The Denver Broncos figure to be active players in free agency with the Russell Wilson arrival, but which position should they stay away from?
The Denver Broncos are a good football team again. They have a solid roster even with their current free agent players.
Not each free agent will be back, but some figure to return to Denver. The Broncos should target a few positions in free agency, specifically right tackle and edge. The team needs instant impact players at these crucial positions.
The Broncos should also consider targeting another position like cornerback or safety, seeing all of Kareem Jackson, Bryce Callahan, and Kyle Fuller are free agents.
They shouldn’t reach for the secondary, though, because their unit is still very strong.
There is no position that they do not need to target in free agency and should simply work to retain their in-house guys, and those are the linebackers.
The team already retained one of their free-agent linebackers in Jonas Griffith.
He was traded to the Broncos from the 49ers and seemed to make an impact late in the season.
He figures to, at worst, be a depth piece for the team.
The team also has 3 other notable linebacker free agents as well in Kenny Young, Alexander Johnson, and Josey Jewell.
Jewell and Johnson were the two starters at linebacker to begin the season. Together, they made one of the strongest linebacking tandems in the NFL. Alexander Johnson is a heck of an athlete who can work sideline to sideline and presents a small pass rush threat as well.
Josey Jewell is a more old-school linebacker who relies on his instincts more instead of athletic ability.
Both complement each other nicely, and being that Denver is set to run a similar defense that they did under Vic Fangio, both players should return to the team.
We also have free agent Kenny Young who came over from the Rams. He obviously has experience with the team’s new defensive coordinator in Ejiro Evero, so a Kenny Young return makes sense.
Young filled in solidly for the Broncos and is a fringe starter. He would make another very solid depth piece alongside Jonas Griffith.
The last notable Broncos linebacker free agent is Micah Kiser, who also spent time with the Rams. Kiser was a fifth-round draft pick from the Rams in 2018 and appeared in 26 games with the team, starting 9 of them.
Kiser appeared in 10 games with the Denver Broncos.
Last but not least is Baron Browning who was a third-round pick with the Denver Broncos in last year’s draft. Browning has a ton of athleticism and amazing size.
He’s 6-foot-3, 245-pounds, and ran a 4.58 at the combine to go with a 40 inch vertical.
Browning could be used as an EDGE piece too if Denver wanted.
Between Browning and Griffith who are both under contract, the team can also bring back Kenny Young, Alexander Johnson, and Josey Jewell.
They are linebackers who, while they aren’t truly elite, fit the Broncos’ system perfectly. I do not think having a ton of turnover at a position is a healthy thing to do, so retaining some of the in-house guys makes the most sense to me.