Four Players Sign Tenders With The Denver Broncos
By Cody Roark
As OTAs kicked off for the Denver Broncos offseason workout program, Four restricted free agents signed their Exclusive Rights Free Agent tenders.
With the Vance Joseph era beginning during off-season workouts, four Broncos players signed their Exclusive Rights Free Agent tenders.
Todd Davis, Zaire Anderson, James Ferentz, and Shaquil Barrett signed theirs on Monday as Denver began their off-season weight program.
These players join Jordan Taylor, Kapri Bibbs, Bennie Fowler, and Casey Kreiter as those who have signed their exclusive tenders. I believe these signings will be critical for the Broncos moving forward.
Player Analysis
Todd Davis saw the field as a full time starter last season in Denver where he managed to have an okay season. He struggled in areas of pursuit and pass coverage which made the absence of Danny Trevathan loom rather larger.
I believe Todd Davis can contribute to the Broncos, but question his overall capacity. Opposing offenses would game-plan for one on one match-ups with a tight end or a running back.
The Broncos linebacker unit struggled primarily in pass coverage, a void I believe Denver will fill during the draft. A possibility that I hinted to was drafting Reuben Foster.
If that were to happen, my belief would be that Davis rotate during situational downs on defense. With Davis signing his tender, he can provide the Broncos with depth at a pivotal position.
Players that can challenge Davis for the starting spot are Corey Nelson and our next signee: Zaire Anderson. Zaire Anderson was a pivotal player for Denver on Special Teams last season.
Zaire forced 1 fumble on Special Teams and accounted for 14 total tackles. Anderson experienced a scare against the Oakland Raiders where he collided helmet to helmet with another player.
Originally Anderson couldn’t move but soon gained feeling and movement in his extremities. Some fans believe that his injury scare could create some confidence issues or timidness.
It’s possible given the underrated psychology of how injuries impact an athletes brain and ways of thinking about injury prevention. It will be an interesting story-line to follow during training camp.
Training Camp Voids
While Broncos center Matt Paradis recovers from off-season hip surgery, the Broncos have some insurance with James Ferentz. It is unknown if Paradis will be ready at the start of camp, but Ferentz will be ready in the event Paradis is not.
Last but not least, Shaquil Barrett will be back for the Broncos and will be ready to step into a bigger role. With Demarcus Ware retiring, Shane Ray is the primary candidate to start, however Barrett will be ready to challenge opposing offenses.
After starting 6 games in 2015 and accumulating 5.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles, he saw reduced action in 2016. This was the biggest surprise to me given how much of an impact Barrett had during the Super Bowl run.
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In 2016 he tallied 1.5 sacks and 23 total tackles. In 2017, I anticipate that Barrett will be used more by Joe Woods and will see the field in critical situations.
The only Denver Bronco that has not yet signed his ERFA is Kicker Brandon McManus. Denver hopes he will sign his this week as team meetings begin.
What do you think about these moves Broncos Country?