The Denver Broncos are confident Peyton Manning is returning for the 2015 season and John Elway hopes to bring back Demaryius Thomas, but that means Julius Thomas and Wes Welker likely will be gone in free agency and if that happens, the Broncos could look at Jordan Cameron or Jermaine Gresham as free agent targets at tight end.
Manning and the Broncos had another disappointing playoffs loss and that led to Elway making a change at head coach. John Fox is now with the Chicago Bears and he brought Adam Gase with him and that means Manning will be running a new offensive scheme. According to the Denver Post, Manning plans on returning for the 2015 season and will take his annual physical in March. Manning has a $19 million salary and will be 39 years old, but Elway wants him back and it's looking like he will return.
Kubiak comes in with a ton of familiarity with Elway and the Broncos organization and that should help with him taking over. Kubiak previously was the backup and offensive coordinator for John Elway and that gives him a foundation to work with if Manning returns. The Broncos have a number of significant free agents hitting the market and that could mean some big changes for the team. Jack del Rio left as defensive coordinator and with Gase gone the team already has made three major changes to the coaching staff and now the roster could be next.
Demaryius Thomas is the top free agent for the Denver Broncos and the team is looking to bring him back over Wes Welker, who is also hitting the market at wide receiver. Bringing back that Thomas could mean that Julius Thomas will be moving on, as the Broncos will only have so much money on the cap to spend. The WR had 1619 yards with 11 receptions this past season and was the top target for Eli Manning and that means it's likely he returns. Thomas the TE had 12 touchdowns and has had 24 scores over the past two seasons, but he could get priced out.
Jordan Cameron or Jermaine Gresham could be potential targets for the Broncos in free agency, as those players are likely to cost less than Thomas on the market. Cameron is coming off of a down season with the Browns and ESPN Cleveland writer Tony Grossi reported that cameron is likely to leave the Browns in free agency. The Broncos have some hard decisions, as they have significant players like Orlando Franklin, Rahim Moore and Terrance Knighton hitting the free agent market.
The Broncos come out of the season after ranking fourth in passing yards per game and they averaged 111 yards on the ground per contest. Gase gave Manning an offense he was comfortable with and now Kubiak will try and do the same. Del Rio did a strong job with the defense and turned them around after the Super Bowl loss to the Seahawks, but now he is gone. The team ranked in the top 10 in both passing yards and rushing yards allowed per game, including second with just 80 yards on the ground per contest this year.