Denver Broncos: 5 free agents to sign before 2021 training camp

1. Sheldon Richardson, DL

The Cleveland Browns are coming off of a tremendous season, and one reason why was the improved play of their defense as a whole. Although former high draft choices Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward were the primary catalysts for that improvement, former AP Rookie of the Year Sheldon Richardson played a significant role as well.

The former first-round pick started all 16 games for the Browns and wound up with 64 total tackles, five tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 10 QB hits, and 22 quarterback pressures. Those numbers were not career-highs for Richardson, but it was one of his better seasons as a pro and showed what kind of damage he can still do.

Richardson is far from “old” at the age of 30, and he has notable history with George Paton. The Minnesota Vikings signed Richardson to a one-year, $8 million deal back in the 2018 offseason and he rewarded that decision by playing very well for them in 16 starts with 16 QB hits and 4.5 sacks.

The Denver Broncos have Shelby Harris and Dre’Mont Jones, but so far, neither of those players at this point has been a “full-time” player for the Denver Broncos, playing roughly 50-60 percent of the snaps over the last two years. The Broncos could use some improved depth on the defensive line, even with guys like DeShawn Williams proving to be solid value last season.

Mike Purcell is coming off of a season-ending injury, and McTelvin Agim is still relatively unknown heading into year two.

Even considering the current depth in place, a player like Richardson would be an asset to Vic Fangio’s defense, able to play multiple positions on the defensive front and give you starter-caliber play whether he’s in rotation with Harris and Jones or playing on the field at the same time as them.