If the Denver Broncos are dealing with any sort of significant injury to safety Brandon Jones after their win against the Green Bay Packers, there's one obvious free agent to call.
The Broncos were forced to insert PJ Locke into the lineup on Sunday after Jones went down with what the team called a pectoral injury. The fact that Jones was ruled out so quickly with the injury is not a great sign, and the Broncos would need to take action to fortify depth at the position.
Luckily, there just so happens to be a guy who lives in Denver, who has been keeping himself in shape, and was even recently on with Kay Adams talking about wanting to still play. He's also played in Vance Joseph's defense, and he's played for the Broncos as recently as 2023.
Justin Simmons should be an obvious free agent target for Broncos if Brandon Jones injury is serious
Justin Simmons has never played in the playoffs as an NFL player, despite being in Denver the year after they won Super Bowl 50. He spent the majority of his NFL career with the Broncos before playing last season for the Falcons, and now he's a free agent.
Simmons was a ballhawk in his time with the Broncos, and one of the best safeties in the league for a stretch of time.
At this point in the year, you couldn't really ask for a player with a better pedigree to still be sitting around and looking for an NFL team to help. Even as a veteran practice squad option, for some insurance, how could the Broncos not look into this?
It would be incredible for Simmons, who paid so many dues during the dark days of Denver Broncos football, to sign on with the team after they've already punched their ticket to the playoffs. He still obviously knows so many of the players and coaches on the roster, has ties within the organization, and is a player who was once given a huge contract extension by general manager George Paton.
This is a reunion that has been thrown out there in the past, but many have speculated that these two ships have sailed and there's no coming back. But you never know what circumstances could potentially lead to these types of reunions, and an injury to Brandon Jones is precisely the type of situation that makes this make sense.
A reunion with Simmons would send the fan base into a frenzy. Obviously, everyone would prefer to just have Brandon Jones healthy, but if he's out, you have no choice as an organization to fortify your depth. This move is staring the Broncos directly in the face.