The Denver Broncos’ roster is loaded but that doesn’t mean there’s no room for improvement. What current NFL free agents could start for this team?
Despite how loaded the Denver Broncos’ roster is, there are still some players available in NFL Free Agency that could probably start for this team.
The Broncos have seemingly made all of the biggest moves they will make this offseason, but you never know when another player could be brought in to fortify depth or potentially even add into the mix as a potential starter.
Over the next handful of weeks, general manager George Paton could do some tinkering with his roster, but will he bring in any starting-caliber players?
Let’s take a look through some NFL free agents that could come in and start for this Denver Broncos team if Paton decided to pursue them, as far-fetched as some may seem.
Denver Broncos free agent no. 5: Rob Gronkowski, TE
At this point in time, it feels like Rob Gronkowski understands that football needs him more than he needs it.
Or maybe wants it.
Gronkowski has played 11 NFL seasons — nine for the New England Patriots and two for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Right now, it feels like he would only come back to play if he was playing in Tampa Bay with Tom Brady.
There hasn’t really been a big free agency pursuit of Gronkowski, at least not that we know of, because I think most everyone assumes that unless he’s retiring (again), Gronk is just going to stick with Brady and play his entire career with no. 12.
That doesn’t change the fact that if the Denver Broncos were to sign Gronkowski, he would undoubtedly be a starter for this team.
Albert Okwuegbunam has plenty of promise. The team obviously loves Greg Dulcich. There is decent depth behind those guys but Gronkowski is one of the game’s truly elite all-around tight ends.
He would not only be a starter in Denver, but with Russell Wilson under center, he would be a lot of fun to add to this roster.
A far-fetched idea? Sure, but a fun one.
Denver Broncos FA no. 4: Riley Reiff, OT
An injury limited veteran offensive lineman Riley Reiff to just 12 games last season, but he showed well in pass protection for the Cincinnati Bengals in the games he started, allowing just 21 pressures in 12 starts.
Is he an elite offensive lineman in the NFL?
No.
Is he solid and a scheme fit for the Denver Broncos?
Absolutely.
Reiff visited the New York Jets who are going to be running a similar offensive scheme (wide-zone) to that of the Denver Broncos.
Reiff played for Zac Taylor last year in Cincinnati who runs a version of the Sean McVay offense along with Brian Callahan, a disciple of the Shanahan coaching tree.
Scheme fit is not a question for Reiff and he also has connections with the front office.
George Paton was with the Minnesota Vikings when they signed Reiff to a big-money free agent deal back in 2017.
He has played more left tackle than right tackle in his NFL career but he’s also proven himself to be versatile.
At this point, Calvin Anderson is the projected starting right tackle for the Denver Broncos and while he could be a long-term fixture there, his future remains unknown.
Billy Turner hasn’t been healthy yet this offseason and could be an option to start at the left guard position as opposed to right tackle.
I think Reiff could come in and start for the Broncos at right tackle if he were signed.
Denver Broncos FA no. 3: Ndamukong Suh, DL
One of the best free agents still available, regardless of position, is veteran defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh.
Suh has recently teased that he may be interested in joining the Las Vegas Raiders, which isn’t good news at all.
At this point, however, he remains a free agent and can still sign with any potentially interested team.
The Denver Broncos could definitely benefit from the presence of a player like Ndamukong Suh, if only for a year. Suh has consistently been a difference-maker on some of the NFL’s best defenses over the last handful of years, even as he enters his mid-30s.
Suh also played for the Los Angeles Rams in 2018 and crossed paths with Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero who was a safeties coach in Los Angeles at that time.
Suh is still getting the job done lately as a presence on the interior defensive line. Over the last two seasons, he has 12 combined sacks and 32 combined QB hits.
Would he start on the Denver Broncos?
Absolutely.
The Broncos’ current projected starters on the defensive line are:
- Dre’Mont Jones
- DJ Jones
- Mike Purcell
I think Suh could start over Purcell and give the Broncos a key veteran presence on that defensive front who has not only proven that he is still productive, but he stays on the field.
Suh hasn’t missed a game in over a decade.
It’s baffling that the Broncos, now a championship contender, haven’t made Suh an offer at this point.
Denver Broncos free agent no. 2: Larry Ogunjobi, DL
The 2022 offseason hasn’t exactly gone as planned for Larry Ogunjobi.
After a big season with the Cincinnati Bengals in their AFC Championship run last year, Ogunjobi agreed to a big-money deal with the Chicago Bears at the start of NFL Free Agency.
Unfortunately, that deal fell through because Ogunjobi failed a physical.
Since that time, he’s taken a couple of visits — one to the New York Jets and one to the Pittsburgh Steelers — with no deal happening as of the time of this post being written.
Ogunjobi is weighing his options at this point and understandably so. He went from getting a lucrative, multi-year deal to now likely having to take another “prove-it” type of contract and not many 28-year-old players really want to do that.
Ogunjobi finished last season with 7.0 sacks for the Bengals, 16 QB hits, and a career-best 24 total pressures.
Although he’s not a dominant all-around defensive lineman, there’s no doubt that Ogunjobi can make those big splash types of plays on the interior defensive line, and working in tandem with Dre’Mont Jones and DJ Jones, I think he would be great.
The question here is likely one of price, and Ogunjobi will be looking for top dollar if he’s only going to sign a short-term deal.
The Broncos may not be a fit from that perspective, but just in terms of putting Ogunjobi on this roster and on the depth chart, I think he would undoubtedly be a starter for this team.
Denver Broncos FA no. 1: Anthony Barr, LB
Heading into training camp, I think the weakest position group on this Denver Broncos roster is undoubtedly at the off-ball linebacker position.
The team seems to really like young Jonas Griffith, who projects as the starter next to Josey Jewell for this season.
There’s nothing wrong with that and Griffith could end up being a star in this defense.
Behind Griffith, the Broncos have Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad.
If it comes to one of those two starting defensively, the Broncos could be in trouble.
Even if this team plays nickel and dime more often than not, a veteran like Anthony Barr could make a huge difference just to have on the roster.
Barr obviously has the connection with general manager George Paton of being a former Vikings first-round pick, but both Barr and Paton graduated from the same high school in California and the same college, UCLA.
Barr is a big, rangy, athletic, off-ball linebacker who can also rush the quarterback if need be. As a matter of fact, he’s quite good at that when asked to do it.
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I think with his versatility and veteran presence, he could definitely start for the Denver Broncos in 2022 next to Josey Jewell and bring some great competition in camp for someone like Jonas Griffith.