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The Denver Broncos have a very important offseason in front of them, one that will be full of tough decisions.
If John Elway is going to field a team that competes for a championship, the next two months will be critical.
That all starts with free agency, in which the Broncos have a bevy of key players set to hit the market.
Elway will have to weigh his options carefully, deciding whether the best choices are available on the free-agent market or the NFL draft.
We're here to help in that regard.
Losing players to other teams will create holes on the roster, adding to the positions where the Broncos already need help, particularly on the offensive line.
Here, we will identify the team's biggest needs and where they should look for the best possible player or players to address those needs.
Whether that should be through free agency or the draft is the question. Click forward for the answers.
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The upcoming NFL draft will not be a good one for the guard position, so free agency is clearly the way to go in beefing up the position.
The Broncos may have an opportunity to re-sign Orlando Franklin, but does he even want to play in Denver anymore? He will likely get some lucrative offers from around the league and may be quick to bolt, particularly if a team is interested in letting him play tackle again.
There are some decent options that will be available to Denver on the free-agent market, and Mike Iupati has to be at the top of that list.
The former first-round pick has played his entire five-year career for the San Francisco 49ers. In 2014, Pro Football Focus had Iupati ranked as the second-best guard in the entire league as a run blocker.
But Denver could easily get into a bidding war for Iupati's services, as other teams—specifically the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins—will have interest, as tweeted by NBC's Dianna Russini.
Because of that, the Broncos will need a backup plan. Justin Blalock just became available, after being released by the Atlanta Falcons.
Though he is four years older than Iupati, he is still a solid guard who could bring a veteran presence to Denver as they try to work Michael Schofield into a bigger role.
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Though it will be tough to find quality guards in this year's draft, that will not be the case for the tackle position. The draft is loaded with quality tackles.
The Broncos need to find a player who can start at right tackle and become one of the anchors of the offensive line for the next decade.
This draft has some players who can be that guy. However, many of them will likely be gone by the time the Broncos select at No. 28 in the first round.
T.J. Clemmings of Pittsburgh could be available at the bottom of the first round, and it would be tough for Denver not to select him.
Clemmings is an athletic player with a wide base. He displays great footwork and, despite starting his college career as a defensive lineman, looks very natural playing tackle.
Ereck Flowers and La'el Collins are two other tackles projected to be drafted in the first round who Denver could be hoping drop to No. 28. Both would be excellent draft picks.
In the second round, Colorado State's Ty Sambrailo presents an exciting option.
Sambrailo is a tough, scrappy player who was a four-year starter in college. Most of those starts came at the all-important left tackle position.
For the Broncos, all of these players have to be considered attractive options mainly because of what it could allow the team to do with Louis Vasquez, who wasn't nearly as good at tackle last season as he was at guard in 2013, when he made the Pro Bowl.
Drafting one of these players could lead to a move back inside for Vasquez, strengthening the line, which is perhaps the top priority for the Broncos before the 2015 season starts.
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Will Montgomery is an unrestricted free agent and the Broncos can save $3 million against the salary cap by releasing Manny Ramirez, a move the team should strongly consider.
Either way, a better, more consistent player at the center position is needed.
If the team could land a guy like Rodney Hudson through free agency, that would be a good decision. But an even better option could be available in the draft.
B.J. Finney from Kansas State is an NFL center—watching his tape, it becomes very evident. He could be one of the best centers in the league.
Finney displays great footwork, good lateral movement and even better anticipation. He could stand to take part in a strength and conditioning program, but aside from that, he has all the tools a team would want.
In the running game, Finney pushes guys off the ball with regularity, and having competed in wrestling has given him the ability to use leverage to his advantage.
Whoever gets this guy is going to be happy they did, and the Broncos should have him on their board with a red circle indicating a player they must find a way to get.
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It will be very tough for the Broncos to keep Rahim Moore, and considering some of the other players on the team set to become unrestricted free agents, they may not even be able to make an attempt.
Free safety is a position that appears to be very thin on the free-agent market, meaning the Broncos should turn to the draft to find a replacement for Moore.
Looking at Denver's elite secondary that features Chris Harris, Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward and an emerging Bradley Roby, a ball-hawking safety would make a lot of sense.
Gerod Holliman of Louisville immediately comes to mind.
Holliman probably has the best ball skills of any of the safeties in the draft. His 14 interceptions last season are proof of that.
However, the Broncos would have to use no less than a third-round pick to obtain Holliman, and there's also the issue of Holliman being a very poor tackler.
Because of that, Durrell Eskridge of Syracuse could be the best option.
Eskridge also has good ball skills, and he is a much better tackler than Holliman. He displays good timing and can deliver the big, bone-jarring hits that can energize a defense.
The Broncos might be able to get Eskridge in the fourth round, which would be an excellent value.
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If the Broncos are smart, the team will do whatever it can to bring back Terrance Knighton. Yet, even if it does, more help is needed at the defensive tackle position.
There can't be a lot of confidence in former first-round pick Sylvester Williams, and Mitch Unrein is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent.
Dan Williams of the Arizona Cardinals would be a nice fit through free agency, but there are plenty of options in the draft.
If the Broncos want to address the position early, Florida State's Eddie Goldman would make a lot of sense.
Goldman is a strong player who defends the run well. He can also put pressure on quarterbacks and has very long arms to bat passes down. In a 3-4 scheme, he could play any position on the defensive line.
If the Broncos want to look further down in the draft for a defensive tackle, Joey Mbu of Houston would be an excellent fit.
Mbu is even better than Goldman at batting down passes and has a very strong swim move to get after the quarterback. On top of that, he is a solid run defender.
In Denver's 3-4 defense, Mbu could begin his career as a very effective rotational player.
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Julius Thomas will be one of the most interesting players to track once free agency starts—not just for the Broncos, but the entire league.
What Thomas decides to do will dictate the direction the Broncos choose to go through in free agency and the draft. That makes it a very delicate situation.
How John Elway and the team will handle it remains to be seen, but there is sure to be a lucrative market waiting for Thomas should he choose to leave.
If the Broncos decide to keep Julius, they could use the franchise tag on him and try to work out a long-term deal with Demaryius Thomas.
However, we'll operate on the thought that Julius goes to another team and the Broncos re-sign Virgil Green.
Owen Daniels obviously makes a lot of sense as a free agent, specifically due to his familiarity with Gary Kubiak. In Baltimore last season, Daniels saw a resurgence at tight end, and he came up big against Pittsburgh in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.
His play toward the end of the season should erase any doubt about whether he can be productive in the league anymore, and he could put up huge numbers with Peyton Manning at quarterback.
The Broncos could and should draft a tight end as well.
Maxx Williams of Minnesota will get a lot of attention, but he is a likely first-round pick. Instead, the Broncos should target a guy like Tyler Kroft in the middle rounds.
Kroft is like a big wide receiver who has very good hands and the ability to block in the running game.
Having a combination of Green, Daniels and Kroft could not only be very potent, but it would also be very cost-friendly.
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