Mark Schlereth gives his take on Broncos' 2025 outlook
The Denver Broncos head into the 2025 NFL season with high hopes after an impressive season in 2024 with 10 wins and a playoff appearance. The team is returning second-year quarterback Bo Nix, and they added some high-profile free agents on both sides of the ball.
Former Broncos offensive lineman Mark Schlereth recently appeared on The Rich Eisen Show to talk about the Broncos' 2025 expectations, improvements and fixes the team needs to make going into the year.
Eisen asked Schlereth about some legitimate expectations for Denver going into 2025.
"I think that you got to look at them, they go to the playoffs last year, win ten games, get throttled by Buffalo in the playoffs," said Schlereth. "I would look at two things: defensively, they were a top defense last year, they've addressed (Talanoa) Hufanga in the middle of the football field at the safety position and (Dre) Greenlaw -- and if Greenlaw is healthy, after coming off that Achilles tendon that he only played a handful of games last year -- if that dude is healthy, he is a football-playing Jesse. That guy can flat play, so I love watching him. They also went out and got a tight end, and they have not had a tight end, really since Owen Daniels, maybe the last guy who was really productive at the tight end position."
The Broncos signed former Jaguars tight end Evan Engram to a two-year contract back in March, hoping that he can play the "Joker" role that has been so sought after by head coach Sean Payton.
One of the areas Schlereth pinpointed as an issue in 2024 was the Denver running game.
"They've got to fix the rushing game, Rich," said Schlereth. "Bo Nix was their best rusher last year. They were not very good at running the football. If they can do that -- I don't know how much better their record will be, because of the division they play in -- I don't know if their record is going to be much better than 10-7, maybe they gain a game, maybe they win one extra, 11 games, but I do think they'll be more competitive, and they'll be better when they get into the playoffs" (emphasis added).
You can view the three-minute clip from the show below. What are your expectations for the Broncos going into the 2025 season? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter/X!
Related: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Popular former Bruins forward traded again
Charlie Coyle's time in Denver was short. The former Bruins forward from East Weymouth is on the move again. Ahead of Friday's NHL draft, Coyle is headed from the Avalanche to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Advertisement TSN and the Athletic's Pierre LeBrun first reported the trade. Coyle and Miles Wood are going to the Blue Jackets for two picks — a second in 2027 and a third on Saturday — and Gavin Brindley. Colorado gains about $8 million in cap space, which could make them a factor next week. Coyle, who grew up in Massachusetts and played at Boston University, spent part of seven seasons in Boston. The Bruins acquired him at the trade deadline in 2019 for their run to the Stanley Cup finals. As part of their roster overhaul in at the trade deadline in March, Boston traded Coyle, Brad Marchand, Brandon Carlo, Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau to unload salary and get younger. The Bruins sent Coyle and a 2026 fifth-round pick to Colorado for Casey Mittelstadt, prospect Will Zellers and a 2025 second-round choice in this weekend's draft. Advertisement The Avalanche were eliminated in the first round of the NHL playoffs. More Bruins content Read the original article on MassLive.
USA Today
8 hours ago
- USA Today
NFL.com predicts Broncos will win AFC West in 2025
Is it the Denver Broncos' turn to win the AFC West for the first time since Peyton Manning held the reins to the offense? Jeffri Chadiha thinks it may happen in 2025. Chadiha made a list of 10 way-too-early predictions for the 2025 season, and one of them included the Broncos. "The Chiefs have reigned over the division since 2016 and they've barely been challenged during most of the years that quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been under center," Chadiha wrote on "Most of that success comes down to the Chiefs' greatness but they've also been helped plenty by the ineptitude of the teams sharing the AFC West with them. Kansas City has been led by future Hall of Fame coach Andy Reid during that entire run of dominance. "Every other team in the division has had at least four different head coaches within that same stretch. That churn appears to have slowed, though, with Pete Carroll (Raiders), Jim Harbaugh (Chargers) and Sean Payton (Broncos) now working in the AFC West. Of those three coaches -- all of whom have either reached or won the Super Bowl -- Payton is sitting on the most impressive team aside from the Chiefs." The Broncos were a field goal away from sweeping the Chiefs in the regular season, something Denver hasn't done since 2014. Chadiha believes the Broncos' top-tier defense and second-year quarterback Bo Nix are the answers to the Chiefs in 2025. "The Broncos have an elite defense, and it looks like they landed a franchise quarterback in Bo Nix in last year's draft. We know Payton can coach up the offense, especially as the Broncos add more playmakers," Chadiha wrote. "Denver is good enough to win this division now. With the other teams also creating more resistance to the Chiefs -- who went 5-1 in the AFC West after resting their starters in a Week 18 loss to the Broncos -- Denver will earn its first crown since Peyton Manning was their quarterback." Broncos Country has been waiting for their home team to win the division for the first time since the Broncos won Super Bowl 50 during the 2015 season. Perhaps that long-awaited division title is right around the corner. Related: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
American Press
10 hours ago
- American Press
Genes give Portie her athletic prowess, but work to compete is all her
Sam Houston junior two-sport star Aubrey Portie is the American Press Female Athlete of the Year. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press) A s a daughter of Division I athletes, athleticism courses through Aubrey Portie's blood. There was added pressure for her to succeed that others didn't have. Still, she channeled their knowledge to hone her abilities to excel as a multi-sport athlete, become a state champion and this year's American Press Female Athlete of the Year. 'It's a tough area to be in sometimes because, if I'm not succeeding well, then they know like what I'm doing wrong or what I need to fix,' Portie said. 'It's just tough because they are so hard on me because they know how good I can be, but I really appreciate them. 'I'm glad that they know what they're talking about to help me grow and be better at the sport that I play.' The Sam Houston junior shortstop helped lead the Broncos to their first state championship since 2015. As a powerful 5-foot-10 outside hitter, Portie and the Broncos reached the volleyball semifinals for the first time since 2009. 'It was pretty awesome to do that in both,' Portie said. 'That was definitely a different experience for volleyball because we made it to state my sophomore year, but it was not really anything the same as this past year. 'It was just a great learning experience, and it was just something that I was really looking forward to and that we worked for all season.' Portie's mother, Sarah (Everingham) Portie, was a four-time all-Southland Conference softball infielder (1994, '95, '97, '98) and coached the Barbe High softball program for two decades. Her father, Jarrod Portie, was an all-district baseball and football player at Jennings High School and went on to pitch for McNeese State from 1998 to 2001. He helped lead Jennings to the Class 3A baseball semifinals in 1996 and 1997. 'My dad is my hitting coach,' Portie said. 'I do hit a lot on my own, but there are days that I ask them to hit with me. '(Mom) helps with my hitting, too. She has obviously played it a while and coached it, so she knows the little things. Her being the one who travels with me to all my tournaments, she gives me some pointers and helps me out through it all.' With a brother, Riggins, a year younger than her, Portie said she always had someone to compete against. When she was younger, she played on the same youth baseball team as her brother, and eventually moved to softball. In her second season as a starter on the high school level, Portie was part of one of the most feared lineups in the state. The Broncos combined for 57 home runs and scored 357 runs on their way to the Non-select Division I state championship and a 30-2 record. Portie accounted for 14 of those home runs while batting .519 with eight doubles, two triples, 48 RBIs, 55 runs and 12 stolen bases. She had a .628 on-base percentage with four strikeouts in 81 at-bats. She earned all-district first team, Class 5A all-state honorable mention and American Press All-Southwest Big School honors. 'I had a year underneath my belt,' Portie said. 'I knew what I was going into, so it wasn't anything really new to me.' In junior high, she added three sports, including volleyball. 'I just grew up in the world of softball because of my parents,' Portie said. 'My dad played baseball, so I just grew up around that sport. But volleyball was just a random thing. 'One day, going into middle school, I was like, 'I think I want to try out for volleyball.' I didn't even know how many people were on the court at a time or any of the rules, but I made the team and started playing volleyball since then.' On the volleyball court, Portie earned co-district MVP honors and played in the Louisiana Volleyball Coaches Association Top 100 Player Showcase for a second consecutive season. She was ninth in the state with 466 kills in addition to 80 blocks 68 aces, 505 digs and 59 assists for the 39-7 Broncos. 'I did a lot of extra work,' Portie said. 'I did a lot of jump training with Barry Painter, and I feel like that has helped me grow as an athlete. 'My freshman year, I was not 5-10. I was definitely more like 5-5, 5-8, so just growing a couple of extra inches and learning your body. I would just say that I was more aware and just an overall better athlete.'
