John Elway once said that his goal is not to just win now, but to ensure the Broncos are built to win from now on, an almost impossible feat he has spent every offseason trying to achieve.



During the first half of his executive tenure, the Broncos’ successes raised the bar year after year. To keep the team competitive, Elway had to stay a couple of steps ahead. Some moves worked out better than others, but the intent was there.



A month after signing Peyton Manning in 2012, he drafted Brock Osweiler to begin to develop their future at the position. When the Broncos signed DeMarcus Ware in 2014, they traded up to draft Shane Ray a year later to ensure they had depth on the edge and a successor to Ware. And when Elway re-signed Demaryius Thomas to a new contract in 2015, he had to consider how it might affect the team’s ability to re-sign Von Miller the following year.



“We are always planning for the future,” he said at the time.