INDIANAPOLIS — The feeling was as special as Peyton Manning remembered from 10 years ago, when he won his first Super Bowl. But this one — this one was a little different. After a tumultuous season that included, among many other things, a shaky transition to coach Gary Kubiak’s zone-blocking offense and the loss of two left tackles and a tight end to injuries, the Broncos capped the chaos with a Super Bowl championship.

This time Manning, couldn’t help but credit the new leader of the Broncos.

“Our defense has just been — from the get-go they’ve been nothing but awesome,” he said after Super Bowl 50. “Being hurt and struggling early in the season wasn’t a lot of fun, so I was grateful to get back healthy and to try and play my part these past couple of weeks.”

The victory was sweet, but when the confetti was cleared, the need for consistency and balance on offense became the focus for 2016. It starts with the offensive line.

“Obviously that’s an area where we need to get better,” Broncos general manager John Elway said at the NFL scouting combine. “That’s going to be a focal point for us this year as we go into free agency as well as the draft.”

Ty Sambrailo, the Broncos’ 2015 second-round pick is expected back. He was placed on injured reserve five months after veteran tackle Ryan Clady’s season ended with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in late May.

“We think he’s going to come back and be healthy and he’ll be fine,” Elway said of Sambrailo.

The late signing of guard Evan Mathis, insertion of Michael Schofield at right tackle and move of Ryan Harris to left tackle was a patchwork attempt to steady the offense. But it led to extremes; see the 179 rushing yards in a thrilling victory over New England, and the five sacks allowed to Khalil Mack in a loss to Oakland.

The offense made history with its Super Bowl winning all-time low 194 yards and zero passing touchdowns. And the regular-season struggles reached all facets of the offense.

The Broncos averaged only 22.2 points game, the fewest of Manning’s four-year tenure in Denver, finished 16th in total offense (355.5 yards), 14th in passing yards (248.1), 28th in touchdowns (19), and 17th in rushing yards (107.4) as C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman split snaps at running back. Anderson is a restricted free agent and likely will return. Hillman, however, is an unrestricted free agent.

The tight end group, a unit typically beloved by Kubiak, had promise even after losing Julius Thomas in free agency last year. The Broncos drafted Jeff Heuerman in the third round, but he was lost to injury and the unit lacked consistent production.

Elway said he plans to meet with veteran Owen Daniels, who is due $3 million in salary next season, and could ask him to revise his contract. Vernon Davis will test the free-agent market and Virgil Green will return on a $2.4 million salary.

“It hurt losing Heuerman. We have high expectations for him,” Elway said. “It’s still in flux a little bit. As we get closer to (March 9), things will home in a little bit. It’s a focus for us to try to get better there.”

Given the needs, Elway could break his streak of selecting a defender in the first round of this year’s draft and snag a tackle in a class deep in offensive-line talent.

At the combine, the Broncos held informal interviews with many players, and met with guard Joshua Garnett from Stanford. Louisiana State’s Vadal Alexander is experienced in zone-blocking at guard and tackle. Cody Whitehair, viewed as the top guard in the draft, could be a consideration, especially because he played zone and three positions along the line at Kansas State. Taylor Decker, a 6-foot-7, 310-pound tackle from Ohio State, has been projected to be among the top candidates for Denver — if he’s still available at No. 31.

“The Broncos aren’t going to be able to shop for starting tackles in free agency, given the type of talent they’ll be attempting to retain, and Decker offers good value here,” ESPN analyst Mel Kiper said.

Value is key, this year especially for the Broncos. But finding that balance always has been the goal.

“If we can still play the same type of defense we played last year and get better on offense, that makes us even better,” Elway said. “So that’s what our goal is.”

Nicki Jhabvala: njhabvala@denverpost.com or @NickiJhabvala