I’m a huge stats nerd. One I kept coming back to as I wrote last week’s GIF Horse was that Denver had earned an “estimated” 4.9 wins by Football Outsiders DVOA metric. That’s better than team’s like the Patriots Emmanuel Sanders Jersey , Steelers, and Washington. It’s also better than yesterday’s opponent, the Houston Texans. Even with all their warts, this year’s Broncos team has looked like it was a serious contender in every contest outside of New York. They boast an elite running game and pass rush that buoys an average passer and woeful secondary. They’re flawed for sure, but the fact that they enter their bye week with 6 losses is a bit of a surprise. A schedule with 3 games against legitimate Super Bowl contenders didn’t help, but losses to the Jets, Ravens and Texans fall squarely at the feet of the man making the calls.Throughout the season there has been questionable usage of personnel such as passing far too much when the run game is working or a jet sweet on 3rd and 2. Dead horses, and both fall at the offensive coordinator’s feet first and foremost. But in the most recent contest the decisions at the end of each half can’t be ignored. Clock management is where the best coaches separate themselves from the field and when the average Madden player knows Vance blew it, he blew it.By kicking a 62-yard field goal with time on the clock, Vance Joseph was gambling. There’s little in the way of statistical evidence to back up his decision without admitting as much. Perhaps he still had McManus’ 2017 practice kicks in mind?PK Brandon McManus is ‘true weapon’ for Broncos, drills 73-yard field goal in practice - CBSSports.comThat’s about all Joseph could say that would justify the call, as McManus’ career make when the kick counts for something is a mere 57 yarder, made in 2015. If that was the only mistake Joseph made with special teams yesterday, the Broncos probably pull out the victory on a game winning redemption make. Instead Vance played it safe on the Broncos final drive of the game and settled for a 51 yard attempt to push his team past a Texans team that had scored all of 3 points in the second half.For his career Brandon McManus was 13-24 on 50+ yard kicks entering Sunday. He’s made 72.4% from 40-49 and 94.5% from anything closer. Perhaps Joseph could have had Case Keenum attempt a pass with time on the clock and a timeout to burn rather than run Phillip Lindsay up the middle for a 1 yard gain? Or perhaps he could have used his brain instead of putting the team he coaches in that situation to begin with. Maybe he’ll figure it out at his next job. I’m still hesitant to say that Elway will part ways with the head coach he picked over Kyle Shanahan at the bye. It would create a perception issue for the Denver opening over the rest of the season DeMarcus Ware Jersey , but there is little doubt Joseph is coaching on borrowed time now. One name to keep an eye on at the year progresses? John Harbaugh. Reports started surfacing that he was on the hot seat going into the Pittsburgh game. Joe Flacco didn’t do him any favors and the Ravens now look like a longshot to make the dance. There’s already a Kubiak connection working in the Broncos favor here...Ravens coach John Harbaugh on hot seat in Baltimore - NFL.comJohn Harbaugh: I don’t ever worry about keeping a job – ProFootballTalkOn to the linksDenver Broncos: 4 winners, 1 loser in 19-17 loss to Texans - Mile High ReportCase Keenum had a great game but it was all for nothing.Cover 4: Broncos fall short in 19-17 loss to TexansI did not expect Heuerman to get 10 catches but Houston did go into the Broncos game with a huge weakness to tight ends. Something to keep in mind before you dump Le’Veon Bell for Denver’s tight end in fantasy football. I would still expect Courtland Sutton to take up the biggest slack with the Thomas trade. Denver Broncos: 5 things learned from 19-17 defeat to Houston Texans. - Mile High ReportNFL Week 9 Analysis: Saints-Rams, Steelers-Ravens | SI.comBroncos, 19-17 | 9news.comAfter the first quarter I expected the story to be D.T.’s performance as he was schooling Brock early and often. Then he disappeared until he started making mistakes near the end of the game, so this was a pretty interesting piece by Klis.ESPNA look around the WestGame Recap: Chargers squeak out another too-close-for-comfort win in Seattle 25-17 - Bolts From The BlueThe Broncos were lucky to play Seattle early in the year before Vance really solidified his “Football 101.” Will the Raiders win any of their remaining eight games this season? | NBCS Bay AreaProbably not.Kareem Hunt leads Kansas City Chiefs to 37-21 victory over the Browns - Arrowhead PrideHunt ripped off 141 scrimmage yards in the victory.Watch Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ three passing touchdowns here - Arrowhead PrideMahomes is on pace to become the 10th QB to pass for 5,000 yards. He’s also getting closer to Peyton Manning’s single season touchdown record.A look around the rest of the league.Injuries we’re tracking from Sunday’s Week 9 games - NFL.comBucs-Panthers: The predictability of Tampa Bay’s 42-28 loss at CarolinaSam Darnold: There’s no excuse for how I played – ProFootballTalkNathan Peterman: I don’t feel snakebit – ProFootballTalkSteelers unsure when -- or if -- Le’Veon Bell will report - NFL.comPittsburgh Steelers return to basics, bully Baltimore Ravens - NFL.comThe Rams officially have a Marcus Peters problem | Touchdown Wire With the draft behind us, I look ahead to 2020 and beyond."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Broncos NewsBroncos 2019 Draft ClassBroncos PodcastsBroncos 2019 ScheduleKey Offseason DatesCommunity RulesFull ArchiveBroncos StoriesScheduleRosterStatsOdds Shop About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕What are the Broncos long-term needs? New,45commentsWith the draft behind us, I look ahead to 2020 and beyond. What are the Broncos long-term needs? Cornerback jumps to the top of the list if Harris is traded. Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY SportsWith UDFAs in the process of being signed, we are about to reach that point in the NFL calendar where every roster is at capacity in preparation for the upcoming mini and training camp. Now that the big additions mostly over, it’s a good time to take a look and surmise what it means. Everything contract-related comes from Spotrac unless otherwise noted.Contracts expiring in 2020Twenty-nine players have expiring contracts this year. The big names we know. Chris Harris is in the midst of a “trade me or pay me” situation with Elway, and E is probably gone, even as he hopes to play out his career and make the Ring of Fame in Denver.Shelby Harris’ contract situation is also well known. I mentioned in GIF Horse how I expect him to play his way to a major payday Dre’Mont Jones Jersey 2019 , but it’s no guarantee that’s in orange and blue. Derek Wolfe has been an Elway favorite for a long time but has already taken a below-market deal once. Of the big three, defensive lineman Gotsis’ future seems the least uncertain as his market value seems unlikely to move out of Elway’s comfort zone. Barring an unforeseen surge in a contract year he is who he is, roughly a poor man’s version of Wolfe with less health uncertainty.Every player listed at safety on the Broncos official site but Cravens has a contract expiring after this season. Reports out of the first voluntary minicamp suggest Kareem Jackson may start, but of course the Harris situation throws all of that into question.Justin Simmons and Will Parks both deserve attention in 2019. Both are members of the 2016 class and their play led to T.J. Wards’ departure during the final cuts right before the 2017 season. Since coming into the starting lineup, Simmons has seemingly been on the verge, even earning high praise from me last summer.GIF Horse - Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons - Mile High ReportAt least thus far he has failed to meet my expectations. Part of it is that he became a bit of an “everywhere” man as other members of the Fly Zone fell by the wayside. Part of it is that he had an uneven season. Parks on the other hand really came on in the Joseph defense. Don’t sleep on him. Connor McGovern is an interesting name on the list. Last year was his first starting and he had some uneven moments, even as he flashed really strong play in the run game at times. He moved to Center once Matt Paradis was lost for the season and showed some promise. Now he’s moving there full time with a legendary position coach spending an offseason to get him acclimated. If he makes a leap I fully expect the Broncos to do what it takes to hold onto him.2021 guys who may be gone soonerLeary’s contract carries all of $875,000 in dead cap next year and the Broncos can save $8.5 million if they move on. It’s no certainty they do. After all, when he’s been healthy enough to play, he’s been pretty solid. It just hasn’t been often enough. He’s played in 17 out of a possible 32 games the last two seasons. Todd Davis is in a deal that looked like a bit of a time bomb as soon as he signed it. If Elway had wanted to, it would have only cost $2 million to move on this year (with $3 million in savings). It simply didn’t make sense to do so as Davis has been exactly what the Broncos were hoping for when they handed the former undrafted free agent a three-year, $15 million deal. He’s really good at stopping the run and an underrated pass defender, even if he isn’t fast enough to keep up with the best athletes in the NFL. For that reason, I suspect he’ll stick through the end of his deal barring a big slip in play. If they do move on Cheap Dre’Mont Jones Jersey , Denver can gain $5 million in space (as opposed to $1 M in dead cap) next year.The Zach Kerr contract is similar to Davis’ in that I currently doubt he’s gone before 2021. But the fact is he signed a two-year $5 million contract to return to the Broncos this offseason that carries all of $300,000 in dead cap for 2020. If something forced Elway to clean the books to make room that’s a very easy deal to move to create $2.65 million in space. Jeff Heuerman’s deal is likely a one-year Band Aid, and Noah Fant in the first round has already put him on notice. Jake Butt could be a cut in camp if he gets lost in a crowded position room.I would expect the same for DeMarcus Walker and Su’a Cravens. Both are here because they have pedigree. Neither have done enough to justify keeping them over more productive players unless they come on strong in camp. I listed both kickers because you never know. The Broncos just signed a leg to compete in camp, after all.OthersJoe Flacco - QuarterbackAs soon as Drew Lock looks ready to take the reigns the Broncos will cut ties with the former Baltimore Raven. For all of the snickers from the national media, this move was a masterstroke by Elway. There’s no guaranteed money on Flacco’s deal so there’s no dead money when it’s time for Denver to move on, but the signal caller has every reason to put his best foot forward. It may be his last chance to make $20+ million. ConclusionFrom this far out, it’s always a bit of a fool’s errand to guess what next year’s biggest need will be. An undrafted free agent or a player making a huge jump under the new staff could alter everything. But barring that, I would think inside linebacker and offensive line are two of the more pressing long-term areas of need. They aren’t the only ones. In 2020 Mock drafts safety, defensive line, and receiver have been the positions most often picked to the Broncos. A new coaching staff means different systems on both sides of the ball. Combine that with the typical roster churn and many familiar faces could be playing out the string this year.