The Denver Broncos have a few holes they may want to fill in free agency. Who could they target from the players who are in the playoffs? The NFL moved to 14 playoff teams instead of 12 last year which has brought some lopsided games but also some very competitive ones.
Roughly half of the league will be playing a football game within the next two weeks, while the other half of teams come up with a play to get themselves back into the postseason. The Broncos have the second longest playoff drought streak in the NFL, trailing only the lowly New York Jets.
With Denver continuing their head coaching search, it’s also important that they hit on a couple of needs when free agency begins in about two months.
Of the teams that are in the postseason, who are three players the team could target when free agency opens up?
Playoff-bound free agents the Broncos can target in ’23
Mike McGlinchey, RT, San Francisco 49ers
Mike McGlinchey was the 9th overall pick back in the 2018 NFL Draft and has been the 49ers’ starting right tackle since then. He’s not elite, but he’s good at what he does and would bring some much needed stability at this position, which has remained inconsistent for years.
He has missed 13 games in his career, which is a tiny bit troubling, but he’s played in 17 games this season and may be able to test the market since the 49ers don’t have a ton of cap space on their hands.
I’d think that they’d want McGlinchey back since their offensive line is so crucial to what they do, but this will be his big payday, and if the Broncos can pony up what he’d want, then they should pursue him.
McGlinchey is 6-foot-8, so he’s got the length, and if Garett Bolles were to return, a tackle duo of Bolles and McGlinchey would be quite nice.
Playoff-bound free agents the Broncos can target in ’23
Gardner Minshew, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
I think every single contributor here at Predominantly Orange has advocated at some point or another for the Broncos to sign Gardner Minshew.
Minshew, 26, was a rookie in 2019 and instantly captivated NFL audiences with his “dude-bro” personality and decent production on the football field. He was obviously replaced by Trevor Lawrence, and there’s no shame in that.
He’s been with the Eagles since then as the primary backup quarterback. Over his four year career thus far, Minshew has thrown for 44 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, and has earned a passer rating of 93.1.
That’s about as good as you could ever ask for from a backup quarterback. Russell Wilson should be backed up by someone who could lightly put some pressure on during the offseason and someone who could keep the team afloat if Wilson goes down.
Most contending teams in the NFL have high quality options at backup for this very reason, and George Paton’s backup plan in 2022 was certainly pathetic. I think he needs to invest several million dollars to this position and to try and sign someone like Gardner Minshew who has proven to be a serviceable quarterback when given the chance.
Playoff-bound free agents the Broncos can target in ’23
Brett Maher, K, Dallas Cowboys
I’m not sure how likely it is that a kicker who had 90.6 percent of his kicks this year will even hit the market, but it’s possible. Maher has been with the Cowboys and Saints during his short career in the NFL and has made 81 percent of his kicks.
However, over the last two years, Maher has gone a combined 45/50, which is good for 90%. He’s got a long of 63 back in 2019 and has made 95.5 percent of his extra points.
He’s also a stellar 19/27 on kicks from beyond 50 yards and has never missed in the 20-29 yard range. Let’s contrast a couple of these statistics with Brandon McManus, who made less than 80 percent of his kicks this year for the Broncos.
McManus is an iffy 40/72 on kicks from beyond 50 yards and has missed four kicks in the 20-29 yard range.
Over the last two years, McManus has made just 80.6 percent of his field goals, going 54/67. Brett Maher appears to be a much better option right now than Brandon McManus, and if he hits the market, the Broncos should have strong interest to help improve their poor special teams’ play.