Broncos coach Josh McDaniels has his share of conflict with Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler last year, but he remains open to having them back.
“They played an important role to our team this year. I don’t see why that has to change,” McDaniels said Saturday. “Certainly, there are some things that are going to go into this, but there’s no question in my mind [they can return.]”
The inclusion of Scheffler in McDaniels’ statement is noteworthy, if not quite trustworthy. The feeling previously was that the tight end had worn out his welcome. Unlike Marshall, Scheffler’s didn’t appear to fit the team’s offense.
McDaniels spoke highly of Marshall’s talent and productivity. He hasn’t spoken to Marshall face-to-face this offseason, but plans to. Speaking softly the whole time, McDaniels did allude to his tumultous first season as coach.
“Our coaching staff is really excited about the direction we’re going in. Hopefully we can deal with a few less distractions, but that’s part of the game. Every team deals with it . . . that’s what we had to last year.”
Bringing Scheffler and Marshall back would seemingly invite more distractions, not less.