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Five early free-agent targets for the Denver Broncos

By Travis Wakeman

Dec 12, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny (20) rushes against Houston Texans defensive end Derek Rivers (95) in the first quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 12, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny (20) rushes against Houston Texans defensive end Derek Rivers (95) in the first quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Randy Gregory, Denver Broncos
Oct 3, 2021; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory (94) celebrates against the Carolina Panthers at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

The Denver Broncos have a lot of rebuilding to do this offseason and NFL free agency is just months away.

As the Denver Broncos watch their peers compete in this year’s playoffs, they are also deeply entrenched in their search for a new head coach. But soon, all 32 teams in the league will have to shift their focus to which players could be available as free agents that would fit well with them.

The Broncos have a talented young roster and plenty of pieces to attract a solid head coach to begin building toward the future. The team is also expected to have nearly $48 million in available cap space as of this writing. According to Overthecap.com, only six teams in the league have more money to spend.

The Broncos have missed the playoffs in each of the last six seasons, so it will be harder to convince players that they are joining a winning team. However, being able to offer more money than the other guy can often cancel all of that out.

With that in mind, here are five soon-to-be free agents that the Broncos should start to think about recruiting into an orange and blue jersey.

Linval Joseph, Defensive Tackle, Los Angeles Chargers

Linval Joseph, Denver Broncos
Jan 2, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Linval Joseph (98) celebrates after the game against the Denver Broncos at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

The Broncos should look for another disruptive presence along the defensive line to put in between Shelby Harris and Dre’Mont Jones and the veteran Linval Joseph makes a lot of sense.

Joseph is a big man at 6-foot-4 and about 330 pounds. He has spent the past two seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers and was once a second-round pick when he entered the league.

He collects a ton of tackles for a defensive tackle and his 25 career sacks are evidence that he can put pressure on the passer as well. In Denver, Joseph would be an ideal addition to the team that could not only help defend against the run but could eat up enough attention to allow the linebackers behind him to come up and make plays.

This is a player George Paton is also very familiar with as well as Joseph spent six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, where he was selected to consecutive Pro Bowls in 2016 and 2017.

The Chargers will likely make a play to keep Joseph in the fold but expect Paton to have his sights set on this player.

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