The Denver Broncos may be without Josey Jewell for a significant amount of time. If that’s the case, there are some linebackers they could sign.
The Denver Broncos might be without a key defensive starter for an extended period of time as NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport has reported Josey Jewell may have suffered a serious pectoral injury. He suffered the injury on a special teams play in which he delivered a booming hit on the Jacksonville Jaguars‘ return man.
#Broncos LB Josie Jewell, who has emerged as one of their bright young stars on defense, is feared to have suffered a potentially significant pec injury, sources say. He’s having an MRI now to determine the specific injury.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 20, 2021
Rap Sheet’s inability to spell Josey Jewell’s name aside, the report is obviously a cause for concern.
It’s certainly not been talked about as much as other players on the team, but Jewell is in a contract year and he’s done a lot to earn the trust of the coaching staff over the past couple of seasons.
Obviously, there is a need for the Denver Broncos’ special teams unit to be better, but there is an inherent risk in putting any starter out there on special teams. Jewell is a player who goes 100 percent all the time and he delivered a punishing blow on the play that ultimately ended up costing him more than anything else.
Although Justin Strnad and Baron Browning will be expected to step up internally, we could see the Denver Broncos go after some veterans to potentially replace Jewell.
What players are available and who might make some sense for the team right now?
Let’s take a look at an oddly robust inside linebacker market in free agency right now.
Denver Broncos: 5 LB options with Josey Jewell injured
1. Benardrick McKinney
A second-round pick out of Mississippi State in the 2015 NFL Draft, Benardrick McKinney developed into a pretty good player for the Houston Texans before he was dumped in their massive 2021 overhaul.
He was selected to the Pro Bowl in the 2018 season but has regressed a bit since then, which is why he doesn’t have a team right now.
https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1371131758616453120
At 6-foot-4, 257 pounds, McKinney has been very solid against the run throughout his career and at this point, that’s his calling card.
He showed early on that he could be really effective when asked to rush the passer as well, and the combination of him and Alexander Johnson in the middle of the defense with their outstanding size would be physically imposing if nothing else.
McKinney was one of the most explosive athletes in the 2015 NFL Draft class at the linebacker position with a 40.5-inch vertical jump.
He would be an intriguing in-season addition, especially in the wake of Josey Jewell’s injury.
Denver Broncos: 5 LB options in free agency
2. Reuben Foster
This might just be my personal brand, but I’m more interested in signing Reuben Foster than just about any other linebacker on this list or any potential list, for that matter.
Foster was a first-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers back in the 2017 NFL Draft.
There were a ton of Denver Broncos fans at the time who were hoping the team would take him, but hindsight is always 20/20.
Foster has struggled with injuries and off-field issues and as a result, he’s only played 16 career games.
At the age of 27, he’s healthy and has been working out for teams of late. With the injury to Josey Jewell, why not give Foster a shot to realize his potential? This was a guy who dropped in the 2017 NFL Draft due to some off-field concerns, and that was obviously justified.
On the field, he was a top-15 type of player.
If you have faith that Justin Strnad can be a player, even with Baron Browning probably a ways off, why not take a shot on the upside of Foster?
If it works out, you would still have an opportunity to utilize him in the coming years as a starter opposite Strnad, Jewell when he comes back, or Alexander Johnson.
Foster is an appealing option because of the potential he brings that others maybe don’t as a potential longer-term option than just the 2021 season.
Denver Broncos: 5 LB options in free agency
3. Avery Williamson
Just 29 years of age, Williamson has five straight seasons with at least 92 tackles or more.
In fact, in four of the last five seasons, Williamson has racked up triple digits in the tackle department and he’s done so on three different teams.
He started his career in 2014 as a fifth-round pick for the Tennessee Titans, and parlayed his time there into a nice free agent contract with the New York Jets.
The Jets had been having a fire sale leading up to the 2021 offseason, and Williamson was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers before the 2020 trade deadline.
In just eight games with Pittsburgh last year, Williamson had 52 total tackles, three tackles for loss, and a sack.
He’s been working out for teams lately, including his former team in New York, and as of this writing he hasn’t signed on officially with anybody.
If healthy, the Denver Broncos could do a lot worse than Avery Williamson.
Denver Broncos: 5 LB options in free agency
4. Mark Barron
Mark Barron is a free agent and is worth bringing up here because, even though he didn’t play at all for the Denver Broncos last year in the regular season, he was slated to play a role for the team after the injury to Justin Strnad in training camp.
Barron knows the defense, he knows most of the players he would be playing with, and that kind of familiarity can be huge for a free agent at this time of year.
Although Barron didn’t live up to his lofty draft status, he might not be out of chances in the NFL.
He worked out for the Raiders somewhat recently, and even though he had plenty of bad plays along the way, he filled out the stat sheet when he was with the Pittsburgh Steelers with 82 total tackles, three sacks, four tackles for loss, and three passes broken up.
After not playing in 2020, an optimistic projection for Barron is that he’s fresh and ready to get out there and rebound, even if he is maybe on the last shot of his career.
This might not be the most exciting option, but it might make some sense given Barron’s prior history with the team.
Denver Broncos: 5 LB options with Josey Jewell injured
5. Patrick Onwuasor
This one is cheating a little bit.
Right now, Patrick Onwuasor is not technically a free agent as he’s currently a member of the Las Vegas Raiders‘ practice squad.
The Raiders have brought in an obscene amount of linebackers this offseason, and with a logjam on the depth chart, if Onwuasor gets the call from the Denver Broncos, that’s an opportunity he probably wouldn’t pass up at this point.
He was a really solid player for a few years with the Baltimore Ravens where he was basically a full-time special teams player and inside linebacker for them around half of the snaps.
He had 90 tackles in the 2017 season and had a monster year all-around in 2018 with 59 total tackles, 12 QB hits, 5.5 sacks, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and eight tackles for loss.
He followed it up with another really nice season in 2019 before playing just one game in 2020 with the New York Jets.
At the age of 29, Onwuasor could still come in and play at a high level if he’s healthy.
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The Denver Broncos might come calling not only to help with the Josey Jewell injury, but kill two birds with one stone and steal from a division rival’s depth.