(Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)
Most general managers prefer to use the draft as a foundation to build a team. John Elway has taken the opposite approach by relying on free agency to build this Broncos team in the last few years.
Don’t assume Elway does not care about the draft. He and his staff put in the time of scouting college players in the draft. With that said, Elway is in the win-now business. He wants to win a championship. That’s been his goal since he was hired to oversee the football operations few years ago.
No one can argue with the results Elway has had with free agency. The Broncos has had success with the prominent free agents in the last couple of years. They have the Super Bowl appearance to show for it.
Peyton Manning stands out to be Elway’s coup of all the free agent he signed. The Broncos needed an elite quarterback that can win the Super Bowl, and Elway knew Tim Tebow was not the answer at quarterback since he could not throw. Fortunately for the Broncos executive, the then-Colts quarterback was available since the Colts were going to draft Andrew Luck as a result of them going 2-14 in 2011.
Teams such as the 49ers, Jets, Titans and Cardinals wanted to sign Manning. Fortunately for the Broncos, he decided to sign with them. He knew the Broncos provided him the best chances to have success as a player with all the offensive weapons that he can throw to. Plus, he knew he could win a championship with them.
Manning was a risk, though. There was no guarantee he would play like the player he was before the neck surgery. When a quarterback had a neck injury like Manning he has had, it’s easy to have doubts.
Manning defied all doubts. He has played at a MVP level for the Broncos the last two seasons. He’s why the Broncos went to the Super Bowl this past season. His MVP award this past season makes Elway look good. His success has been such a good story when one understands how much work he put in to get back to play at a MVP level.
Wes Welker is another free agent that has paid dividends for the Broncos. He was the Broncos’ best third down receiver before he had concussions late in the season. He had a good first season by catching 10 touchdown passes and having 73 receptions. It is not only the stats he put that made him valuable, but he did a great job of being a decoy for other wide receivers such as DeMaryius Thomas, Eric Decker and Julius Thomas. He also did a great job of being a good blocker.
Now, Elway hopes his spending pays off on defense this coming season. He spent $110 million worth of contract with $60 million guaranteed on T.J. Ward, Aqib Talib and DeMarcus Ware. He used that money to make the defense better and tougher. Those were the best free agents available on defense, and Elway pounced on the opportunity as soon as free agency opened for business this week.
Give the Broncos executive this. He knows how to find the right guys that can still play. With free agents, it’s hard to tell how good they are. There’s a reason teams release them. They are not good anymore, and they played so many years that it’s easy to wonder if they have much left. Once a player hits into his thirties, there’s no way of telling what he can do.
One can say Elway is lucky that free agents have panned out, but luck is part of sports. There has to be good fortune for all this to go well or else every team would have success. Remember the guys that are free agents have played for so many years. It remains to be seen how much they have left. Even the Broncos executive will say that there has to be luck for all this to work out.
In sports, it’s better to be lucky than good.
Elway knows his draft picks have to pan out for him to have long-term success as an executive, but he’s not thinking that now.
With Manning having a limited window of opportunity, Elway has to do whatever it takes to win a championship, and if it means getting mercenaries to help him achieve that goal, so be it.
With the success Elway has had in free agency, why fix it when it’s not broke?
Contact or follow Leslie Monteiro at @LightRodWriter.
Leslie Monteiro
Leslie is a contributor for Lightning Rod Sports. He covered high school sports in Bergen County out in North Jersey, and has written op-ed columns on sports such as Bleacher Report and NY Sports Digest.
