The Drive

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil react to the Athletic’s simulation for the NFL season and how it pertains to the Broncos and the AFC west. Has the hype surrounding the Broncos gone too far to where a 9-8 season would be looked at as very disappointing by many? Are we overlooking the many “green lights” the Broncos had last year? Can the Broncos have the same record as last season and lose in the first round of the playoffs but still have a good season? Today’s “Three Count” features if the Broncos are hiding Kyrese Rowan during preseason games to stache him on the practice squad, Shohei Ohtani hitting a homerun last night and starting on the mound tonight, and the Avalanche signing Victor Olofsson. We react to ESPN’s “way too early” NFL mock draft, in which the Broncos select, wide receiver, Jordan Tyson out of Arizona State.

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil break down the Broncos wide receiver room. We hear from Sean Payton and how he plans to use multiple guys in multiple roles throughout the season at wide out. The guys debate how the target share will be distributed in 2025 for the wide receivers. How do the guys feel about Devaughn Vele being mentioned as a trade candidate with a packed wide receiver room? We look around the league at former Broncos and how they have been doing in preseason, free agency, and other football leagues.  Zach throws out the idea of the Broncos bringing in Anthony Richardson to be Sean Payton’s next quarterback reclamation project. Is Richardson a “QB rehab” away from competing for a starting job in the NFL?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil react to the breaking news of the Broncos trading Devaughn Vele to the Saints for draft compensation. Did the Broncos get enough compensation for Vele? Will this move open the door for Pat Bryant to get more snaps? Were the Broncos always planning on trading Vele and that is why they have been keeping his health under wraps? Will this move come back to bite the Broncos by losing valuable depth at wide receiver? We wrap up the show with DenverSports.com’s Will Petersen joining the show to discuss his impressions of the trade who is impacted most from the move.

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover and Cecil. The guys debate if the Broncos will have/need a 1,000-yard rusher this season. We have news coming out of Indianapolis with the Colts announcing their starting quarterback, Daniel Jones. Have weeks 1 and 2 for the Broncos become “must-win” games? Zach compares Anthony Richardson and if he will be a similar draft bust to Paxton Lynch. The guys attempt to translate what Nik Bonitto’s cryptic message “plan c, iykyk” means. Will we see Bonitto and the Broncos come to an agreement on a contract extension before the season starts?

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil break down what they’ve seen from first round pick Jahdae Barron so far in preseason and training camp. What do the guys make of Sean Payton making Barron go out and earn his starting position? We hear from Sean Payton and Barron about what his role will be with the defense. Will the Broncos be able to come out the gates hot with both winning games and getting the run game established? Today’s “Three Count” includes the Rockies hot streak of winning 6 out of 7 games and 4 straight, Patrick Surtain being underrated and coming in at number 6 on the top 25 NFL players under the age of 25, and 5.1 million viewers for the Bears and Bills preseason game. We react to PFF’s grades for Broncos players in game 2 of the preseason.

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil are joined by veteran NFL reporter James Palmer to discuss the latest on Nik Bonitto after he posted a cryptic message and spoke to the media today for the first time all season, where Jahdae Barron slots on the corner back depth chart, and if Dillion Gabriel was taking a shot at Shedeur Sanders over the weekend with his “competitors and entertainers” comment. Zach calls his shot and predicts Nik Bonitto and the Broncos will sign a contract extension this week. We have news coming out of Indianapolis with the Colts announcing their starting quarterback, Daniel Jones. Have weeks 1 and 2 for the Broncos become “must-win” games? We react to Coach Prime calling out his team and telling them they are not ready to play next Friday in their season opener.

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil discuss the Broncos roster bubble and if we should be on higher alert of the Broncos schedule. We debate if the Broncos will start Jahdae Barron or Jaquan McMillian in week 1 at the nickel corner position. We hear from Sean Payton and his thoughts on what Barron’s role will be. Will we see a surprise cut when the Broncos are finalizing their 53-man roster? The guys react to Jahdae Barron’s comments and how mature he has been since arriving in Denver. How did PFF grade many of the Broncos players after their second preseason game over the weekend? We wrap up the show with DenverSports.com’s Will Petersen joining the show to defend his interesting take that the Broncos should trade Jarrett Stidham.

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover and Richie. The guys debate who would win in a 40-yard dash within 104.3 The Fan and all the phrases Richie has copied from Zach. How impressive has the Broncos depth been through the first two preseason games? The guys speak to how important Jarrett Stidham is to this team as the backup and how valuable his services can be on a playoff hopeful team. What did the guys make of Evan Engram breaking through with a huge catch and run in Saturday’s game? Are we seeing the emergence of rookie wide receiver Pat Bryant? How impactful will Bryant be in 2025?

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil take a deep dive into the Broncos running back room after their performances on Saturday’s preseason game. Phil shares about getting cut from the Colts and how certain decisions he made led, most likely led to that result. Is Audric Estime still battling for a roster spot with the Broncos or should he be focused on impressing other teams around the league? Today’s “Three Count” features Sean Payton letting Davis Webb call offensive plays during the Broncos second preseason game, Jonah Elliss flashing on Saturday to earn more snaps, and Alex Palczewski struggling with penalties. Did Browns rookie Dillion Gabriel take a shot at Shedeur Sanders with his “competitors and entertains” quote? Is Gabriel jealous of all the attention Shedeur has received and then went and backed it up with playing well in the first preseason game?

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil react to the momentum of the Broncos potentially moving to Burham Yards for the next location of their stadium. When will we get news on the Broncos plans for their stadium after Empower Field? How impressive has the Broncos depth been through the first two preseason games? The guys speak to how important Jarrett Stidham is to this team as the backup and how valuable his services can be on a playoff hopeful team. We react to Georgia Tech’s football coach ripping his team just 2 weeks before we will see them take on the Buffs. What did the guys make of Evan Engram breaking through with a huge catch and run in Saturday’s game? Are we seeing the emergence of both Pat Bryant and Troy Franklin this preseason?