Three Remaining Veterans That Still Make Sense For The Denver Broncos

This has been talked about a few times already, but it’s still out there if Elway so chooses.  Unlike Odrick, Richardson would be far from a depth move, but a power statement.  Richardson is stout against the run, stellar in the pass rushing game, and can play on all three downs.  Sheldon Richardson could not only make the Broncos defense as good as it was in 2015, it very well could make them better.  There wouldn’t be anywhere near as good of a front seven in all of football if Richardson became a Bronco.

Despite this, there are a few problems that could stand in the way of this becoming a reality.  The first, and most obvious is that Richardson is under contract with the Jets.  This would mean John Elway would have to surrender capital in the form of either draft picks, players, or both.  There has been a rumor of a potential Cody Latimer/2018 fourth round pick for Richardson, but this has yet to come to fruition.  Perhaps the Jets are holding out for a better offer after an injury strikes a need.  Perhaps the Broncos are hesitant to give up capital for Richardson due to his contract.

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The contract could be the bigger issue here.  Richardson is on the fifth year option of his rookie deal.  He is scheduled to make roughly $8 million this season.  While that is certainly doable, it is likely the fact that he will command a new deal come 2018 that would hold this up.  Do the Broncos really want to surrender draft picks for a player they may only have for one season.  The Broncos cannot pay everyone on defense, and already have one well-paid DE in Derek Wolfe.  They have to be smart in the coming years as they will likely need to pay Bradley Roby, Shane Ray.  Additionally,  these quarterbacks won’t be on rookie scales forever.  Denver likely cannot commit the salary moving forward that Richardson would command.

This all begs the question:  Is a fourth-round draft pick really worth a one-year rental?  The short answer may be yes.  This offense is likely to be improved due to scheme, and speed added in personnel.  If this defense can return to the elite group they were in 2015, they would likely be the favorites to win the West.  On top of that, the Broncos would probably be the only team that would truly stand a chance against the Patriots in the playoffs.  As a GM, it would be hard to let a fourth-round draft pick stand in the way of a shot at another Super Bowl.  Despite the unknown at the quarterback position, the Broncos have a shot this year.  One of these moves could help get them there.