The Denver Broncos should keep their foot on the gas and now turn their attention to some of their in-house players for roster moves. After three notable external free agency moves, the Denver Broncos should turn their attention to some of their in-house player now for some contractual moves.
Part of building a Super Bowl team is being able to make the right in-house moves and right moves on the open market. Denver seems to have done well with their free agency additions thus far, so they should look inward now to take care of these three contract moves.
3 in-house contract moves the Denver Broncos must make now
Extend Zach Allen
One of three players on the Broncos defense who had DPOY-caliber seasons, Zach Allen signed a free agent deal with the Denver Broncos two offseasons ago, so he's got just one more year left on his deal and is due for a pretty substantial raise. He had a whopping 40 QB hits for the Broncos in 2024 and ended up as one of the top defensive ends in football.
The Denver Broncos are probably going to get this extension done in the near future, and it would be wise if they got it done quickly. Zach Allen has played every year of his NFL career in Vance Joseph's defense and has really only gotten better, so there is reason to believe he's got a bit more ceiling left with the Denver Broncos.
Extend Nik Bonitto
Hitting his stride in 2024, Nik Bonitto should have his contract extended by the Denver Broncos. He added 13.5 sacks and two defensive touchdowns along with 16 tackles for loss and 24 QB hits.
He was a top-10 pass rusher in the NFL by most, if not all categories, and it would be a travesty if Denver messed around with this extension. He made the Pro Bowl this year, earned a second-team All-Pro nod, and also came in ninth in defensive player of the year voting.
Nik Bonitto went from being a pass-rush specialst to being a nearly every-down player for the Denver Broncos. He does not turn 26 years old until September and is someone who must play the best years of his career with the Denver Broncos.
Extend John Franklin-Myers
John Franklin-Myers had the best year of his career in 2024 with the Denver Broncos. He notched a career-high seven tackles and 40 total tackles. He also added eight tackles for loss, which was another career-high tick, and added 18 QB hits, which was the second-highest total of his career.
JFM is under contract for one more season, and that should change. I do not think it's a coincidence that the first year Franklin-Myers comes to Denver, the Broncos defensive line has an insane year. He's not an elite player, but he's very good, period, and is someone who needs to be a building block for a few more seasons.
John Franklin-Myers has absolutely played well enough for the Broncos to warrant a bit of a pay raise on a contract extension.