Denver Broncos: 5 free agents to sign before 2021 training camp
5. Vic Beasley, EDGE
If I were the GM of an NFL team, I would be scouring free agency this time of year for former first-round draft picks under the age of 30 who were unicorn types of athletes.
That’s why Vic Beasley is on the list.
Beasley was a first-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons back in the 2015 NFL Draft and many thought that with his combination of size and athletic talent, he could be the next Von Miller type of pass rusher in the NFL.
Denver Broncos fans certainly remember some of Beasley’s best work as he destroyed the right side of the offensive line and perhaps even gave Paxton Lynch the yips in a regular season game back in 2016. In that game, Beasley had 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles en route to a first-team All-Pro season, Pro Bowl selection, and 15.5-sack campaign.
Unfortunately, that was the peak for him. His play tapered off rather quickly after that with just 10 sacks in the next two seasons combined before a solid eight-sack campaign in 2019.
He barely played in the 2020 season with five games each as a member of the Titans and Raiders.
At the age of 29, it would be worth exploring over the course of training camp and preseason play what this guy has left in the tank.
With pick 8 in the 2015 NFL Draft, the #Falcons selected Vic Beasley, DE, Clemson.
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 15, 2020
His #RAS ranked 11th out of nearly 800 defensive ends dating back to 1987 with a top 5 40 yard dash and broad and 6th best vertical all time.https://t.co/z65gTt0JAF#InBrotherhood pic.twitter.com/ySBbzeEQp9
Beasley is one of the better athletes ever in terms of testing at the Scouting Combine for the defensive end/edge position. That type of athletic talent and his prior production would be worth taking a shot on, and especially coming off of a down year, Beasley would be under no impression of a guaranteed role in the rotation. He would have to win a spot.