The Denver Broncos should seek to add as much talent to the roster as possible, and these three cap casualty candidates in 2025 could help. The Broncos have totally altered the course of their franchise over the last two seasons. Not only have they found a solution on defense, but they have also hit on a rookie QB in Bo Nix.
The Broncos went 10-7 in 2024, shocked the NFL world, and made the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 NFL Season, the year they won Super Bowl 50 with Peyton Manning under center. Denver is now in a position to add as much talent as realistically possible.
They have something to build for in the long-term with Nix and having a cost-controlled QB for years. Denver should keep an eye out for certain players who could be cap casualties when the offseason begins
Bleacher Report outlined a ton of them here, and Denver should keep their eye on these three players in particular.
3 cap casualty players the Denver Broncos must keep an eye on in 2025
Davante Adams, WR, New York Jets
Depending on what the New York Jets new-look front office decides to do, players like Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams could both be cap casualties, and Adams could be a nice one or two-year rental for the Denver Broncos, who simply need some reliable pass catchers for Bo Nix to take a leap in year two.
In 14 games in 2023, Adams was still able to catch 85 passes for 1,063 yards and eight touchdowns. He's got reliable hands and could be a great security blanket for Nix on offense. This move would make a ton of sense.
Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens
Well, Mark Andrews' name is popping up for all the wrong reasons, but he's a top-tier tight end. However, the Ravens could elect to move on from him this coming offseason, which could pave the way for Isaiah Likely to get most of the work.
The Broncos absolutely need some production from the TE room, and Mark Andrews could provide that for a few seasons. In 2024 for the Ravens, Andrews had 673 yards and 11 touchdowns. I can only imagine how much easier things would be on offense for the Denver Broncos if they were able to sign a potential cap casualty in Andrews.
DJ Reader, DT, Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions signed DJ Reader last offseason. Reader has been a steady but very good defensive tackle for years now. He'll be 31 years old when the 2025 NFL Season begins, but in 2024, he had three sacks, four tackles for loss, and eight QB hits in 15 games.
Denver could do a lot worse than bringing in Reader to play about half the snaps and to eat up some space in the middle of the team's defense. DJ Jones is a free agent in 2025. He doesn't typically play as much as Reader would on an NFL defense, and Jones is a bit undersized. I do believe that the Broncos would have room to bring back DJ Jones on a much lower number, but they should also consider taking to free agency or the 2025 NFL Draft to add more bodies.
DJ Readers could be a cap casualty for the Detroit Lions, and Denver can and should have interest.