Denver Broncos: Team working to re-sign OL Billy Turner

The Denver Broncos are reportedly working to re-sign offensive lineman Billy Turner ahead of free agency. He could be the solution at right tackle.

The Denver Broncos are expected to invest pretty significantly on the offensive side of the ball in free agency in 2019, and part of that process is going to be solidifying the offensive line.

With Matt Paradis, Jared Veldheer, and Billy Turner all slated for unrestricted free agency, the Broncos will have some big (literally) decisions to make. Turner was very good for the team last year when he was called upon to start some games after injuries to Veldheer and left guard Ron Leary.

Turner proved his worth as a swing tackle and starting caliber offensive guard, but his best work might have come at right tackle.

As a younger player hitting the market, re-signing Turner could be perfect timing for the Broncos. He likely hasn’t played enough to warrant a huge contract from another team, but the Broncos are probably willing to pay him handsomely for the work he’s done with the team since coming aboard in 2016.

According to Mike Klis, the Broncos are actively trying to get a deal done with Turner ahead of free agency. They want to bring him back.

There are a couple of important notes in that tweet, the note on Paradis we will get to in another post.

A couple of weeks ago, we tried to project the market value for some of the Broncos’ in-house free agents. Turner seems like a really good value right now, which is why it makes sense the Broncos would be trying to lock him in on a multi-year deal.

One important factor to all of this? If the Broncos are able to seal the deal and re-sign Turner, it means that Mike Munchak liked what he saw on tape. It’s very likely Munchak — the Broncos’ new offensive line coach and likely one of the highest paid position coaches in the NFL — will have a significant say in the personnel on the offensive line.

The Broncos obviously want Munchak to develop the guys they already have, but they need to bring some players in whether through free agency or the NFL Draft for him to mold. Turner was a bust for the Miami Dolphins after being drafted in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of North Dakota State.

For a brief period, Turner worked with new Broncos assistant offensive line coach Chris Kuper, who played with the team from 2006-13 and coached in Miami from 2016-18. Kuper, like Turner, played his college ball in the great state of North Dakota.

The Dolphins cut Turner and made wholesale changes to their offensive line in the middle of the 2016 season. The Ravens claimed Turner before the Broncos in 2016, but needed a roster spot the next week and put him through waivers again.

The Broncos claimed him the second time around and may have gotten a starting right tackle out of the deal.