When it comes to NFL free agency, you have to be equal parts measured and aggressive in filling your needs. The Denver Broncos no longer have the dreadful Russell Wilson dead cap on the books, but that doesn't mean they can just go crazy in free agency and spend as much as they want on whoever they want.
The Broncos will be able to address their needs capably, but there are some risks they just shouldn't take. The free agent market at wide receiver currently includes the likes of George Pickens, Alec Pierce, and Wan'Dale Robinson, and the projected asking price from Spotrac is prohibitive for almost all of the biggest names.
Not because the Broncos couldn't make it work on the salary cap, but the $70 million projected contract for Wan'Dale Robinson should be enough reason alone to walk away from that idea before NFL Free Agency even begins.
Broncos should stay away from Wan'Dale Robinson in NFL Free Agency (but not why you think)
The Broncos could absolutely use some help at wide receiver this offseaosn, but is Wan'Dale Robinson the solution?
Robinson is coming off of the best year of his NFL career with over 1,000 yards receiving, becoming the shortest player in NFL history to rack up 1,000 receiving yards. At 5-foot-8, 185 pounds, Robinson has big-play ability after the catch, but he also showed this past year that he can be a better downfield target with his best average depth of target (ADOT) for his NFL career so far.
But the asking price of $70 million in total money is too much to bring in a new player the Broncos, at least in theory, already have on the roster.
Paying Wan'Dale Robinson with Marvin Mims Jr. already on the team and entering the final year of his rookie contract seems like it would be a poor evaulation of your own in-house talent.
Mims has been horribly under-utilized in the last handful of years. He's been an All-Pro return specialist and huge difference-maker on special teams for the Broncos, but his contributions at receiver have been seemingly few and far between. Almost anytime Mims is getting targets, he's making big plays or clutch plays.
The problem? He's got 132 total targets in three NFL seasons. Wan'Dale Robinson has 140 targets in each of the last two seasons.
The Broncos don't need to allocate over $17 million per year to sign a player like Robinson when they could simply involve Marvin Mims in the game plan week after week. They're not the exact same player, but they have similar skill sets in a variety of ways and the Broncos would be wise to figure out a way to make it work with Mims. Then, they could just allocate those funds to the guy Sean Payton made his first-ever draft pick with the Broncos.