Denver Broncos: 5 things that would underwhelm in free agency

5. Letting Matt Paradis walk with no long-term replacement

The number five most underwhelming move the Broncos can make this offseason to me is to let Matt Paradis walk with no replacement for the future.

For all those out there thinking the Broncos should let Paradis walk, replace him with Connor McGovern and sign Ramon Foster, that might work for a year, but what does that do for your future?

McGovern is in a contract year. Foster is aging. Next offseason you would be looking at the same situation with McGovern probably needing a new contract (or worse, proving unworthy of one) and Foster hitting his age 34 season.

I’m not saying that’s the only alternative to replacing Paradis in free agency, but if he’s going to leave with a long-term deal from another team, the Broncos should have a long-term replacement plan in place.

The Broncos clearly have a number they’re willing to go to with Paradis, but I don’t blame them for wanting to keep that number reasonable, even with Paradis’ performance over the past few seasons.

This is a guy who has had a couple of pretty serious injuries despite his iron man reputation. He’s still good enough that the Broncos could invest in him long-term, but if they choose not to, they should find someone who can be a long-term replacement versus just trying to get by with Connor McGovern, who was a better fit at right guard than center.

What are the long-term options available? The best alternative to Paradis is probably Kansas City’s Mitch Morse, who is younger than Paradis but has also played just 18 games the past two seasons.

If Morse is willing to sign for $7-9 million per season and Paradis is stuck on $10 million or more, the Broncos could actually come away pretty nicely by swapping out Paradis for Morse.