The Denver Broncos surprised pretty much everyone by passing on both Von Miller and Chandler Jones for Randy Gregory. What’s next for George Paton?
Just over one day into the NFL’s legal negotiating period for teams and free agents, the Denver Broncos have made some significant noise.
One week ago today, the Broncos made the shocking trade to acquire quarterback Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks.
The outlook for the Denver Broncos in the 2022 season and beyond has changed significantly in a week’s time.
The Broncos have now acquired free agent defensive lineman DJ Jones from the 49ers as well as pass rusher Randy Gregory from the Cowboys. General manager George Paton also brought back starting linebacker Josey Jewell on a two-year deal.
Although it’s not everybody’s personal brand, the Denver Broncos are off to a roaring start this offseason with plenty of room left to improve and keep upgrading the roster.
What’s next for the Denver Broncos after the Randy Gregory deal?
The Broncos made the decision to prioritize Randy Gregory over other perceived top pass rushers on the free agent market like Von Miller, Chandler Jones, and even others like Haason Reddick.
Gregory has a history of being suspended by the league but has apparently changed significantly over the last couple of years.
Still, signing him to a five-year deal worth $70 million in total money ($28 million in guarantees) feels like a big risk for Paton, one that he and the front office apparently felt was worthwhile considering the presence of Russell Wilson under center.
Because at this point we don’t know exactly how the contracts are structured, it’s hard to know where the Denver Broncos are at exactly with their salary cap space, but because the cap is expected to continually rise in the coming years, it’s reasonable to assume the cap hits for 2022 will be plenty low so the Broncos can keep adding pieces to the roster.
After the decision to sign Randy Gregory and re-sign Josey Jewell on Tuesday, what moves could be up next?
The Broncos still have needs at right tackle, tight end, safety, and cornerback.
Denver Broncos move no. 1: Sign Tyrann Mathieu
The Denver Broncos are Super Bowl contenders with Russell Wilson at the QB position.
You’ve got to act like it in free agency.
Tyrann Mathieu proved to be an incredible free agent acquisition for the Kansas City Chiefs, helping them (unfortunately) win a Super Bowl during the 2019 season.
Mathieu now is a free agent and one of the teams that was presumed to be a huge suitor for him — the Baltimore Ravens — is likely out of the running for the Honey Badger as they signed Marcus Williams of the Saints to a big-money deal.
Perhaps Mathieu will take Williams’ place in New Orleans and return to his hometown, or perhaps he will join the enemy in Denver, pair up with Justin Simmons, and give the Denver Broncos a versatile weapon in Ejiro Evero’s defense.
This type of move would really depend on what kind of value Mathieu is carrying at this point. The safety market has been all over the place the past couple of seasons with Justin Simmons resetting the market on a four-year, $61 million deal.
Then you have other players around Mathieu’s age last year like Anthony Harris who had played very well for the Vikings and only got $4 million for one year from the Eagles last offseason.
This offseason, it’s all over the map again.
It wouldn’t be shocking to see Mathieu get more than $10 million per year on a new contract, and that would be fair.
If I were George Paton, I would seriously consider adding Mathieu to pair with Justin Simmons.
If not Mathieu, then the Broncos should be in the market for another safety. Should they bring Kareem Jackson back? I might look into some younger players first.
Marcus Maye is intriguing but he’s also coming off of an injury. The same is true for Jabrill Peppers.
A talented athlete who is also a young, ascending player to consider would be Terrell Edmunds of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
There are options out there for the Broncos to consider.
Denver Broncos move no. 2: Sign a right tackle
As of right now, the Denver Broncos still have some intriguing options at the right tackle position.
In the interest of stealing even more players from the Dallas Cowboys, the Broncos might be one of a handful of teams waiting to pounce if (or maybe when) the Cowboys let go of right tackle La’El Collins, who is expected to be cut or traded soon.
If not Collins, Morgan Moses remains a logical fit at the right tackle position.
The same goes for recently cut Billy Turner, a right tackle for the Green Bay Packers who has an obvious history with some of the coaching staff in Denver.
Daryl Williams was recently released by the Buffalo Bills.
Others have made connections with Dennis Kelly in the past.
There are players available but among that list, only the acquisition of someone like Collins would really lead me to believe the Denver Broncos were going to pass up on tackles early on in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Morgan Moses is 31 this year, which is not exactly “old” for a tackle anymore. Guys at that position are playing almost as long as quarterbacks these days.
Billy Turner is still only 30 as well, so perhaps those two guys could give you a window of time where you don’t have to invest heavily in the Draft.
If the Broncos make a move for a guy like Dennis Kelly, you’ll know that the NFL Draft is Plan A.
Denver Broncos move no. 3: Cornerback
The Denver Broncos could be somewhat surprisingly involved in the cornerback market. I’m sure it’s mostly limited to guys that primarily play out of the nickel spot, but they could add a couple of guys here.
Just like you can never have too many pass rushers, you can never have too many good cover corners.
What can we expect in year three out of Michael Ojemudia? If he goes out there and blows everyone away in a competition, that’s great, but I don’t think you can confidently build around the former third-rounder at this point.
Do you bring back Bryce Callahan or try to convince Chris Harris Jr. to run it back? I am personally not a fan of that idea in either case because both of those players have had substantial injury issues in recent years, not to mention they’re both on the wrong side of 30.
There is inherent risk involved with just about any acquisition in free agency, but adding injury prone players older than 30 just is not how I would operate if I were George Paton.
There are some younger corners with slot experience that could be intriguing options for the Denver Broncos, including former second-round pick Isaiah Oliver, who played his college ball at Colorado before being drafted by the Atlanta Falcons.
There are also a couple of former first-round picks of the Minnesota Vikings that are available in Mike Hughes and Jeff Gladney. Some will be against the idea of Gladney for off-field reasons and that is understandable, but given the way his legal situation played out, it would not surprise me if he were an option the Broncos and George Paton considered.
Desmond King just went for two years and only $7 million, so perhaps there are some short-term bargains to be had here as well.
Denver Broncos move no. 4: Sign a tight end
This may not be overly high on the Denver Broncos’ to-do list, but I feel like they absolutely need a TE1 or someone to push Albert Okwuegbunam, at the very least.
There were some rumblings about Will Dissly of the Seattle Seahawks, but Dissly re-signed in Seattle for $8 million per year on a new contract.
The tight end market has not been quite as team-friendly as I had anticipated, but we’ll see what happens as free agency progresses.
My top target is probably OJ Howard at this point, the former first-round pick of the Buccaneers. He is young, athletic, and has tremendous upside. Additionally, I don’t think he’s going to sign for a massive deal so there could be good value here.
Time will tell on that.
Tyler Conklin also makes a ton of sense having been drafted by the Vikings and George Paton and working as the TE1 for Klint Kubiak last year in Minnesota. Kubiak, of course, is now the QBs coach and passing game coordinator in Denver.
Denver Broncos get a great grade for DJ Jones signing
The Denver Broncos get a high grade for the move to sign coveted free agent defensive lineman DJ Jones, one of the top DL on the market.
There are plenty of tight ends with connections to the Denver coaching staff or Russell Wilson at this point, and most all of them are still available at this point.