There are a handful of prominent former Denver Broncos players that are still looking for new homes in the 2022 season after the NFL Draft.
The 2022 NFL offseason has been absolutely wild from the start. The Denver Broncos already made arguably the most shocking and biggest blockbuster deal with the Russell Wilson trade, but there will undoubtedly be more roster tinkering between now and September.
Even with all of the player movement across the league in the 2022 offseason so far, there are still a wide variety of prominent veterans still on the open market, including former Denver Broncos players.
Some of the former Denver Broncos still available in NFL free agency may surprise you. Let’s take a look through a handful of those former Broncos players still looking for new teams in 2022.
Former Denver Broncos available no. 5: Phillip Lindsay, RB
Considering the volatility in value for NFL running backs, Phillip Lindsay’s availability is probably the least shocking of any player on this list.
At one point in time, and not that long ago, Lindsay was arguably the most popular player on the Denver Broncos’ roster.
The undrafted free agent out of Colorado made the Pro Bowl his rookie season, the first undrafted running back to ever accomplish that feat.
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Since that time, it’s been a steep decline for Lindsay who was offered a first right of refusal deal by the Broncos as recently as last offseason before the team decided to sign Mike Boone and draft Javonte Williams.
Lindsay ended up signing with the Houston Texans who let him go before he caught on with the Miami Dolphins.
Lindsay hasn’t always been the most proficient three-down back and his presence on the field borderline telegraphs a running play. With that being said, he is still fast, explosive, and there’s potential in there to be a much better weapon in the passing game if utilized correctly.
Former Denver Broncos available no. 4: Matt Paradis, C
Matt Paradis was once the anchor of a Super Bowl-winning offensive line.
The Denver Broncos took a massive risk with Paradis in the 2015 offense, making him their starting center despite the fact that he had never played an NFL down at that point and was a practice squad player in 2014.
The Broncos’ faith in Paradis paid off, and he became a staple for the offense for four seasons from 2015-18.
After the 2018 season, the Broncos made the unpopular decision at the time to let Paradis walk in free agency where he had a robust market.
He ended up signing a pretty reasonable contract with the Carolina Panthers where he has been the starting center for the last three seasons.
The former sixth-round pick out of Boise State is going to be 33 in October and is coming off of a season in which he only played nine games, but he could still be a starting center for some team.
Especially for teams that run a zone-blocking scheme, you would think that Paradis would still be an option.
Even though he has a couple of seasons where he only played nine games, Paradis has been mostly durable in his career and is obviously a smart, veteran player who could help someone’s line.
Former Denver Broncos no. 3: Emmanuel Sanders, WR
Even though he just turned 35 years old, Emmanuel Sanders can definitely still play.
Last season for the Buffalo Bills, Sanders caught 42 passes for 626 yards and four touchdowns in the regular season followed by a touchdown catch in the playoffs for Buffalo this past season.
In the last three years, Sanders has been to the playoffs on three different teams, including two legitimate Super Bowl contenders in Buffalo and San Francisco.
He averaged almost 15 yards per reception at the age of 34 and his speed is still there.
Once upon a time, the Denver Broncos absolutely stole Emmanuel Sanders in free agency. He had pretty modest production in his first four NFL seasons as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but then he came to the Denver Broncos after Eric Decker left for the Jets and absolutely exploded onto the scene.
Sanders not only became a Pro Bowl receiver in Denver, he had one of the best and most productive stretches for a receiver in team history.
Now, he’s looking for a new team but he’s also likely not in any rush to sign.
Sanders knows what he brings to the table and he will wait for the right financial situation as well as team fit.
At some point, a contending team will realize that it needs a player like Sanders at one of the game’s most important positions. Perhaps we’ll see him re-sign with the Bills again but I think Sanders will eventually have other options.
Former Denver Broncos available no. 2: Danny Trevathan, LB
Although injuries limited him to just five games, Danny Trevathan just completed his 10th NFL season.
That’s difficult to believe.
Trevathan was an unsung part of the now vaunted 2012 NFL Draft class for the Denver Broncos which included players like Derek Wolfe and Malik Jackson.
Trevathan made up one half of the dynamic linebacker duo that helped the Denver Broncos’ 2015 defense absolutely dominate their opponents.
At his best, Trevathan was an elite three-down linebacker whose lack of pure speed was made up for with elite instincts and play recognition.
Another thing that might be hard to believe?
Trevathan has, at this point, spent far more time as a member of the Chicago Bears than he did with the Denver Broncos.
He was with the Broncos from 2012-15 and has been a member of the Chicago Bears from 2016-2021.
Since joining the Bears, injuries have persisted for Trevathan, as they did at times when he was in Denver, limiting him to an average of 11 games per season.
His 113 total tackles in 2020 were the most he had in a single season since his 2015 campaign with the Denver Broncos.
I think Trevathan will always be one of those players that is beloved by Broncos Country but entering his age 32 season, he’s going to need to take a short-term deal with some team.
Former Denver Broncos still available no. 1: Chris Harris Jr., CB
One player that Denver Broncos fans may have some mixed feelings about is cornerback Chris Harris Jr.
At one point, Harris represented one of the remaining memories the team actually had of its recent glory years. There were rumors back in 2019 that the Broncos could trade Harris but they ultimately kept him around.
In the 2020 offseason, the Broncos let Harris go and he ended up signing a free agent contract with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Of course, everyone in Broncos Country absolutely hated that.
It feels like it was just yesterday that Harris was putting the proverbial nail in the coffin for the Chargers with a pick-six off of Philip Rivers in a Monday Night Football game no one in Broncos Country will ever forget.
To see him wearing the powder blue uniform and now part of one of the Denver Broncos’ division rivals was absolutely gross.
Harris only played two years of his three-year deal with the Chargers and only played 23 of a possible 33 games due to injury.
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Harris will go into the Denver Broncos ring of fame one day, but for now, he’s approaching the age of 33 and will likely need to take a one-year deal to prove he can still play the nickel somewhere at a high level.