Could the Broncos Still Add a Veteran Center?
The Denver Broncos have plenty of questions remaining after the first couple of waves of free agency. With plenty of time yet before the draft to assess needs, and how the draft can help supplement the roster they have already, one question that still remains for me is whether or not the Broncos will add a veteran center.
There were heavy rumors before free agency that the Broncos would be interested in Rodney Hudson, Stefen Wisniewski, and Chris Myers. With only Hudson off the board, it would seem the Broncos should still have the other two players — Wisniewski and Myers — on their short list of available free agents.
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At this point in the process, either player would come relatively cheap, and each would provide stability at the position. The Broncos could also look into re-signing Will Montgomery, who signed late in free agency last year as a backup option to Manny Ramirez, and ended up grading out as one of the top 15 centers in the league in limited snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
There’s no reason for the Broncos to panic at this point. The market for centers in free agency has existed pretty much only for Rodney Hudson, who got way more money than I think anyone other than the Raiders would have paid. He is a really good player, one of the top centers in the league, but the Broncos weren’t going to even consider paying him that kind of money.
But, if they can get a guy like Wisniewski or Myers at around 2 to $4 million per season, they are sitting really nicely with a veteran center for Peyton Manning to get comfortable with, and in the case of Wisniewski, someone for the next quarterback to grow with.
In the case of Myers, the Broncos would be getting back a player they once traded and a guy that had a really successful career playing under Gary Kubiak in Houston. He also has familiarity with Rick Dennison.
Either way, the Broncos have waited out the market, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see them add a center into the fray if they feel like that player can be an upgrade over Manny Ramirez, who was moved to guard last season after his struggles at center.
It would be smart for the Broncos to make a move here, unless they feel like their starter is on the roster or going to be there when they are on the clock for one of their 10 projected draft picks.