Hindsight is 20/20, and is often fun to talk about, so lets look at three free agent do-overs for the Denver Broncos during the 2022 offseason.
The Denver Broncos free agency period was an objective success after the acquisition of Russell Wilson. Wilson is going to allow the Broncos to be a great team for years to come.
However, some of the free agent moves besides Wilson could be debated. I was personally not a fan of a few signings and believe that George Paton should have looked elsewhere instead of where he did.
Obviously, fans and content creators alike may never be 100% satisfied with their favorite team’s roster. Even though I wish George Paton would have made these three moves instead, I am still very thrilled with the team he and his staff have put together since he took over after the 2020 season.
Here are three free agent do-overs for the 2022 offseason.
Denver Broncos should have signed Morgan Moses instead of Billy Turner
I have written about Morgan Moses multiple times on this website. He was one of the main targets I hoped Denver would have signed in free agency. Moses took a $15 million deal over three years with the Baltimore Ravens, which is a steal for an above-average tackle.
Morgan Moses simply does not miss games. He’s stayed on the field for years and has played in an outside zone scheme. He’s as reliable as they get at any position and would have given the Denver Broncos more clarity along the offensive line.
The team signed Billy Turner to likely be the right tackle, but as we know, the position is up for grabs and is even more so up for grabs when you factor in Turner’s ability to play on the interior.
I think this makes the offensive line situation even more crowded than it needs to be. Signing Moses would have given the Broncos their two tackles for at least 2022, and would have allowed the staff to focus more on getting the interior sorted out.
Denver Broncos should have signed Chandler Jones instead of Randy Gregory
The Denver Broncos decided to help their pass rush by signing Randy Gregory, formerly of Nebraska and the Dallas Cowboys. Gregory has struggled to stay on the field since being drafted in 2015 and has never been a player to fill the stat sheet.
He’s also currently recovering from an injury. Instead, I think the Broncos should have signed someone who is as close to Von Miller’s production as possible, and that’s Chandler Jones.
The future Hall of Famer has racked up over 100 career regular season sacks in his time with the Patriots and Cardinals.
Now with the Raiders, the Broncos will have to ensure they do their best to neutralize Jones, who is a much, much better talent than Gregory.
Jones doesn’t have off-field concerns or the injury issues like Gregory does, and he did sign for less money. Gregory’s deal is worth $70 million, while Jones’ deal is worth $52.5 million.
This was a head-scratching decision. I think it’s a safe bet to say that Paton did not want to pay that much for Jones, but I would have personally rather seen him give Chandler Jones $17.5 million per year than Randy Gregory $14 million per year.
Denver Broncos should have signed Leighton Vander Esch over Alex Singleton
I think it is an absolute travesty that the Denver Broncos have not done more with the inside linebacking group. Letting Alexander Johnson and Kenny Young go in free agency while only signing Alex Singleton is a massive mistake.
LVE is, by all accounts, a significantly better player than Singleton has ever been.
To make matters worse, the minimal contract difference is hard to swallow. Singleton’s contract with the Denver Broncos is valued at $1.1 million, while Vander Esch’s contract is valued at $2 million.
Less than a million dollars is separating a backup caliber player in Singleton from a Pro Bowl talent in Vander Esch, who is a couple of years younger as well.
I would also be willing to put another inside linebacker in here instead of LVE, like Kwon Alexander- Rashaan Evans.
Hopefully, the ILB unit for the Denver Broncos does not show itself to be a huge weakness.
3 free agent cornerbacks the Denver Broncos could add to the roster
The Denver Broncos could add some more depth to the defensive backfield by adding any one of these available veteran free agents.
To me, I think it is, and there are still some names to sign that could help fill the void, like former Viking Anthony Barr, along with Kwon Alexander.