Denver Broncos should consider total rebuild this season

The Denver Broncos are going nowhere fast. Actually, that’s a lie. They’re sinking quickly.

Denver is 0-3 and sitting all alone in the AFC West basement. They have lost to the Oakland Raiders, Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. As a result, first-year head coach Vic Fangio in an ugly spot. As well as that, the schedule does him and his team no favors.

Denver has played two road games thus far. The rest include games against the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills. There’s a real chance all of these teams make the playoffs. Currently, their records combine for a mark of 13-5.

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In short, the Denver Broncos are lucky if they win five or six games this season. The road is brutal in the months ahead. With the trade deadline looming on Oct. 29, general manager John Elway has to face the uncomfortable reality of cutting bait and acquiring draft picks for longtime stars in the Mile High City.

With wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and cornerback Chris Harris Jr. in the final years of their respective contracts, Elway has to think about trading them over the next month. Sanders won’t bring back a massive haul at 32 years old, but he’s still worth a mid-round pick to a contender looking to add some speed and experience on the perimeter of its offense.

Harris is the real prize, even as he enters the back side of his career. Harris can be played on the boundary and in the slot, giving him appeal to almost every team in the league. If the Broncos could get an expected bidding war going, perhaps they could land a second or third-round pick for the Pro Bowler.

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While it doesn’t sound like much, a pair of picks would do wonders for jumpstarting Denver’s rebuild. The Denver Broncos have gotten old in parts of their roster and are bereft of talent in others (see: offensive line and quarterback). If Denver wants to compete with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs within the next few years, it starts with building out a young core of stars. Right now, that group is Bradley Chubb, Phillip Lindsay and Courtland Sutton. More names need to be added.

The Broncos shouldn’t be worried about respectability. They need to be thinking big picture, and those thoughts begin with getting younger, acquiring draft capital and utilizing it wisely.