Earl Mitchell visiting Denver Broncos on Wednesday/Thursday

The Denver Broncos will welcome free agent defensive lineman Earl Mitchell to town, starting on Wednesday evening. How long before he makes his choice?

Though the NFL’s new league year isn’t until March 9th, but that doesn’t mean the Free Agency frenzy can’t begin in the days and weeks prior. The Denver Broncos are getting a head start by recruiting one of the top defensive linemen available, former Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans defensive lineman Earl Mitchell.

Mitchell spent the first portion of his NFL career with the Houston Texans, where he was coached by Broncos defensive line coach Bill Kollar. Vance Joseph was also the defensive backs coach in Houston for a time while Mitchell was on the roster.

The two were reunited in Miami this past season, where Mitchell was praised by Joseph for being one of the most high-effort players on the defense:

That quote was a great catch by Andrew Mason, and it provides some context as to why the Broncos so quickly contacted Mitchell following his being released from the Dolphins.

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Not only is Mitchell expected to come at a very reasonable price, but he’s entering the prime years of his career. Signing him to a two or three-year deal would seem like a wise move for the Broncos, but they are going to have to convince him to sign in Denver first and foremost. He will meet with Broncos brass starting on Wednesday night and again Thursday morning.

This will allow the Broncos to pitch a role to Mitchell, which could be their most tantalizing recruiting tool at this point. Despite the versatility to play defensive end in a three-man front, the Broncos would use Mitchell as a one technique or nose tackle, where he could rotate out and around the formation.

In a recent article on Bleacher Report, I had my pre-conceived notions about Mitchell dismantled when I found out that he’s not strictly a 3-4 defensive end, but more of a nose tackle. Here’s the analysis from B/R defensive tackle scout Charles McDonald:

"When he’s healthy, he can be an explosive presence at 1-technique with the ability to play 3-technique in a pinch. Ndamukong Suh played the vast majority of the 3-technique reps when he was on the field with Mitchell, so Mitchell played that “light” nose tackle role."

That is definitely news to me, but it makes sense. Mitchell has the ability to play multiple positions up front, similar to Vance Walker, who is an in-house free agent the Broncos are interested in bringing back.

Convincing Mitchell to come to Denver is on John Elway, Vance Joseph, and the rest of the brass in Denver. There’s no doubt the Broncos have needs on the defensive line, likely for two new starters and Mitchell would provide them one. Instead of what we assumed would be a primarily rotational role at defensive end, Mitchell could be coming in as a nose tackle for the Broncos, and would allow them to still bring in someone like Calais Campbell or Jared Odrick at the defensive end position.

The Broncos need depth, and they need a starting nose guard. Mitchell could be the first piece of the puzzle and a very good initial free agent acquisition to start off what is expected to be a loaded class for Elway and company.