TGS 2015 Preview: Denver Broncos

Between now and the end of August, TGS will offer up a quick snapshot of every NFL team heading into the 2015 regular season. Today, the Denver Broncos.

2014 in a nutshell: The Broncos win 12-plus games for the third consecutive season with Peyton Manning, but Manning goes cold down the stretch and Denver falls on its face in a divisional-round loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Why 2015 could be different: Manning — the league’s oldest starting position player — was dealing with injury issues last season. But he has reportedly looking very healthy this offseason. Plus, John Elway got fed up and replaced head coach John Fox with Gary Kubiak.

Major additions: Kubiak, new offensive coordinator Rick Dennison and immensely undervalued new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, who almost always delivers in that role.

Major losses: 2014 starters Terrance Knighton, Julius Thomas, Orlando Franklin and Rahim Moore are all gone, and they’ve also already lost Pro Bowl left tackle Ryan Clady to a torn ACL.

Breakout watch: Virgil Green, because somebody’s gotta replace Julius Thomas. Also keep an eye on 2013 first-round nose tackle Sylvester Williams.

Position to watch: It’ll be interesting to see what Phillips gets out of his linebackers. Danny Trevathan and Brandon Marshall both have a lot of talent but small sample sizes as starters and have been hampered this offseason as they recover from injuries. Throw in the aged DeMarcus Ware and the enigmatic Von Miller on the outside and you have a very intriguing group.

Prediction: A weird transition at coaching staff, lots of offseason losses and Manning’s age all concern me, especially with the Chargers and Chiefs looking solid. Don’t be surprised if Denver limps to a division title and once again goes one-and-done in the playoffs.

About Brad Gagnon

Brad Gagnon has been passionate about both sports and mass media since he was in diapers -- a passion that won't die until he's in them again. Based in Toronto, he's worked as a national NFL blog editor at theScore.com (covering Super Bowls XLIV, XLV and XLVI), a producer and writer at theScore Television Network and a host, reporter and play-by-play voice at Rogers TV. His work has also appeared at Deadspin, FoxSports.com, The Guardian, The Hockey News and elsewhere at Bloguin, but his day gig has him covering all things NFC East for Bleacher Report.

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