Report: Broncos to Meet With Reps for In-House Free Agents

Nothing can make you want to pull your hair out more than NFL free agency, and nearly three minutes after I posted this report about Terrance Knighton being frustrated with the Denver Broncos, I read this from the Denver Post:

During the NFL scouting combine this week, the Broncos are meeting with agents of several of their free-agent players, including Terrance Knighton, Demaryius Thomas, Orlando Franklin and Rahim Moore.

Oh, good!

The headline of the article is all about the Broncos letting go of Julius Thomas, which is going to get clicks, but the bigger story here is that the Broncos are at least going to try and work on long-term deals for some of their other in-house players, which we have yet to read really anywhere.

More from Predominantly Orange

• Broncos chances of landing Sean Payton dwindling, but not gone
• Denver Broncos dream coaching staff for DeMeco Ryans
• Denver Broncos: “Sleeper” David Shaw checks every box
• The Broncos’ coaching search likely has not gone to plan
• Special Chiefs Suck Offer: Bet $5, Win $150 if Joe Burrow Passes for ONE YARD vs KC

The Broncos might come in with some low-ball offers, but at least we know they are making offers to these players. I was told by Troy Renck of the Denver Post that the Broncos will prioritize re-signing tight end Virgil Green and center Will Montgomery, but re-signing any combination of the players listed above is going to be a huge development as compared to what we’ve been reading, which is pretty much that all these players are guaranteed to be leaving.

Obviously, just letting good players walk is not John Elway’s style, and aside from Demaryius Thomas, these players are all his own draft picks and in the case of Knighton, free agent signings. Elway’s first draft class for the Broncos yielded Von Miller, Rahim Moore, and Orlando Franklin with its top three choices. Nate Irving, the next pick after those three, is also a free agent.

Denver’s current depth chart situation is really a sight to behold when you look at departing starters, so they might be excited to be able to keep some of their own around and perhaps on team-friendly deals, which Knighton has already promised in writing.

Juilus Thomas might be the sacrificial lamb in all this, but if it means keeping the core of the team in-tact with more in-house players getting re-signed than anticipated, I’m not going to say I’m mad about it.

Especially with all the negative that has been surrounding Thomas of late, starting with his apparent love for the Raiders and to his complicated relationship with the Broncos, per his dad.

Apparently, Broncos fans, we’re all losers.

At any rate, what Julius has done for the Broncos the last two years has been fun to watch, but it’s been more a flash in the pan than anything and we all know JT doesn’t really care much about blocking, which isn’t really what he was drafted to do in the first place. John Elway drafted Thomas to catch passes, and he is good but he’s not Jimmy Graham and he won’t see that kind of volume of targets in this offense. His injury issues, team’s fault or not, are what they are.

The whole point of the Denver Post article linked above was to highlight how Thomas is leaving, not how the Broncos are pursuing their other big name in-house guys, and I think that’s the real story here. All of us expected that they would let these players walk, especially the way reporters had been talking lately.

For all of these guys, it’s a question of scheme fit. All of them, that is, except for Demaryius Thomas. Can Knighton play nose in a 3-4 look? Can Orlando Franklin move well enough to play guard or tackle in a zone scheme? Where does Rahim Moore fit in to all of this?

These are questions that need to be answered, and the Broncos are going to do their best to get it settled before the start of free agency. There are a lot of openings on this team, so it would be nice to fill them with guys who have been there and done that.