How should the Denver Broncos attack the rest of 2022 free agency?
The main wave of free agency is over with very significant signings across the league. How should the Denver Broncos attack the rest of this period?
By all accounts, the Denver Broncos have won the NFL free agency period. Trading for Russell Wilson has instantly put them back into Super Bowl contention after six years of irrelevancy.
Now that the main wave of free agency is over, teams will look to fill out the last few holes of their roster with the quality players remaining on the market.
There are still a ton of high-quality free agents out on the market, and the Denver Broncos do not appear to be done. They still need to figure out their right tackle situation, along with what to do about their need at cornerback, and perhaps still add someone along the front 7.
Going into the last few waves of free agency, the Denver Broncos need to prioritize a cornerback next.
Ronald Darby and Patrick Surtain II are the top two players in this unit, but there is some uncertainty after that. Does the team have a true CB3 on the roster? What about Bryce Callahan and Kyle Fuller? Will the Broncos sign someone to play in the slot? Will Kareem Jackson come back?
Denver still has a need in their secondary. It’s not urgent, but it’s a small need.
I would expect the next signing from the Denver Broncos do be within the secondary.
My guess is a slot cornerback to be specific. Perhaps the team will consider bringing back Bryce Callahan, or perhaps they look elsewhere. I would not mind if the team took a shot on Ahkello Witherspoon or Donte Jackson, two talented players.
Rasul Douglas could be an option as well, who had a breakout season with the Green Bay Packers in 2021.
According to spotrac.com, there are 125 available secondary players left on the market, so Denver should have no problem finding another quality cornerback.
I would also expect them to make another move along the offensive line. They signed Tom Compton, who is a good run blocker, formerly of the 49ers, who has experience playing in outside zone. He figures to compete for a starting spot. He can play inside and outside.
So, after signing a cornerback, I expect the team to sign a starting right tackle. There aren’t a ton of options, but there are some quality ones.
Trent Brown, Daryl Williams, Marcus Cannon, Bobby Massie, and Dennis Kelly could all be free agent options. My personal choice of this group would be Marcus Cannon or Daryl Williams.
The team could also keep a close on the La’el Collins situation as well. The Cowboys could still release the player.
After right tackle, I think making another signing along the edge or defensive line makes a ton of sense.
The team should look to sign a quality backup edge player, so someone like Dante Fowler, Takk McKinley, or even Jason Pierre-Paul.
Denver’s top 2 edge pieces as it stands now are Randy Gregory and Bradley Chubb.
I also think the team could look for another piece along the defensive line. Right now, Mike Purcell, Dre’Mont Jones, and D.J. Jones are the three starters. I think the team could look to improve on this unit and perhaps find a replacement for Mike Purcell.
Ndamukong Suh, Brandon Williams, Eddie Goldman, and Linval Joseph are all great defenders who could give the defensive line another boost.
So, I think, in order, a cornerback, right tackle, and front seven pieces will be the next additions for the Denver Broncos.