Answers To 3 Burning Questions About The Denver Broncos

By Romi Bean

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - If you're a Broncos fan, chances are you've been thinking about the 2018 season since ... Jan. 1. There's a lot of new pieces this year, and the Broncos season could end up a lot of different ways.

I gathered some of the Broncos media members to get their predictions on three big questions...

1. Who will be the standout player on offense this season?

"Courtland Sutton. I was really impressed with the rookie in OTA's. I think the "raw" stuff was a bit overplayed. I think he's a bit more ready to go than people were thinking, and with his athleticism, he's going to bring a new dimension to the offense." - Ryan Koenigsberg, BSN Denver

"Demaryius (Thomas) is in for a big year. This is going to be vintage DT type year. I don't know if we'll see 120 catches, but he's going to be very good this year." - Paul Klee, Colorado Springs Gazette

"The biggest difference maker on offense should be Royce Freeman. He should be the starting back for this team. We've seen two years of Devontae Booker at 3.6 yards per carry. That's not good. It's well below the NFL average. I'm excited to see a guy who's Oregon's all-time leading rusher -- and an upgrade from C.J. Anderson." - Cecil Lammey, 104.3 The Fan

"It has to be Case Keenum. I think just having a solidified starter changes the dynamic completely on offense. His experience, the coaches have mentioned leadership, having that person in place can really change an offense. He has to be the biggest impact player, probably across the board." – Nicki Jhabvala, The Athletic

2. Can the 2018 Broncos defense be as good as the historic 2015 Super Bowl defense?

"I don't think they can be that good, but they should be a top 5 defense .... and I like those." - Paul Klee, Colorado Springs Gazette

"I don't think they'll be quite there. They have so much talent. The pass rush, especially from the outside, has a chance to be better than that. I think the secondary takes a little step back. They should be a top 10, if not a top 5 defense." - Ryan Koenigsberg, BSN Denver

"I think they can... when you look at the rotation of these pass rushers, whether it's Shaq Barrett, a healthy Shane Ray, Jeff Holland - their undrafted kid from Auburn, along with Bradley Chubb. Hey Elway, you dropped something - oh it's pass rushers falling out of his pocket. I think they can approach that production from 2015." - Cecil Lammey, 104.3 The Fan

"It's going to be very good, I don't think it will be the 2015 level. I think they're going to be able to rush. I think they're going to be able to cover. I think they'll rush better than they cover .. I think pass rush could be on the same level as 2015. In the secondary, I think they'll be good, I think Tremaine Brock will be a good addition. But it's a wait and see thing with Bradley Roby. Who replaces Aqib Talib? I don't know if one guy does, I don't think people appreciate how big a body Aqib was for a corner, so we'll have to see if they can find that guy who can take on the big receivers." - Andy Lindahl, Orange and Blue 760

3. What will the Broncos record be this season?

"5-11 ... there's always possibility these rookies are as good as we think they are and that would change everything." - Paul Klee

"I'm sitting at 9-7 right now, with room for improvement based on what I see from the offense and the secondary during training camp." - Ryan Koenigsberg

"I've got them at 7-9. That's when the schedule came out. There's always the ability to get a couple more games, so if you want to talk about 9-7 or 10-6, that's fair. But 7-9, and a pretty tough schedule towards the end." - Cecil Lammey

"I'm optimistic, I'm going 11-5 ... and playoffs. I think the Broncos could have been that last year, but because of turnovers and mistakes on offense it was a spiral. I think with Keenum that changes the dynamic completely and could change your record completely." - Nicki Jhabvala

"I'm going to sit at 9-7 which kills me. I think this is going to be one of those years where a couple things go right, maybe you're sniffing 10, a couple things go wrong you're looking at 7." - Andy Lindahl

Romi Bean is a sports anchor and reporter at CBS4. Connect with Romi on Twitter @Romi_Bean.