The Denver Broncos have a handful of important free agents on expiring contracts and other players who will not be back in the 2022 offseason.
You can’t help but wonder what was going through general manager George Paton’s mind as he looked down from his box seats at the Denver Broncos’ 12th-straight loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Paton saw what the rest of us in Broncos Country have seen for the last handful of years. He saw a team that simply couldn’t get out of its own way. He saw a defense that, once again, played the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs’ offense well and an offense that is so frustrating and inept in the passing attack that something must be done.
What does Paton have on the horizon for this Denver Broncos team?
Denver Broncos GM George Paton scheming big changes in 2022?
Looking down from his box seat, Paton probably can’t help but think the same thing everyone else in Broncos Country has been thinking since Peyton Manning retired, but especially over the last three seasons — this team is just a QB away…
So many fans and “analysts” want to make claims that this Denver Broncos team is rebuilding, or at least, those claims were made earlier this season. That is simply not true at all. The Denver Broncos have now proven that the core of this team is strong. The foundation is built, and it’s solid.
The Broncos are not far off from being perennial playoff contenders, and yet at the same time, they are.
Paton needs a quarterback, but there are also other moving pieces on this roster that need to be addressed.
Which players slated for 2022 free agency will not be back with the team? What other players with big cap hits could be gone as well?
Let’s take a look at seven players who likely won’t be back with the Denver Broncos beyond this season.
Denver Broncos who will be gone in 2022
1. Melvin Gordon, running back
You could make a really strong case either way for Melvin Gordon to be on the roster (or not ) in 2022.
Gordon has been outstanding for the Denver Broncos in most regards since coming over from the Los Angeles Chargers as a free agent in the 2020 offseason.
Gordon signed a two-year deal worth $18 million and a lot of fans were up in arms over that, but the former first-round pick out of Wisconsin has been one of the only consistent sources of offense for the Broncos, even if he’s also had an issue with untimely fumbles.
In 26 games with the Denver Broncos, Gordon is closing in on 2,000 all-purpose yards and he’s already got 17 total touchdowns.
As of right now, he’s splitting carries with Javonte Williams, who proved against the Kansas City Chiefs that he is truly a dynamic presence at the running back position. Every good back needs a good backup, and the Broncos might have one under contract in 2022 in Mike Boone.
The presence (and price) of Williams and Boone compared to what it might cost to re-sign Melvin Gordon means Gordon is only going to be back in Denver if the price is right and in Denver’s favor significnatly.
Denver Broncos who will be gone in 2022
2. Graham Glasgow, right guard
The Denver Broncos signed Graham Glasgow to a four-year, $44 million contract in the 2020 offseason in hopes that he would provide stability to the right guard position.
The unfortunate reality of the NFL is, injuries happen, and they can ruin the best-laid plans.
Glasgow has struggled with injuries and inconsistent play in his time in Denver thus far, only appearing in 20 games since he arrived.
He was given a guarantee of $22.9 million at the time of his signing in 2022, and if we’ve seen the last of him in a Denver uniform, the team will have paid him more millions in guaranteed cash than they got games out of him.
Not great.
Glasgow is set to count $12 million against the Broncos’ salary cap in 2022 and with $6 million in cap relief if he’s released and even more if he’s traded, he’s got to be one of the likeliest players to be gone in 2022 based on the emergence of 2021 rookie Quinn Meinerz, who has filled in nicely for Glasgow at right guard and looks like a mainstay at that position.
Denver Broncos free agents who will be gone in 2022
3. Kyle Fuller, cornerback
The Denver Broncos’ process in acquiring Kyle Fuller in the 2021 offseason was on point.
Fuller was released by the Bears under the age of 30 with experience and outstanding productivity in Vic Fangio’s defense when the two were together in Chicago.
Obviously, the Bears saw a bit of a decline in Fuller’s 2020 play or they wouldn’t have just released him in a move to help their financial situation, but his play has been a bit worse in 2021 than anyone really anticipated.
Fuller has done a better job of late playing out of the nickel, but he has been victimized frequently this season in terms of giving up big plays downfield.
With Patrick Surtain and Ronald Darby the solidified outside cornerbacks beyond this season, I think Bryce Callahan stands a better chance of coming back to Denver beyond 2021 than Fuller, just for the fact that he plays primarily in the nickel and Fuller is just learning that position for the first time, really.
There’s a chance we could see Fuller return in 2022 if Vic Fangio is back with the Broncos. He signed a pretty reasonable contract in the 2021 offseason and he’ll be even cheaper in 2022, but my guess is, he’ll leave for another team where he can start as an outside corner.
Denver Broncos free agents who won’t be back in 2022
4. Alexander Johnson, linebacker
The Denver Broncos’ situation at linebacker is a fascinating one at the present moment.
Right now, the team’s two starters going into the 2021 season — Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell — are both out for the year with torn pectoral injuries.
Prior to the injuries, we have to remember, it seemed like Jewell was the one who had been making the biggest strides in this defense and was more likely to be re-signed of the two if either were going to be.
Johnson has been very solid for the Broncos the last three seasons in Vic Fangio’s defense, especially against the run and as a blitzer.
There’s definitely a chance he could re-sign in Denver but with third-round pick Baron Browning emerging in recent weeks and likely playing the same role as Johnson moving forward, I think the team will decide to prioritize re-signing one of Jewell or even Kenny Young, who came over to the team in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams.
Johnson turns 30 in December, and because he was out of football for a few years that is not overly concerning, but at the same time, Jewell is only going to be 27 next year and I think has more longevity with the team in 2022 and beyond.
Denver Broncos free agents who won’t be back in 2022
5. Diontae Spencer, wide receiver/return specialist
Over the course of the 2021 season, it’s become abundantly clear that the Denver Broncos need to upgrade over Diontae Spencer in the return game.
Spencer was a godsend for this team in the days leading up to the 2019 season when he came over from the Pittsburgh Steelers. At that time, the Broncos would have done just about anything to get a return man in the building who could just catch punts, much less change the outcome of games with his explosive ability in that phase.
Unfortunately, Spencer has been a disappointment in the 2021 season after taking one punt back to the house (vs. Carolina) in 2020.
The Broncos have been stashing some guys on their practice squad that could be called up to return kicks and punts in the coming weeks. Specifically, we could see guys like De’Mornay Pierson-El and newly acquired Kerrith Whyte get some opportunities late in the season, especially now that Spencer had a bad muffed punt in the Broncos’ critical matchup against the Chiefs.
For a long time now, the Broncos have justified keeping Spencer around when he’s offering nothing offensively and nothing in the return game.
Denver Broncos players who won’t be back in 2022
6. Drew Lock, quarterback
After they drafted him in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, I think it’s safe to say the Denver Broncos mishandled Drew Lock.
Joe Flacco was the team’s starter to open the 2019 season, which was already a complete waste of time, but when Flacco got hurt, the team turned to Brandon Allen for a handful of games instead of Lock.
In the 2020 season, they fired the coordinator Lock had in his rookie season to hire Pat Shurmur, forcing Lock to play in an offense that did anything but cater to his strengths.
Lock responded by playing way too aggressively and making enough poor decisions with the ball that the Broncos turned to Teddy Bridgewater in the 2021 season.
Lock was given the 2020 season to prove himself as the team’s potential QB of the future, but that was it, and he has shown signs of major regression in 2021.
Lock needs a change of scenery in the worst way. He’s still very young and could still carve out a career in the NFL. He needs to learn how to be a backup and he probably needs to go to a franchise running an iteration of the Shanahan offense where he can watch and learn from a great veteran QB for a couple of years, rehabbing his value in the process.
Denver Broncos free agents who will be gone in 2022
7. Teddy Bridgewater, quarterback
An overhaul of the quarterback room is coming.
With the Denver Broncos, Teddy Bridgewater has already accomplished some nice things. He has a career-high in touchdown passes (16) and is on pace to break his career-high in passing yards.
Unfortunately, those statistics have only made a difference in half of the team’s games this year. While Bridgewater has proven to be better than any other Broncos QB since the 2015 season, that’s not really saying all that much.
The Broncos’ ineptitude in the passing games this season, specifically on third downs and in the red zone, has been maddening.
Bridgewater has proven he’s not able to get the ball to the Broncos’ talented receivers and tight ends consistently and the offense just doesn’t have the type of balance you need to win consistently in the NFL.
Getting a superstar QB will certainly be on the Broncos’ wish list in the 2022 offseason, but an upgrade over their current situation should be mandatory.
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There is a reason Bridgewater’s contract was restructured to be a one-year deal.
His best bet at being back in Denver in 2022 will be as a backup, and that seems like a far-fetched idea.