Denver Post Broncos writer Parker Gabriel posts his Broncos Mailbag periodically during the offseason. Click here to submit a question.
Hello from Finland (again)!
I noticed that Frank Clark has previously played different alignments, sometimes his hand in the dirt and sometimes not. How does his playing change in our scheme? Do you see there could be a play where he would be on the field with two other OLBs at the same time?
After Baron Browning has recovered (I have his jersey, by the way), do you think he will blossom?
— Jude, Lahti, Finland
Yo Jude, thanks as always for writing in.
Coach Sean Payton said last week that they consider Clark an outside linebacker. All the same, it’s safe to assume that Clark will line up in different spots and also that defensive coordinator Vance Joseph isn’t just going to roll out your classic 3-4 defense 70 snaps a game. One of the things that worked well for Denver last year — especially the first half of the season before injuries and trades took their full toll — was the way Ejiro Evero and company mixed personnel, used sub packages and rushed the passer out of their dime and third-and-long groups.
Clark, obviously, will play a role in that. And you’d like to have as many guys on the field in those situations who can get after the quarterback, especially when you know the other team has to throw the ball. Payton said last week he likes the number of “pressure players” Denver has on its roster. From the outside, the potential is there, but it’s contingent on the health of players who haven’t stayed healthy — Randy Gregory and Browning — and jumps from young players like Nik Bonitto.
To the second part of your question, Browning’s got a bright future as he settles in on the edge. If he can put together a long string of healthy play after recovering from this knee surgery — Payton indicated he could miss time early in the season — the expectation is he’ll continue to ascend.
How do Nik Bonitto and Jonathan Harris fit into our defense this year? Both have shown glimpses of shining talent (especially Harris). Are their roles expanding?
— Phil, Castle Rock
Hey Phil, good question. It remains to be seen, of course, but both could be in line for expanded roles. Bonitto has to show he can play against both the run and pass to be more than a situational rusher. He made it clear at the end of 2022 he understood that challenge. He planned to bulk up some this offseason. We’ll see what it looks like when the pads come on. Right now, you’re looking at Randy Gregory and Frank Clark ahead of him plus Browning when he gets healthy. If you get more run support from Bonitto and more pass-rush from Jonathon Cooper, you’re in decent shape depth-wise on the edge. Of course, most things are “ifs” this time of year.
As for Harris, he came on nicely last year, first as a practice squad call-up and eventually as a member of the 53-man roster. He started four games and played in eight, including 50% or more of the defensive snaps in each of Denver’s final three games. The defensive line will be anchored by D.J. Jones and Zach Allen and will need second-year jumps from Eyioma Uwazurike and Matt Henningsen, but don’t count out Harris. He’ll be in the mix for time and could carve himself a substantive role.
Parker, I noticed your byline in the Post’s Nuggets coverage. How was the switch to basketball?
— Mark, Arvada
Hey Mark, thanks for writing in. And yeah, a title run means all hands on deck, even if it’s just to come off the bench and rebound or stand in the corner and take open 3-pointers.
Can’t say enough about the whole Denver Post crew that helped make the coverage as good as it was, from Mike Singer putting on a reporting clinic and Mark Kiszla providing scope and context rooted in decades of covering the franchise, to the wildly talented AAron Ontiveroz and the photo department, to the folks designing the pages and making sure it all gets into print on what moved from entirely heinous deadlines early in the playoffs with the late starts to merely chaotic nights during the Finals. I’m sure by the time the celebrations and parade — the good parts and bad parts — wrapped up, dozens of Post folks were part of the coverage in some way, shape or form.
Which reminds me, my jacket is ready for pick-up at the dry cleaner, hopefully fully de-champagne’d after reporting from the locker room scene last Monday night. A good reminder of why this gig is tough to top and also that there’s still stuff local news can do that nobody else can.
As a Denver native growing up in Denver in the ’70s and ’80s it was truly an amazing sight to see the Nuggets win the championship. For many, it was sweeter than the Broncos’ victory over the Packers. All that said, I have a beef with the presentation of the Larry O’Brien and Vince Lombardi trophies. The NBA and NFL choose to present the trophy to the team owner, who pays the bills and may help set a culture for a team, but let’s face it, has little to do with the accomplishments and feats of any given season. I far prefer the NHL’s tradition of giving the trophy to the team captain. It’s deeply emotional. It’s meaningful. It’s celebratory. It gets handed off promptly to other players who are just as emotional. Honestly, even giving it to the coach would be better. Maybe the NBA and NFL could have learned something when Pat Bowlen received the trophy after Super Bowl XXXII and immediately gave it to John Elway: do it the way the NHL does it!
– Dave G., Seattle
Good call, Dave, and one of the many reasons the Stanley Cup is easily the best trophy — and best trophy presentation — in sports.
Commissioners have bosses, too. The owners. So yeah, it’s not a big surprise the billionaires get the trophy first in leagues like the NBA and NFL. Take the Nuggets’ victory, though, and I think it’s safe to say the average fan will remember Jamal Murray’s emotions and Nikola Jokic on stage with his daughter and Michael Malone’s parade performance more than they’ll remember what Stan Kroenke said after he lifted the trophy.
Kroenke, meanwhile, has run the trophy presentation gamut in the past 18 months. Lombardi, Lord Stanley and Larry O’Brien make pretty darn good company.
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