The Denver Broncos have truly had a great offseason. Do they have a chance to upgrade once more with a sneaky signing?
The team's front office was able to address the main weaknesses of the roster, as the Broncos got better at running back, wide receiver, tight end, inside linebacker, and safety. George Paton and Sean Payton quite literally addressed everthing.
Now yes, none of the upgrades they brought forth are perfect, and just because they seemed to upgrade, it doesn't mean ever addition is going to work out, but the arrow is pointing upward for this team. Well, with training camp slowly but surely approaching, do the Broncos have a shot to make at least one more sneaky upgrade?
The Broncos must sign linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley
Ja'Whaun Bentley was cut by the New England Patriots earlier this offseason. He suffered a torn pectoral muscle in Week 2 of the 2024 NFL Season, but being that it's coming up on a year since that injury, one could assume that Bentley is just about healthy.
He turns 29 years old in August and was a pretty reliable player before the injury, so he does not come with a lengthy injury history. The veteran linebacker broke out in 2020, and in the 2020-2023 seasons, Bentley played in 62 games, amassing one interception, nine passes defended, four forced fumbles, 10 sacks, 439 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss, and 26 QB hits.
Bentley allowed a 91.5 passer rating when in coverage during that stretch, so he can be serviceable when asked to do that. Signing him to a one-year prove-it deal to help out the ILB room would be another low-risk, high-reward signing by the Denver Broncos. It would not cost them much at all, but if he gets back to his old self post-injury, Denver's ILB room could become one of the best in the NFL.
The team's room at the moment is dealing with two injuries, as Dre Greenlaw's quad is on the mend, and Alex Singleton is working his way back from a torn ACL. It would be wise for Denver to add another linebacker to the mix, and while Ja'Whaun Bentley might not be a household name, signing him would make the defense better.