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Eleven things about the Broncos as they roll through a bye week and toward a nine-game second half.
1. Here’s what former Broncos great Von Miller told former Denver Post great Ryan O’Halloran – both now thriving along the shores of Lake Erie – about Bradley Chubb’s move to Miami: “He looked way better than I looked (in a post-trade interview) because when I got traded last year, I was crying and could barely talk. He was in good spirits. I spent 11½ years (in Denver) and he spent 4½ years there. It just refreshes you when you get out of a tough situation like that and go to a winning team that needs you to win right now. It just recharges you and I’m sure Chubb is feeling that same way.”
2. You know what else is likely energizing for Chubb? That massive five-year, $110 million extension he signed, reportedly featuring $63 million guaranteed. That puts him in the top class of defensive players in the game and, according to OverTheCap, behind only Joey Bosa, Myles Garrett, Khalil Mack, T.J. Watt and Aaron Donald in guaranteed dollars among front seven players.
3. A key quote from general manager George Paton in discussing the decision to trade Chubb to Miami for San Francisco’s 2023 first-round draft pick and contending he would have made the trade regardless of the Broncos’ record: “We have other holes to fill on the offensive side of the ball.”
4. On that note, an early glance at one draft analyst’s thoughts on the class now that Denver has a first-day pick: The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has seven offensive linemen among his top 50 draft-eligible players currently.
5. Denver currently, according to OTC, has the second-most salary cap space for the rest of 2022 at $13.2 million. Rolling over that money to 2023 should help Paton address needs like re-signing defensive end Dre’Mont Jones to a lucrative extension and supplementing the offensive side of the ball via free agency.
6. Another Broncos player tracking toward being one of the highest-paid in the game at some point in the future: Cornerback Pat Surtain II. He’s got two years plus a fifth-year option remaining on his rookie deal, but has wasted no time establishing himself as one of the game’s premier talents on the edge.
7. “He’s long, he’s athletic, can run and he’s physical,” Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson said before the teams played in London. “… This guy is young but he’s that type of player and he’s gaining a lot of respect around the league, obviously. When you watch tape, teams try to throw that way with not much success.”
8. The Jags drew one pass-interference penalty on Surtain during last week’s game, but otherwise he was the nearest man in coverage only one other time, according to the NFL’s NextGen Stats. That play went for minus-4 when Surtain made a knifing tackle in the flat. That means he’s been targeted one time over the past two games on non-penalty snaps.
9. London’s a terrific city and the Broncos should feel more than welcome to play there as frequently as they can convince the NFL. Given the franchise’s international partnership is with Mexico, look for Denver to have a game there – most likely Mexico City or Monterrey – as soon as next season, when it’s back to having nine “home” games and eight roadies.
10. Met a couple of fellas at the Harrow School – Denver’s practice location in London – who had tested the strong security presence and been escorted back to a public sidewalk and railing from which they could see absolutely nothing. But they were both in fine spirits regardless. One from northern England drove down just to say he was near practice and another from Canada extended a work trip by a day just to get a glimpse of the Orange and Blue and figured out the practice location by looking at photos from the previous days. That’s dedication.
11. One random personnel thought to close out the bye week edition: Denver could roll with Graham Glasgow at center against Tennessee in place of the injured Lloyd Cushenberry – and a veteran presence might be advised given the level Jeffery Simmons is playing at. But you can’t help but wonder if the extra prep time entices the staff to consider whether rookie Luke Wattenberg is ready for his debut.
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