Broncos’ Week in Review: QB situation grows more muddled

Don’t look now but the Broncos’ first session of offseason workouts arrives this week, and the draft follows a week from Thursday.

But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, here’s a look at back at the eventful week that was in Broncos Country:

Headline: QBs Paxton Lynch, Connor Cook pay pre-draft visits to Denver.

Bottom line: Lynch has long been linked as an intriguing option for the Orange & Blue, but the chances of landing the former Memphis standout dimmed last week when the Rams traded seemingly everything aside from Todd Gurley and owner Stan Kroenke’s favorite private jet to move up to the No. 1 overall draft position. L.A. is eyeing a QB of course – most likely Cal’s Jared Goff – and with a quarterback expected to go with the No. 2 pick as well, it slides the whole QB scale ahead on the draft board, meaning Lynch almost assuredly will now be a top-15 pick if not a top-10 selection. The Broncos feasibly could move up 10 spots from their No. 31 overall pick, but a jump 15-20 spots higher would require too much capital to spend on a project such as Lynch. Meanwhile, another hurdle could be added to the long-discussed trade for Colin Kaepernick if the Niners are unable to draft one of the top QBs. As for Cook, he’s still a possible option at the end of the first round, but there seem to be too many questions and not enough answers surrounding the Michigan State product, and the Broncos seemingly would be better off drafting the best player available at 31 and eyeing a QB (Dak Prescott, Kevin Hogan, Jeff Driskel) or two later on in the draft.

Headline: Defending champs to open with Super Bowl rematch as the NFL’s 2016 schedule is released

Bottom line: A rare Big Game rematch, four 11 a.m. kickoffs, a Monday-night visit by Brock Osweiler, a nice Week 11 bye and a Christmas night to K.C. highlight the Orange & Blue’s itinerary. In other words, the schedule has its usual positives and down sides, but things will take on a decidedly different perspective once we know who’s likely to be the Broncos’ starting QB come Sept. 8.

Headline: John Bowlen found guilty of harassment, sentenced to 24 months of probation

Bottom line: Drug and alcohol, mental-health and domestic-violence evaluations/treatments are also be part of the sentence for Pat Bowlen’s 30-year-old son, a.k.a. the “Blood of the City,” following his domestic incident with a former girlfriend last June. Meanwhile, the rest of Broncos Country is still left wondering which – if any – of Bowlen’s children eventually will succeed him at the franchise’s helm.

Headline: Broncos re-sign four players from 2015 squad

Bottom line: Starting center Matt Paradis, the only offensive or defensive player to play all of his unit’s snaps last season, is the most notable of the quartet, which also includes WR Bennie Fowler, and safety Shiloh Keo and reserve offensive lineman Sam Brenner. Fowler also is poised to cement his role as the team’s No. 3 wideout, building on his scattered but memorable key plays from last season including his huge third-down reception late in the divisional-round playoff win over the Steelers.