Broncos reportedly interested in bringing Jeremiah Attaochu back

The Denver Broncos are reportedly interested in bringing back outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu, who came on strong in the second half of 2019.

When the Denver Broncos lost outside linebacker Bradley Chubb to a season-ending knee injury after a week four loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, it was a blow to a roster already low on talent.

While injuries are terrible and never welcomed, they oftentimes provide opportunities for other players to step up and step into roles they might have otherwise never gotten.

For the Broncos, that meant a new opportunity for Jeremiah Attaochu, a street free agent through the first month of the regular season after going through camp and preseason play with the eventual Super Bowl-champion Kansas City Chiefs.

After Attaochu was released by Kansas City at final cuts, he ended up working out for a couple of teams but signed with the Broncos in October. Although he didn’t exactly come in and set the field ablaze with his pass rush abilities, Attaochu won over head coach Vic Fangio and wound up doing a really good job down the final month of the season.

Now, the Broncos apparently have interest in bringing Attaochu back as a free agent. According to Mike Klis, Attaochu could be a ‘second wave’ free agent option for the Broncos.

In 12 games and five starts with the Broncos, Attaochu racked up 3.5 sacks, the most he’s had in a season since he had 6.0 with the San Diego Chargers back in the 2015 season as a full-time starter.

Attaochu, a second-round pick in 2014 out of Georgia Tech, has struggled with injuries throughout his career but he’s always been a high-effort guy who can put pressure on the quarterback.

With the Broncos, he had 10 pressures and started to heat up in the final month of the season. If he’s brought back, it would undoubtedly be as the top backup to Von Miller and Bradley Chubb, and he certainly proved himself valuable in that regard.

Although the Broncos had fifth-round rookie Justin Hollins and preseason superstar Malik Reed available in Chubb’s absence, it was Attaochu who came up with the best tape of the three.

If the Broncos can get Attaochu on a team-friendly deal, he’s certainly worth investing in. You can never have too many pass rushers in the NFL and he earned the favor of the Broncos’ coaching staff.

Bringing him back for another year or two and giving him a nice raise from what he made in 2019 — just under $900,000 — seems like a win for both sides.