Elway, on Shurmur: “It’s not a total overhaul of the offense”

Broncos general manager John Elway autographed a Mobile police officer’s football, visited with fellow Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino and San Francisco 49ers executive John Lynch and posed for a few pictures while watching Wednesday’s Senior Bowl opening practice.

And during a break in the workouts, Elway met with two reporters, including one from The Denver Post, in his first comments since Dec. 30, a day after the Broncos finished their 7-9 season.

Since then, the Broncos have hired Pat Shurmur as offensive coordinator, their fifth play-caller in five years. Another season will bring another transition to a new offense.

“Everybody says ‘continuity,’ ” Elway said. “But continuity is only good if it’s good continuity. We feel good about (Shurmur’s hiring), and it might be something in place for a while.”

That was the idea last January, too, teaming Rich Scangarello in the first-time play-calling role with coach Vic Fangio, the firsttime head coach. It lasted 16 games.

Shurmur arrives with significant play-calling chops and a reputation for developing quarterbacks. The Broncos are banking that experience will travel to Denver

and improve an offense that was 28th in scoring (17.6 points per game).

Shurmur’s arrival was one of many topics Elway covered.

Shurmur’s track record

What’s the story: Shurmur has previously called plays for the Rams, Cleveland, Minnesota and the Giants. A source said Fangio preferred a coordinator with experience to work with the Broncos’ young offensive core, chiefly second-year quarterback Drew Lock. The statistical priorities for Shurmur will obviously be more points, but also better efficiency on third down (30th in the league, 31.7%) and the red zone (28th, 47.6%).

Elway said: “I think his experience and the success he’s had (was intriguing). He’s been a coordinator at a lot of different spots and his background playcalling — he has a lot of experi

ence there, too. I think that was the main thing. We thought he was a good fit for us. … If you look at the quarterbacks he’s had success with, he had success with Case (Keenum) in Minnesota, (Sam) Bradford (with the Rams) and he did a nice job with Daniel Jones this year. He has a track record of being with some good quarterbacks and done a good job coaching them.”

Analysis: Can Shurmur succeed where all of the other previous play-callers since Gary Kubiak came up short? It will center on how Shurmur will marry his “West Coast” offensive roots with plays that worked well in Scangarello’s Shanahan-based system in 2019. Elway said Shurmur won’t have a “total overhaul” of the ’19 offense and “that’s going to help,” the returning players.

Senior Bowl benefit

What’s the story: The Broncos used their two second-round picks in 2019 on Lock and left guard Dalton Risner, both of whom played in the Senior Bowl. This year, Elway is armed with two third- and three fourthround picks.

Elway said: “Obviously, we get them all on tape and watch them, but you get to see them here moving around. It’s a benefit. … If you look at this game, there are a couple of first-rounders here, but for the most part, you’re going to see there are a lot of good players here for the middle rounds. “

Analysis: The advantage of having so many mid-round picks, a haul that could increase after the compensatory picks are distributed, is two-fold. First, Elway could stay put and use the seven picks in rounds 1-4 to equal parts stock the depth chart/find instant starters. Or he could use some of the chips to move up in round 2, like he did last year for Lock.

Bolles’ future

What’s the story: The Broncos have until after the draft to decide on left tackle Garett Bolles’ fifth-year (2021) contract option. Under the current collective bargaining agreement, the option salary for picks Nos. 11-32 in the first round is the average of the third- to 25th-highest salaries at the player’s position and is guaranteed only for injury.

Elway said: “We’ll wait (until May). There’s no sense doing it early. We’ll see when we get there where we are. … I think Mike (Munchak) helped him a lot and (assistant offensive line coach) Chris (Kuper) as far as coaching him and trying to get him to understand the reasoning for different things. I think he did a better job of getting the technique right. When he got in trouble, that’s when he would hold and I think he started to realize he’s going to get caught if he continued to hold. So he did much better, but still, what’d he have (for penalties)? That’s always a concern so he’s got to continue to get better because we can’t afford to have those holding penalties.”

Analysis: Bolles led the NFL in holding penalties (13 called/ six enforced) and had 17 total penalties (seven enforced). In the first eight games of 2019,

Bolles was booked for 14 “disruptions” in pass protection, including five sacks, according to The Denver Post’s game charting. He allowed no sacks and only eight “disruptions” over the final eight games. If the Broncos pick up Bolles’ option, it’s a sign they have confidence in him. If they don’t, he faces the biggest year of his professional life in 2020.

Retaining own free agents

What’s the story: The Broncos are in a different position this offseason — they have free agents who they want to keep but will be in demand. Last March, they were fine letting center Matt Paradis, cornerback Bradley Roby and guard Billy Turner depart. This year’s class is led by safety Justin Simmons and cornerback Chris Harris and includes defensive linemen Derek Wolfe and Shelby Harris, center Connor McGovern and sub-package safety Will Parks.

Elway said: “We’re going to try and compete and see what’s there and see what’s available. We’ve got some resources we can spend. Obviously, we’d all like to talk to them and have the ability to have them back. Ultimately, it still comes down to the bottom line — they make the decision (on) where they go. It’ll be up to them.”

Analysis: Simmons, via longterm contract or the franchise tag, should be regarded as the top priority. But what will be important for the Broncos is not only who they try and re-sign, but who they acquire in free agency or the draft to replace the players who get better offers elsewhere. The team’s draft needs won’t truly crystalize until after the opening two days of free agency.