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
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.
Jeff Wilson, Running Back, San Francisco 49ers
With Kyle Shanahan as head coach, it seems the 49ers are able to run the ball no matter who is in the backfield. Sound familiar?
Jeff Wilson is the third or fourth-string running back on this team when everyone is healthy and the 49ers also have Raheem Mostert listed as an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
The Broncos will have a decision to make concerning Melvin Gordon, but Wilson would be a far cheaper option.
Wilson has seen limited carries in his career, meaning he would have plenty of tread remaining on his running back tires. He has run for 1,265 yards and 13 touchdowns while averaging 4.2 yards per carry in his career.
If the Broncos chose to move on from Gordon, Wilson would be a nice option to split time with Mike Boone behind Javonte Williams.
Rashaad Penny, Running Back, Seattle Seahawks
A month ago, there would have been no reason to put Rashaad Penny on this list, but boy did he turn it on in the final month of the season. He may have helped you win your fantasy football league, too.
Because of his late-season surge, it would be wise for the Seahawks to spend the money to bring him back into the fold and give him the chance to be the starting running back next season.
But if they don’t, several teams should be interested in seeing what he can come in and provide and a combination of Williams and Penny sounds like it could be a lot of fun for the Broncos, and not so much for their opponents.
Randy Gregory, Defensive End, Dallas Cowboys
Talent has never been the question with Randy Gregory, but problems off the field have led to suspensions and limited his true potential. It seems that he is starting to fully realize that potential as he has thrived with the Cowboys this season.
That may be due to the defensive scheme installed by first-year coordinator Dan Quinn who is, of course, one of the main candidates being considered as the Broncos’ next head coach.
All of the talk this offseason will center around Denver’s issues at quarterback, but they will be keen on adding help in the pass-rush department and that will likely come in the form of multiple players.
The Broncos do have Bradley Chubb, but his health history makes him a bit of a concern. The Broncos need to have multiple guys who can get after the quarterback and though Malik Reed has played well, for the most part, Gregory would be a considerable upgrade.
And he would likely come cheaper than other free-agent options such as Chandler Jones, Jason Pierre-Paul and former Bronco Von Miller.
Gregory has 16.5 sacks in 50 career games, which isn’t bad. The Cowboys will probably make a push to keep him but the Broncos could likely offer him more money to move.
Jadeveon Clowney, Defensive End, Cleveland Browns
When he was in college at South Carolina, it looked like Jadeveon Clowney could be the next Reggie White. He was that impressive.
While he has never quite lived up to that billing in the NFL, he is a highly effective player. Playing alongside the likes of J.J. Watt and Myles Garrett during his career has actually kept him quieter than he should have been as well, but he is still one of the game’s best pass-rushers.
If Clowney joins a new team this offseason, it would be his fourth team in four seasons, but he could find a permanent home in Denver if the money was right. He is still under 30 years old and is coming off of a 9-sack season with the Browns, so the production is still there.
He is also a three-time Pro-Bowl selection and would probably be a much better option than Chubb, in all honesty.
Clowney’s last two contracts have been one-year deals, first with the Tennessee Titans ($12 million) and then with the Browns ($8 million) so he might be looking for something like that while hoping the Browns offer him a long-term deal.
The Browns will likely make a big pitch to retain him because the combination of he and Garrett can be incredibly good, but Paton should, at the very least, do a price check here and see if something could be worked out.
Clowney is one of the most athletic, disruptive players in the game, and putting him on the Denver defense would make the entire unit better.