The first year of the George Paton era for the Denver Broncos has certainly brought about plenty of change. The Broncos’ roster has been overhauled in many ways, and in the process, a number of players both beloved and slightly obscure have made their way to new NFL franchises for the 2021 season and beyond.
Time will tell how much the Denver Broncos end up missing some of these guys, but heading into training camp, it doesn’t appear as though any one area of the team is exactly “depleted” when it comes to depth or starting-caliber talent.
Some tough decisions were made on both sides of the ball with former high draft picks, fan favorites, recent free agent signings, and some big-time busts for the Broncos who have found a shot at redemption elsewhere.
Denver Broncos free agents who signed elsewhere in 2021
1. Phillip Lindsay, RB – Houston Texans
The biggest name to leave the Denver Broncos in 2021 was easily the Colorado Kid himself, Phillip Lindsay. It really feels like it was just yesterday that Lindsay was wearing jersey no. 2 and trying to scrape his way onto the 53-man roster with a strong training camp and preseason.
After becoming the first rookie free agent to make the Pro Bowl at any non-specialist position in 2018, Lindsay’s play and usage slowly declined.
His role with the Denver Broncos in 2020 under offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur was equally frustrating for both Lindsay and the Broncos, and even after giving him a low restricted free agent tender to open free agency, the Broncos and Lindsay agreed to part ways after the team signed free agent Mike Boone from the Minnesota Vikings.
Not long after that, Lindsay signed a one-year deal with the Houston Texans where he will compete for snaps with veterans David Johnson and Mark Ingram.
It would not be a shock to see Lindsay seize RB1 duties in Houston but it looks like that group will be a committee, for sure. Houston also added veteran Rex Burkhead to the mix, so Lindsay’s involvement in the passing game will be crucial.
Houston Texans continue to splurge on former Denver Broncos
2. DeMarcus Walker, DL – Houston Texans
The Denver Broncos drafted DeMarcus Walker with their second-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. The team was trying to replace some of the tremendous pass rush it had lost after the Super Bowl 50 victory, namely the pass rush that came from Malik Jackson who departed for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016 free agency.
After drafting Adam Gotsis in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, the Broncos went after Walker in 2017 after a stellar career at Florida State.
The Vance Joseph regime made a massive mistake by attempting to move Walker to the outside linebacker position, stunting his growth and really limiting his potential in Denver.
He played just over 600 snaps the last two seasons combined in Vic Fangio’s defense and racked up 8.5 sacks, 15 pressures, 10 QB hits, and eight tackles for loss.
It would not be surprising if Walker continued a positive trajectory as a pass rushing interior defensive lineman with Houston.
3. Jeff Driskel, QB – Houston Texans
The Texans signed Phillip Lindsay and DeMarcus Walker, but weren’t done there adding former Denver Broncos.
Even after adding Tyrod Taylor in free agency and Davis Mills in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Texans added Jeff Driskel in case of emergency.
Deshaun Watson‘s NFL future is currently up in the air, and Driskel has some starting experience. That’s about the extent of his value, however.
4. Will Parks, DB – Kansas City Chiefs
Although seeing Phillip Lindsay has been the most painful of the Denver Broncos’ 2021 offseason departures, seeing Will Parks sign with the Kansas City Chiefs stings the most.
The Denver Broncos had Will Parks for the majority of the last five seasons and he was an outstanding sixth-round pick in 2016 out of Arizona for the team. Not only was Parks a key special teams player, but he became an integral rotation piece in the defensive backfield early in his career.
He wasn’t able to get a second contract in Denver, signing last year with Philadelphia, but the Broncos did claim him off of waivers when Philadelphia let him go during the season.
Parks now has a shot to prove his value with the Chiefs as a versatile defensive back and special teams player, and he’ll undoubtedly have the Denver Broncos games circled on the schedule.
5. Joe Jones, LB/ST – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Over the last four years, nobody has played more special teams for the Denver Broncos than Joe Jones.
He was the team’s special teams ace after the Broncos poached him off of the Seattle Seahawks practice squad in 2017. He signed a one-year, $1.09 million deal with the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Bucs already have a pair of elite linebackers in Lavonte David and Devin White so Jones can just come into Tampa Bay and do what he does best on special teams.
Chicago Bears continue to use the Denver Broncos as a pipeline
6. Jake Butt, TE – Chicago Bears
The Denver Broncos took a shot on Jake Butt in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, and no one blamed them at the time. In hindsight, George Kittle might have been a better pick.
Butt looked like he was on his way to TE1 duties in 2018 after getting healthy in 2017, but he suffered too many setbacks with his health to play consistently. The Chicago Bears are giving Butt another shot and it would be fantastic to see him make it and stay on the field.
7. Elijah Wilkinson, OL – Chicago Bears
Wilkinson has been a starter for the Denver Broncos for most of the last three years because other players couldn’t stay healthy.
With his experience at both guard and tackle, Wilkinson provides some really nice backup value to the Chicago Bears at just over $1 million this season.
I thought Wilkinson was a better guard than tackle for the Denver Broncos, but time will tell what the Bears envision for him.
8. Jeremiah Attaochu, EDGE – Chicago Bears
Jeremiah Attaochu signed one of the bigger deals for a departing Denver Broncos free agent in 2021, turning his two years of injury relief play in Denver into a two-year, $5.55 million deal in Chicago.
Not bad for a guy the Denver Broncos signed as a street free agent after Bradley Chubb’s knee injury a quarter of the way into the 2019 season.
Attaochu racked up 8.5 sacks and 29 pressures in under two seasons with the Denver Broncos (25 games) and will give the Bears some nice depth and value off the edge.
9. Austin Calitro, LB – Chicago Bears
Calitro is the fourth former Denver Broncos player in 2021 exchanging the Denver orange and blue for the Chicago version of it.
Calitro was a player the Denver Broncos’ pro scouting department obviously loved as they tried to acquire him numerous times before trading Christian Covington to Cincinnati to get him in 2020.
It didn’t work out and Calitro struggled to stay healthy enough to contribute in 2020.
10. De’Vante Bausby, CB – Las Vegas Raiders
The Denver Broncos signed De’Vante Bausby out of the now-defunct Alliance of American Football, where he was one of the top playmakers at the cornerback position.
Bausby had history in Chicago with Vic Fangio and actually provided the Broncos with some really nice depth at the boundary cornerback position when he was called upon.
The Broncos actually faced a ton of criticism last year for cutting Bausby, losing him to the Arizona Cardinals, and then suffering so many injuries that having Bausby back in the lineup when Arizona waived him felt like getting Champ Bailey off of waivers.
Ultimately, consistency was probably Bausby’s biggest issue, but he can play. The Raiders took a shot here on his ball skills and speed.
11. Alijah Holder, DB – Detroit Lions
The Broncos really liked Alijah Holder coming out of Stanford a couple of years ago as a versatile defensive back and special teams option.
He played 43 defensive snaps for the Broncos this past year and 200 special teams snaps over the course of two seasons but failed to make a substantial impact on games.
The Detroit Lions have one of the league’s best defensive back coaches in Aaron Glenn coordinating their defense, so perhaps he can get the best out of Holder.
12. AJ Bouye, CB – Carolina Panthers
The Denver Broncos traded a fourth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020 to get veteran AJ Bouye, someone that Vic Fangio had coveted for his defense while he was still with the Chicago Bears.
After finally getting Bouye in the fold, the veteran corner simply could not stay healthy for Vic Fangio and then ended up getting suspended before the season was over.
It was an ugly first year for Bouye in Denver, and he ended up signing a two-year, $7 million deal with only the first year guaranteed with the Carolina Panthers.
If Bouye can stay healthy, this is a tremendous value to the Panthers and their young defense.
13. Nick Vannett, TE – New Orleans Saints
Of all of the free agents that left Denver in the 2021 offseason, you’ll be a bit shocked to learn that nobody got more money guaranteed at signing than backup tight end Nick Vannett, who got $3.8 million guaranteed from the New Orleans Saints.
The three-year, $8 million deal Vannett signed in New Orleans came as a surprise in general to Denver Broncos fans who watched him be a virtual non-factor for the majority of his lone season with the Broncos.
14. Ja’Wuan James, OT – Baltimore Ravens
The Denver Broncos’ saga with Ja’Wuan James is well-documented at this point.
James was a big-money free agent in 2019 who signed for four years, $51 million before suffering a knee injury in the 2019 season opener, struggling to get back onto the field at all in his first season in Denver.
He then opted out of the 2020 season because of the pandemic and increased injury risk for players, which caused his entire contract with the Broncos to toll a full year.
After training at the team facility almost all offseason, the NFLPA advised players to relocate for their training despite the risk of injury off-site which could cause players to have to void guaranteed money in their salaries.
James decided to work out elsewhere, hurt his Achilles and was released by the Denver Broncos, voiding $10 million in guaranteed cash.
Denver Broncos: 53-man roster prediction at 2021 OTAs
The Denver Broncos will have some difficult decisions to make regarding the roster leading up to the 2021 season. Who makes the final 53?
The Baltimore Ravens traded Orlando Brown Jr. to the Kansas City Chiefs earlier in the offseason, so they saw an opportunity with James and got him on a two-year deal worth $4.575 million if he makes the team next year.