also play special teams. He caught nine passes for 90 yards in 16 games.
Albert Okwuegbunam (85)
6-foot-5, 258 pounds, 22, rookie, Missouri
A fourth-round draft pick (No. 118), Okwuegbunam is reunited with Lock, his quarterback at Missouri. Okwuegbunam caught 17 touchdowns in two years playing with Lock and finished his college career with 98 catches for 1,187 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Jake Butt (80)
6-foot-6, 250 pounds, 25, 3rd year, Michigan
Butt joined the Broncos in 2017 (fifth-round pick) but has played in only three games because of multiple knee surgeries. Butt was the Mackey Award winner as a Michigan senior (nation’s top tight end), catching 46 passes for 546 yards and four touchdowns.
Left tackle
Garett Bolles (72)
6-foot-5, 300 pounds, 28, 4th year, Utah
The Broncos’ first-round pick in 2017 (No. 20 overall), Bolles enters the final year of his contract after the team declined a 2021 option. Bolles hasn’t missed a start in his career and didn’t give up a sack over the final eight games of last year. The bad news: He has been called for 32 penalties in 48 games (18 enforced).
Backup
Calvin Anderson (76)
6-foot-5, 300 pounds, 24, 2nd year, Texas
Anderson was signed off the New York Jets’ practice squad last October, but did not play in a game. Anderson started 36 games for Rice and 14 games at left tackle for Texas in 2018 as a graduate transfer.
Left guard
Dalton Risner (66)
6-foot-5, 312 pounds, 25, 2nd year, Kansas State
A native of Wiggins, Risner was the Broncos’ initial second-round pick last year, one spot ahead of Drew Lock. Immediately named the starting left guard, Risner was one of 10 rookie offensive linemen to start all 16 games. Risner has the versatility to play tackle or center, but his best spot is guard.
Backup
Netane Muti (73)
6-foot-3, 315 pounds, 21, rookie, Fresno State
Muti’s college career was derailed by injuries — an Achilles tear in 2018 and a foot fracture in 2019 that limited him to five total games. In 2017, he started 14 games at left tackle, but is projected in the NFL as a guard.
Center
Lloyd Cushenberry (79)
6-foot-3, 312 pounds, 22, rookie, LSU
A two-year starter (28 games) for LSU, Cushenberry declared for the draft a year early and was selected in the third round. Cushenberry led the national champion Tigers with 1,037 offensive snaps last year blocking for Heisman Trophy quarterback/top overall pick Joe Burrow.
Right guard
Graham Glasgow (61)
6-foot-6, 310 pounds, 28, 5th year, Michigan
Glasgow signed a four-year, $44 million contract in March to leave Detroit. A third-round pick by the Lions in 2016, Glasgow has 58 regular-season games, including 14 at right guard last year (only three penalties). A clear upgrade over the departed Ron Leary.
Backup
Austin Schlottmann (71)
6-foot-6, 300 pounds, 24, 2nd year, TCU
Schlottmann spent all of 2018 on the Broncos’ practice squad and all of 2019 on the active roster, starting three games at right guard. As a senior at TCU, Schlottmann started eight games at center and six at right guard.
Right tackle
Elijah Wilkinson (68)
6-foot-6, 329 pounds, 25, 4th year, Massachusetts
Wilkinson was scheduled to compete with Garett Bolles at left tackle, but slid over to right tackle as the starter early in camp when Ja’Wuan James opted out of the season. A former undrafted free agent, Wilkinson spent 2017 on the practice squad, made seven starts at right guard in ’18 and 12 starts at right tackle last year.
Backup
Demar Dotson (78)
6-foot-9, 315 pounds, 34, 12th year, Southern Miss
Signed after starter Ja’Wuan James opted out of the season, Dotson started 106 games for Tampa Bay until the Buccaneers declined to re-sign him. If Garett Bolles is unavailable, Elijah Wilkinson would likely move to left tackle and Dotson would play right tackle.
Kicker
Brandon McManus (8)
6-foot-3, 201 pounds, 29, 7th year, Temple
Entering the final year of his contract, McManus in his seventh season as the Broncos’ kicker. His field goal rate of 82.5 (151-of-183) is second-best in Broncos history behind Matt Prater (82.9). Last year, McManus was 29-of-34 on field goals and 25-of-26 on point-after attempts.
