The 2018 Denver Broncos campaign didn’t have a lot of memorable moments. However, the contributions of the
franchise’s rookies were certainly one of them. While many would acknowledge
it’s quite premature to grade a class before any prospect sees a single snap in
the National Football League, the Broncos’ 2018 draft class was immediately
lauded by draft analysts last April. In turn, the lofty praise led to high
expectations across Broncos Country. Without question, all of us were hoping for
greater contributions from this year’s class compared to the lackluster 2017
draft — one that will likely go down as the worst in John Elway’s as general
manager. Yet it’s safe to say that this year’s class didn’t disappoint. Whether
it was the impact sacks by Bradley Chubb, the rushing prowess of Phillip Lindsay
and Royce Freeman or the big-play potential displayed by receivers Courtland
Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton — this year’s crop of contributors appear to be
quite special and should provide the franchise with a great foundation for the
future.A lot of people have taken notice and NFL.com’s Around the NFL Writer
Nick Shook gave the Broncos’ rookies an A- grade — highest among all teams in
the AFC West. Shook will be doing a breakdown like this for all the divisions,
so it will be interesting to see how Denver’s class ranks league-wide. So
Broncos Country, what grade would you give the 2018 draft class based on their
first-year contributions? Sound off in the comments section about their play
this year, as well as what you hope to see from them next season.As always,
thank you for reading and here is today’s offering of Horse Tracks.Horse
TracksBroncos' Hall of Fame owner Pat Bowlen led with humilityUnder Bowlen's
guidance the Broncos won three Super Bowls, but he did it without being too big
for the people in his organization.How the Denver Broncos are approaching free
agency and the rest of the NFL off-seasonJohn Elway needs to get out of a funk
as the Denver Broncos' general manager. This is a crucial off-season for him.The
Squeeze: Documenting Champ Bailey's Hall of Fame election weekendA concentrated
look at the recent juice on the Denver Broncos.2019 NFL Mock Draft: Broncos
trade up for QB, Kyler Murray headed to Dolphins, Patriots take explosive
WRThree quarterbacks go in Round 1 and the first one off the board isn’t named
Dwayne Haskins.Three-round 2019 NFL mock draft 1.0: Kyler Murray to Broncos -
NFL.comChad Reuter goes three rounds deep in his first mock of the 2019 NFL
Draft. The Giants are the first team to pick a QB, while the Patriots find an
heir apparent for Tom Brady in Round 3.Falcons releasing Robert Alford after six
seasons - NFL.comThe Super Bowl is complete, meaning we're now in
salary-shedding season. Falcons corner Robert Alford is the first to go. Atlanta
is releasing the 30-year-old, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported.Sean McVay:
Todd Gurley's touches due to rhythm - NFL.comPerhaps once the final whistle had
blown in the 2018 season, we'd finally get some clarity on what was going on
with Todd Gurley. Or so we hoped. Sean McVay addressed that -- sort of --
Tuesday.Bengals get their new face in head coach Zac Taylor - NFL.comThe Bengals
needed a change, a fresh face. Take a look at Zac Taylor, Cincinnati. The
Bengals introduced Taylor as the franchise's new head coach Tuesday, emphasizing
a fresh start for the franchise.Tom Brady: G.O.A.T. moniker 'makes me cringe' -
NFL.comNote to New England Patriots fans, television persons and the world
entire: stop calling Tom Brady the G.O.A.T. "It make me cringe," the Patriots
quarterback told Michael Strahan.NFL Power Rankings: Pats on top -- as for the
other 31 teams ... - NFL.comWith the 2018 NFL season officially in the
books
Royce Freeman Jersey , what is the current state of the league hierarchy, from No. 1 to 32? Elliot Harrison updates his Power Rankings, with an eye toward the
2019 campaign. NFL insider Ian Rapoport gives his thoughts on the Broncos
outlook this season." Denver Broncos PodcastsIan Rapoport: If Flacco stays
healthy and plays well, Denver is an above .500 teamNew,193commentsNFL insider
Ian Rapoport gives his thoughts on the Broncos outlook this season.MDTShare this
storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll
sharing options for:Ian Rapoport: If Flacco stays healthy and plays well, Denver
is an above .500 teamTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailIan Rapoport
joined Ryan Edwards and Benjamin Allbright on Broncos Country Tonight on KOA
radio to give his thoughts on Denver’s outlook for the upcoming season (starting
around the 6:30 mark).Not surprisingly, his prediction for the team centered
heavily around the quarterback play. “If you were going to tell me that Joe
Flacco was going to be healthy for sixteen games, and play like he did for the
first four games last year, I would say the Broncos are an above .500 team.”
Rapoport went on to say 9-7 is around where he thinks Denver could land if
Flacco plays well and stays healthy, given Denver’s defense and running game
providing support.This isn’t too far off from what I think we are all feeling
here in Broncos Country, even if the exact record prediction may vary. It all
hinges on which Joe Flacco is going to be playing for Denver in 2019. To
Rapoport’s point, in his first four gamesin 2018 Flacco had two games over 100
QB rating, three games above 250 yards passing, and an 8/2 TD to INT
ratio.However, as we have been talking about since he was brought in, will you
be getting 2014/early 2018 Flacco, or the underwhelming career numbers Joe
Flacco who hasn’t been to the playoffs in the last four years?That question is
the key to determining how far Denver will go, according to the NFL insider
Rapoport. What are your thoughts, Broncos Country? Is 9-7 Denver’s ceiling if
Flacco is healthy and plays well? The guys also caught up with Rich Scangarello
after practice today, and he talked about how difficult Fangio’s defense is to
play against in practice. Check that out below.
