A general manager’s work is never quite finished. Denver Broncos general manager George Paton has done an outstanding job of adding to an already young and talented roster in the 2021 offseason, and that could continue as the team heads into 2021 training camp.
As strong as the roster looks on paper, however, there are still areas on the team that Paton could decide to tinker with a little bit.
The Broncos are currently working with just shy of $30 million in 2021 cap space. The playoffs are a must this season if Vic Fangio is going to keep his job beyond this season.
With that in mind, Paton has got to do all that he possibly can with the assets at his disposal to put the best possible roster in place. Right now, the Denver Broncos appear stronger on the defensive side of the ball barring a breakthrough from quarterback Drew Lock, though the offensive side of the ball is slowly catching up to the defense.
Denver is led by an outstanding secondary with talent at both cornerback and safety along with two of the best pass rushers in the NFL in Von Miller and Bradley Chubb, as well as a pair of defensive linemen that can play all three downs in Dre’Mont Jones and Shelby Harris.
Denver Broncos free agents to consider adding to the defense
Although there are talented players at all three levels of the defense, the Denver Broncos could consider signing some guys leading up to training camp who could really solidify this unit as one of the top two or three in the entire NFL.
You’re only as good as your depth in this league, and the Denver Broncos know that as well as anyone.
As fate would have it, there are still some very good veteran defensive players available in free agency who, at least for a season, could help this Denver Broncos team win some games and get into the postseason.
Which defensive free agents could the Broncos add to become even scarier as a unit in 2021? Let’s take a look.
1. Justin Houston, EDGE
If you’ve been reading Predominantly Orange much this offseason, you’ll note this is not the first time that I’ve campaigned for the former Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts pass rusher to be signed in Denver.
Justin Houston came into the NFL the same year as Von Miller (back in 2011) and the two have been the league’s premier sack artists pretty much ever since.
Houston will more than likely surpass the 100 career sack mark this season but what NFL city will he do it in? Will he be back in Indianapolis? Will he sign with another clear contender?
If I could choose just one available free agent to join the Denver Broncos for the 2021 season, it would be Justin Houston. Why? The answer is multiple, but it’s also very simple.
The Denver Broncos’ pass rush has been hit by critical injuries the past two seasons. In 2019, it was Bradley Chubb. In 2020 it was Von Miller. Not having those two guys paved the way for Malik Reed to come in and get significant snaps, proving his worth in the process.
With that being said, the Denver Broncos lack a clear fourth edge player and if one of Chubb or Miller sustains an injury, whatever it would cost to sign Houston before training camp would be worth the insurance policy.
Houston has also proven that, as he gets older and his usage goes down in terms of snap count, he is not diminishing in productivity.
He had eight sacks, 12 QB hits, and 25 pressures last season for the Colts despite playing only 608 snaps.
The Broncos would undoubtedly be able to find 500 snaps for Houston this season and let him do what he does best — pin his ears back and get after the QB.
In the Broncos’ division, is there anything more important than disrupting the quarterback as quickly as possible? Can you ever have too many good pass rushers?
Although there has been absolutely no indication that this move will happen, it would be an outstanding one from George Paton.
2. Kawann Short, DL
Kawann Short’s absolute best days are probably behind him, but he’s recovered from shoulder surgery and is ready to give it another go in the 2021 season.
Former Panthers’ two-time Pro Bowl DT Kawann Short, who underwent shoulder surgery last season, now has been cleared for football activity and already is in discussions with a handful of teams.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 20, 2021
Short played in just three games last season for Carolina and only two games the year before that. He still averaged a QB hit and pressure per game in those five games and has proven himself to be a well-rounded interior lineman in the years prior.
The Broncos’ defensive line rotation right now is led by a top three of Dre’Mont Jones, Shelby Harris, and Mike Purcell. All three of those guys dealt with injuries in the 2020 season, Purcell’s of the season-ending variety.
The Broncos did bring in Shamar Stephen from the Vikings for depth and they have McTelvin Agim and DeShawn Williams as well, but a player like Short would give you a starter-caliber player for your second unit when healthy.
3. Geno Atkins, DL
Another defensive lineman coming off of injury who could interest the Denver Broncos is former Cincinnati Bengals star Geno Atkins.
Former #Bengals DT Geno Atkins was cleared by Dr. Cooper for all football activity in mid-June, source said. Should start taking visits and weighing interest soon. https://t.co/CdAz52RWZN
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 19, 2021
Atkins turned 33 in the Spring and is coming off of a very down year statistically in 2020 in which he played only eight games, so this is a “buyer beware” type of situation.
As Travis Wakeman pointed out, though, Atkins could be outstanding in a rotational role especially with some of the other players that would be around him in Denver.
An eight-time Pro Bowl selection in his career, Atkins has 75.5 sacks as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals and had 10 sacks along with 35 pressures as recently as 2018.
A healthy Atkins would be a really fun addition for Vic Fangio’s defense and a weapon he could use all over the front and if Atkins is fully healthy, can you imagine him in combination with guys like Dre’Mont Jones, Shelby Harris, Von Miller, and Bradley Chubb?
The former Bengal would be an outstanding pickup this close to training camp for the Denver Broncos.
4. Jurrell Casey, DL
Jurrell Casey was a cap casualty for the Denver Broncos earlier in the 2021 offseason, but a year ago at this time, the team and fans had very high expectations for him.
Like Von Miller, Casey is a member of the vaunted 2011 NFL Draft class and has 51 sacks since entering the league.
Unfortunately, he was not able to add to that number in his first year in Denver.
Casey played just three games with the Broncos before going down with a season-ending injury. There is no doubt that he’s going to try to play again somewhere in 2021, so why not in Denver?
There was a recent rumor that Casey was weighing multiple offers from teams, and it is unclear if one of those teams was possibly the Denver Broncos. If Casey is healthy, he’s still only 31 and might have something left in the tank.
Again, the Denver Broncos’ top three defensive linemen really struggled last season to stay healthy. Even though Dre’Mont Jones was able to have a breakout season and Shelby Harris played well enough to earn a big three-year contract, a player like Casey could be a major asset to the defense as a pass rusher.
5. Everson Griffen, DE
In terms of joining a familiar defensive scheme, this would be a tough fit to project for Everson Griffen.
However, Vic Fangio’s defense has proven to be very adaptable to players of all shapes and sizes at every position area, and the defensive line is no exception.
Everson Griffen is built like a traditional power 4-3 defensive end. He is listed at 6-foot-3, 273 pounds, so it’s not like he is going to go out there and get bullied around playing defensive end in Vic Fangio’s scheme.
Griffen was, at one point in time, a fourth-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings and obviously, George Paton is very familiar with him. The Vikings gave Griffen a second contract and he was one of the best and most productive pass rushers in franchise history while he was there.
He’s been credited with 80.5 sacks and 190 quarterback hits since he came into the league in 2010, including six sacks last season between stints with both the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions.
He finished the 2020 season with 23 total pressures on less than 600 total snaps. That kind of efficiency off the edge would be most welcome in Denver and the idea of putting him in front of Bradley Chubb or Von Miller is a very interesting one, to say the least.
Denver Broncos: Players on the chopping block at each position
The Denver Broncos will have plenty of difficult roster decisions to make in 2021. Which players are on the chopping block at each position group?
At the age of 33, Griffen is still playing some really good football.