Looking ahead to the 2022 NFL season, the Denver Broncos have glaring holes at many positions; edge rusher is one of them. Will general manager, George Paton, act as if this pool is your local Baskin-Robbins and double dip?
In Paton’s first season as GM of the Denver Broncos, former head coach, Vic Fangio, told Paton he needed reinforcements at the cornerback position. What did Paton do?
He not only signed two free-agent cornerbacks, Ronald Darby and Kyle Fuller, he also drafted stud cornerback, Patrick Surtain II, with the ninth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
This was not the only position that had this kind of approach. After the oft injured Ja’Wuan James went down with a torn Achilles in the offseason, Paton went out and added two free-agent offensive tackles to sure up that position, Bobby Massie and Cameron Fleming.
From my perspective, this is an absolutely brilliant way to look at positions of need. Reason being, if a position needs backup, your one play away from your backup needing a backup and having to replicate the learning curve all over again.
This brings on lost time, productivity, and efficiency at a position, or even worse, a team.
Especially at a position that requires trench work, ensuring you have an adequate amount of capable bodies is imminent. This is why I think the edge rusher will be the next version of the double-dipped ice cream cone that George Paton likes.
There are many ways to acquire multiple players, so how will George Paton do so?
1. Trade for Danielle Hunter, sign Ryan Kerrigan and draft Drake Jackson
This particular route would bring in a familiar face in Danielle Hunter that George Paton knows very well. In fact, Paton was a part of the front office that selected Hunter 88th overall in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Hunter only had 4.5 sacks while attending Louisiana State University, so he was selected with the sole premise of who he could be, not what he was. That selection has paid dividends for the Minnesota Vikings as he has 60.5 sacks since entering the NFL.
Trading Hunter would be costly as he is a premier pass rusher in the NFL, but ask the Los Angeles Rams how much draft picks matter when you are in win-now mode. Bringing Hunter in, who is under contract until 2024, would bring a hefty charge in 2022, but his cap hit would take a steep fall in 2023.
There is always the option of a restructure that could dwindle his cap charge of $26 million, but making this trade would save the Vikings $20 million if it was done with a post-June 1 designation. Having Hunter would give the Denver Broncos a legitimate star at the pass rush position with Bradley Chubb’s future up in the air.
Signing former Washington Commander and Philadelphia Eagles pass rusher, Ryan Kerrigan, would be a low-floor, high-ceiling type of move. He signed for just $2.5 million last year and had his least productive season of his career.
So why sign him?
Well, with having Bradley Chubb or Danielle Hunter as your 1A, Kerrigan could be a nice depth piece to provide them a breather when needed. Kerrigan suffered a broken thumb during camp last year which set his season back, but may be beneficial to a team like the Denver Broncos who are trying to find a bargain deal for the 2022 NFL season.
Kerrigan posted 37 sacks in his final four seasons with Washington, having that veteran presence in the locker room could also help if the Denver Broncos are making a postseason push.
Drake Jackson, formerly with the USC Trojans, is an elastic pass rusher who has an incredible spin move, along with the ceiling to be special in today’s NFL. Jackson has a great “bend” and can win getting around the edge.
If I had to speculate, he may be a late round one prospect or could be in play when the Denver Broncos are picking for the first time on day two. Jackson would be an almost identical build to Hunter, so this would give him someone to learn from and develop his game with.
During his days with the Trojans, there were clips of magnificent athleticism. Some of his bend, some with power rush, and even with him peeling back to fall off on a running back screen and intercepting passes. Jackson also possesses that natural ability to attack the football that some edge rushers have, but some don’t.
Grabbing Jackson with their first selection on day two would be an absolute steal and would set the Denver Broncos up at the edge position for many years.
2. Signing Anthony Barr and spending a premier pick on an edge
Another familiar face here for Denver Broncos’ General Manager, George Paton.
After tearing his pec in 2020, Barr followed up a missed 2020 season with 2.5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 72 total tackles. While Barr signed a 5-year deal in 2018 worth $67.5 million, in efforts to dip under the cap, his contract was restructured.
In this restructure, part of the deal was that his contract would come off of the books automatically in 2022. Here we are, Barr is now a free agent. While he hasn’t had eye popping sack totals, Barr could be worth taking a flier on, if paired with Bradley Chubb and an elite, young prospect.
Barr would not compete with the likes of signing Von Miller or Chandler Jones, but he would provide a capable veteran who may carry a vote of confidence from George Paton.
If the Denver Broncos do own the ninth overall pick when the NFL Draft rolls around, this would be a good time to select the incredibly talented edge out of Michigan, David Ojabo.
Last season alone, Ojabo recorded 11 sacks and added 11 tackles for loss for the Wolverines. He possesses all of the requisite tools to become an elite pass rusher in the NFL and is my favorite edge out of this deep class.
High ceiling is what I think of when Ojabo comes to mind. According to PFF, he tallied a pass-rush grade of 86.9 on roughly 300 snaps. What is astounding is that Ojabo only saw the field for a total of 26 snaps prior to 2021.
He’s quick, accelerates through blocks and has a knack for the football. There are always comparisons for players when they come out of the draft, but Ojabo has an elite spin move that can be used inside or outside that has proven to trip up some quality collegiate tackles.
As a 6-foot-5, 250 pound stand up edge rusher, Ojabo’s game easily translates to the next level. One of my favorite characteristics of Ojabo is how active his hands are when he is going to sack the quarterback.
What you see with Ojabo is that he isn’t necessarily trying to sack the quarterback, but he is trying to attack the football. There was one prime example of this against the Nebraska Cornhuskers where he was closing the gap between him and the quarterback, but when he got there, he went with a double-hand swat of the football and knocked it loose instead of just spearing the quarterback.
3. Bring Von Miller home and draft multiple mid-round prospects
This scenario brings the brightest twinkle in my eyes. Unless Bradley Chubb is traded in a deal for an elite quarterback, he heads into the 2022 NFL season as the Denver Broncos top pass-rusher.
Bringing back his old teammate, Von Miller, who jumped for joy when he was selected, would bring excitement to Broncos Country nation wide. In a dream scenario, George Paton would have shipped Miller out as a rental to the Los Angeles Rams for two day two selections in this year’s draft.
What would make this an even more chess move is if Paton took those two selections and selected the future pass rushers of the Denver Broncos with them. In scenario one I mentioned Drake Jackson as a potential target, he remains as a target here with the Broncos’ original second-round pick.
With the last pick in the second round, thanks to the Los Angeles Rams, George Paton could double up in round two by selecting a very intriguing prospect in Arnold Ebiketie, edge rusher out of Penn State.
Ebiketie is a guy who can rush the passer from either side of the line.
He has excellent bend, something that he could really master by learning from one of the most elastic pass rushers I have ever seen in Von Miller. Ebiketie also does a great job of getting into the chest of tackles, initiating contact and creating leverage opposed to letting the offensive tackles initiate and dominate.
Von Miller and Bradley Chubb could be the the team’s top two pass rushers for this season, but Jackson and Ebiketie could be learning and seeing the field in what would be a dynamic rotation. After watching Fangio’s defense fail miserably at creating pressure, adding some high-energy, young and athletic pass-rushers to the mix would be a sight for sore eyes.
Ebiketie had 9.5 sacks last season to pair with a couple of forced fumbles. He is 6-foot-3, 256 pounds and he knows how to use every pound of it to his advantage. Ebiketie does a great job of bending and staying underneath blockers and ultimately helps him win in one-on-one situations.
His rip is also a thing of beauty and keeps tackles off of him.
In a division that has Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert, having a plethora of pass rushers can not be understated. If the Denver Broncos did decide to double dip in round two, they would still have a first-round pick as well as two third-round picks to add another elite cornerback and some help along the offensive line.