02-01-2023, 09:55 AM
(01-31-2023, 10:57 PM)Trademark Wrote: Broncos got Sean Payton, he's a great coach and will turn around the Broncos, the AFC just got a little more difficult
I disagree, the AFC as a whole just got easier, the AFC West got harder. The harder it is for KC to just pound on the rest of the AFC West, the easier the overall AFC becomes for the rest of the conference. Like it or not, Arrowhead is a factor, just like PBS/Paycor is for the Bengals now. Let KC get to the Super Bowl having to play on the road for once. The last time the Chiefs even PLAYED a road playoff game (excluding Super Bowls) was 2015...17 Chiefs playoff games ago (including the upcoming Super Bowl).
I get the sentiment that the Broncos should improve and thus things are tougher. However, Denver doesn't really have much left as far as top of the draft assets until 2025, they've only got an estimated 9.5 mil in cap room to play with (before cuts), they have a 34 year old QB who had a brutally bad season in his first year out of Seattle, and other than Surtain & Jeudy the roster isn't exactly teeming with young high-end talent. Denver's got talent on the roster, but it's largely veterans rapidly approaching or who are already over 30, and unless they shock the world and make the playoffs next year, they're not the Bengals problem to deal with until they come to town in 2024.
The Broncos new ownership has all the money, and I'm sure they're going to just keep on spending it, but how much they'll reasonably be able to do in one off-season with (currently) no 1st or 2nd round pick in the upcoming draft and less than 10 mil in cap space before cuts, is a legitimate question. The Broncos traded a ton to get Russ, then went and traded a bunch to get Payton. They're going to have a hell of a hard time re-stocking the roster for the next couple years unless they auction off what remaining assets they have left to stock up on picks and completely re-build around...a 34 year old mobile QB...
I sincerely hope the Broncos (and the Raiders for that matter) fix their issues and return to being competitive. A loaded AFC West beats itself up and that's a good thing for a Bengals team that has aspirations for the #1 seed and a return to the Super Bowl. I've seen enough from this Bengals team that I feel good about their chances against anyone, Payton/Russ included.
