Grading Denver Broncos 2022 free agency haul thus far

Denver Broncos free agency haul grades

DJ Jones – A, Randy Gregory, C+

DJ Jones may not be a household name, but the former 49er is one of the very best run stuffers in the entire NFL.

In fact, among defensive tackles, Jones ranked 1st in the NFL in 2021 in run stop win rate, ahead of players like Arik Armstead and Christian Wilkins.

Denver ranked 15th against stopping the run in 2021, so this unit will need to keep up with their dominant secondary, which is set to return Ronald Darby, Justin Simmons, and Patrick Surtain II.

DJ Jones signing with the Broncos did not make the top headlines, but it’s a very good signing for a 27-year-old player ready to hit his prime.

Randy Gregory was drafted in 2015 and has played in just 50 career games, missing a ton mostly because of off-the-field issues which turned into suspensions.

Gregory has never played a full season; his 14-game 2018 season was the highest mark of his career.

In 2021, he enjoyed a decent season, but nothing special.  He notched 6 sacks, 19 total tackles, 17 quarterback hits, 3 forced fumbles, and 1 interception in 12 games.

Playing on a defense that featured Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, perhaps we should have expected more production, especially given the 5 year, $70 million contract that Paton handed Gregory.

I think it’s a massive overpay for a slightly above-average player who struggles to stay on the field.

Hopefully, he and Bradley Chubb, who also has availability issues, can stay on the field this season.

Their ceilings are through the roof, but the floor for both players is hideously low. I hope Randy Gregory proves me wrong, but I do not like this signing.