It’s never too early to look ahead to the 2023 offseason, so where will some of the Denver Broncos’ 2023 free agents end up for the 2023 season?
The Denver Broncos may have a very busy 2023 offseason. They are set to have quite a few unrestricted free agents, and the team surely wants to sign some of them back, if they aren’t traded before then or given deals before next offseason.
It’s never too early to look ahead to this time, as it would be the first full offseason with Russell Wilson at quarterback. The team could very well be coming off a deep playoff run in 2022, so Denver might end up being a very attractive destination for free agents.
As such, some of the Broncos’ projected 2023 free agents might want to stay.
Obviously, no team re-signs all of their free agents, so let’s take a look at some unrestricted free agents next offseason and predict where they’ll sign.
Predicting where 2023 Denver Broncos free agents will sign
Melvin Gordon was just re-signed to the Denver Broncos and looks ready to enter his third season with the team.
If it was a bit uncertain whether he’d be re-signed for this year, it’s likely a forgone conclusion that he won’t be on the team in 2023. Javonte Williams looks ready to take over the RB1 spot, and the team might simply want a backup for Williams who is also on their rookie deal, to perhaps save some money.
Melvin Gordon has been a fine player for the Denver Broncos, but nothing overly special. He’ll be 29 this season, so age is a valid concern.
He’d be entering his age-30 season in 2023, so he’d likely have to take an RB2 role somewhere. That isn’t to say he can’t start for a team, but it’s likely that he wouldn’t get that chance unless there’s an injury.
While I’m sure Gordon would love to come back to Denver for 2023, I think it’s out of the cards.
So then, I would expect Gordon to again sign with a contender, as he did re-signing with Denver this year.
It makes sense for a 30-year-old running back to do so, as their shelf lives in the NFL are quite short.
He’s spent his entire career in the AFC, and on the west coast, so I would expect him to want to stay in roughly the same area.
New team prediction for 2023: Los Angeles Rams
Predicting where 2023 Denver Broncos free agents will sign
Bradley Chubb is perhaps entering the most important season of his football career. After four seasons of inconsistency, injury, and flashes of greatness, Chubb is getting his fifth-year option year to prove to the Denver Broncos that he belongs with the team for the long term.
The Broncos’ front seven is now set to feature DJ Jones, Randy Gregory, Bradley Chubb, and Dre’Mont Jones.
The Jones’ “brothers” in the middle should be a very nice help for the edge players to get home.
If Chubb cannot perform in these conditions, he won’t be re-signed.
And by the looks of it, drafting Nik Bonitto and moving Baron Browning to EDGE full time would indicate to me personally that the team is prepared to move on from Chubb in 2023 unless something big happens.
I wouldn’t see that as a shock either way.
Even if Chubb has a decent, but not great season, a team desperate for pass-rush help will pay the big bucks to get Chubb, who was the fifth overall pick back in 2018.
I would expect an up-and-coming team to sign Chubb, so I think my 2023 team prediction fits well.
New team prediction for 2023: Chicago Bears
Predicting where 2023 Denver Broncos free agents will sign
Dre’Mont Jones is going to be the most important free agent for the Denver Broncos to re-sign if the current situation holds. Yes, the team did just give DJ Jones a $30 million contract, and they did just pay Randy Gregory, but Dre’Mont Jones’ interior presence is very valuable.
He and DJ Jones are going to be a wrecking ball of run-stuffing and pass rush goodness.
While it might not be the smartest thing to invest a ton of money into one specific area like this, I see Dre’Mont Jones sticking around, especially if the team lets Bradley Chubb go, which I think that to be the case.
Dre’Mont Jones is an excellent interior rusher who also does well at stopping the run. He has the talent to be a 10.0 sack player and does have enough talent to make a Pro Bowl here and there.
The Denver Broncos are going to continue on their trend of sporting a top defense, and Dre’Mont Jones is a defensive cornerstone for the team.
I would be shocked if he’s playing anywhere other than Denver in 2023 and beyond. I would expect him to sign a deal upwards of $10 million per year whenever the two sides want to engage in talks.
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While Denver could always let Dre’Mont Jones test free agency and sign a new team, George Paton has been one to re-sign some of the in-house players, and I do not anticipate Dre’Mont Jones being an exception to that rule.