Broncos make sense as a landing spot for Aldon Smith
The Denver Broncos saw firsthand in the 2020 season how valuable having a deep stable of pass rushers can be.
When Von Miller went down just days before the 2020 season opener for the entire season, it was a detriment to the team’s already slight playoff hopes before the year even got going.
Thankfully, the Broncos had players like Malik Reed and Jeremiah Attaochu to hold down the fort, but there is no question that they could have upgraded their depth in the offseason and, as a matter of fact, they had tried to do just that.
Before he ultimately signed with the Dallas Cowboys, the Broncos had talks with free agent pass rusher Aldon Smith.
Broncos were in play for Aldon Smith. Couldn’t reach a deal. They sure could use him now. #9sports https://t.co/qkvlRfpZ9b
— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) September 14, 2020
Smith, who had been out of the league since 2015, rebounded nicely with the Cowboys and started all 16 games, playing over 800 snaps and racking up 48 total tackles, five sacks, two fumble recoveries, 14 QB hits, and 20 total quarterback pressures.
He is once again a free agent and will not be returning to the Dallas Cowboys for 2021.
That opens the door for a possible return to the discussion table with the Denver Broncos, who are of course under new management now than they were in 2020.
Even though the Broncos’ top decision-maker is now George Paton, Paton has shown trust and favor for head coach Vic Fangio, who coached Aldon Smith when he was a superstar with the San Francisco 49ers.
Back when he was in his earlier years, there were tons of conversations about who was better — Von Miller or Aldon Smith? Smith obviously took a different path off the field than Miller did and ended up in significant trouble with the league on a number of occasions.
With the recent departure of Jeremiah Attaochu, the fit of Aldon Smith coming to Denver once again makes sense. Malik Reed will be back for depth behind Miller and Chubb, but adding Smith as a fourth pass rusher is more of a necessity than a luxury given what we saw the Broncos go through last season.
Having a great pass rush is essential no matter what kind of defense you run, but especially with the investments the Broncos have made this year in the secondary, a pass rusher like Smith as your fourth guy in the rotation would be a very wise move.
He has familiarity with Fangio, and George Paton saw him play a good game in Minnesota last year with three tackles, a tackle for loss, and a QB hit against the Vikings.
After getting back into the game last year and at the age of 31, Smith should still have some good football left in him and the Broncos should have interest once again in acquiring him.