Denver Broncos should add veteran Delanie Walker to TE group
The Denver Broncos won’t be done tinkering with their 90-man roster anytime soon, and with the second-most cap space in the NFL at just under $29 million, they might be able to make some moves ahead of training camp to further boost their talent and depth.
It’s pretty remarkable that the Broncos are still that far under the salary cap considering all of the substantial moves they have made in the 2021 offseason, including giving big-money deals to Justin Simmons and Shelby Harris as well as signing free agents like Ronald Darby and Kyle Fuller, who did not come cheap.
The Broncos also had to bring in a couple of veteran options at the right tackle position when Ja’Wuan James went down with a season-ending injury and was released. They managed to get both Bobby Massie and Cameron Fleming for under $4 million against the salary cap total in 2021.
Needless to say, the Broncos and general manager George Paton should be scouring free agency ahead of training camp to determine what areas they could still improve this team. The playoffs are not out of reach for Denver with seven seeds available, so the playoffs should really be viewed as non-negotiable.
You don’t always want to just bring in veteran guys just to bring them in, but the Denver Broncos could upgrade a couple of areas of the team, in particular. One of those areas is the tight end position.
Denver Broncos must consider TE Delanie Walker
Shortly after George Paton informed the media that the Broncos would like to add some in-line blocking at the tight end position, they signed Iowa’s Shaun Beyer as an undrafted free agent as well as former Atlanta Falcons draft pick Eric Saubert.
Saubert was, at one point, a project of Denver Broncos tight ends coach Wade Harman when the two were together with the Falcons.
Now that they’re reunited in Denver, Saubert has a shot to re-establish his value and carve out a role behind Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam.
Although Saubert has a strong connection with Harman, free agent tight end Delanie Walker has some significant connections on the Denver Broncos’ coaching staff as well.
Walker was a three-time Pro Bowl selection for the Tennessee Titans from 2015-17 and crossed paths his first year in Tennessee with Mike Munchak. Munchak, at the time, was the Titans’ head coach. Walker signed with the Titans in 2013, which ended up being Munchak’s final year as the Titans’ head coach.
Walker also played in San Francisco from 2006-12. He obviously crossed paths there from 2011-12 with Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio, who was the 49ers’ defensive coordinator at the time.
It isn’t any sort of requirement for the Broncos to go out and sign a veteran free agent at the tight end position, but it would make a ton of sense given the current inexperience of the group they have there plus Albert Okwuegbunam coming off of a major knee injury.
Signing a veteran like Walker, who opted out of the 2020 season amid the pandemic, and he’s worked out this offseason for the 49ers that we know of.
We’ll see how motivated the Broncos are to add another body at tight end, and if Walker fits into their plans. Or if Walker himself would even be interested in playing in Denver at this stage of his career.