Denver Broncos ink Justin Strnad to rookie contract

The Denver Broncos have signed fifth-round pick Justin Strnad to his rookie contract.

Throughout the offseason leading up to the draft, Broncos Country had been vocal about the need for fresh talent at the ILB position.

While it took longer than most would have wanted, Denver obliged when they selected Justin Strnad out of Wake Forest in the 5th round. On Wednesday, the team announced Strnad agreed to terms on his rookie contract, a standard 4-year deal that carries a signing bonus of $237,776.

While his 4.74 40 time isn’t impressive, turning on any Wake Forest game shows a player with plenty of explosiveness and the ability to play in space. This is something the team desperately needs as their ability to cover opposing tight ends has been questionable, to say the least.

Can Strnad be the missing piece?

The tight end position is becoming increasingly prominent in the NFL and while the Broncos have their own budding star, when you play in the AFC West you need to be able to cover them in space.

While many will point to Drew Lock and the veritable army of weapons he’s been given as the key to dethroning the Kansas City Chiefs, stopping Travis Kelce is essential for them to have any chance whatsoever. Allowing him to march down the field every play cannot continue to happen, or it won’t matter how much talent we have on offense.

Is Justin Strnad the Kelce-killer the Broncos have been sorely missing for the past few years? Only time will tell, but under the expertise of Vic Fangio, we could have the answer to that question sooner rather than later.

The Denver Broncos have now agreed to contracts with every rookie in the 2020 class except for wide receiver KJ Hamler (2nd round) at the time of this writing.