The story of the NFL over the past 24 hours has been Maurice Jones-Drew and his desire to be traded after Jacksonville Jaguar owner, Shad Khan made it clear that they would not cave into Jones-Drew’s contact demands. Now every team, it seems, including the Denver Broncos is connected in some rumor to have an interest in the Pro Bowl running back. My fellow writers on Rant Sports, Craig Moir and David LaRose have both done excellent articles on some of the rumors about Jones-Drew and the Broncos.
While it would be another flashy move in an off-season full of them for the Broncos, it does not make sense for them to pursue the running back. There are a number of reasons why I think it would be a mistake to go after Jones-Drew with the biggest one being what you would have to give up to get him. Jacksonville holds all the cards in their dispute with Jones-Drew and are going to ask for a ton in return. When John Elway took the job as Vice-President of Football Operations early in 2011, he said that great teams are built through the draft and has repeated that on many occasions. I just can’t see Elway giving up multiple draft picks for a running back who all ready has a lot of mileage on him. Jones-Drew is only 27 but he had over 400 carries last season, The Broncos also would probably have to release a veteran or two in order to get Jones-Drew in under the cap, and then give him huge money. That’s a huge risk for a position where the drop off is often fast and dramatic.
The second reason is this, the Broncos don’t need him. That sounds insane, I know, but this is Peyton Manning’s offense and it is going to be built around him. They still want to run the ball and be balanced, but they can do that with the players they have. Willis McGahee is coming off of his best season in years and has looked great in training camp. The Broncos also believe that rookie, Ronnie Hillman will provide a speed threat and be a good receiver out of the backfield. Those two along with the other running backs currently on the roster are more then capable of getting the job done, and you don’t have to sacrafice your future or blow out your payroll.
Jones-Drew is a great player, one of the top five running backs in the game, but he doesn’t fit the Denver Broncos. The rumors will continue until there is a resolution one way or the other, but the Broncos should stay away.
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