Early 2025 free agency wish list for the Denver Broncos at the bye week

The Denver Broncos are now winners of three in a row and are 8-5 at their bye. Let's whip up an early free agency wish list for 2025. With some cap space opening up next offseason and a lower dead cap number, the Broncos are going to be in more of a position to spend some money.

And with Bo Nix really developing as a rookie QB, Denver may have already seen enough to begin loading up around their QB on his rookie deal. This is the biggest advantage in all of sports, and the Broncos may be the latest team to take advantage.

Now at 8-5 with a good-not-great roster, the Broncos could ascend into that "great" roster category and make some high-profile free agent signings. Let's makeup a free agency wish list for the Broncos in 2025 now that the team is on their bye week.

Early 2025 free agency wish list for the Denver Broncos at the bye week
Najee Harris, RB

There may not be a more consistent running back in the NFL today than Najee Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Here are his yearly rushing totals and what he is projected to finish with this season:

2021: 1,200
2022: 1,034
2023: 1,035
*2024: 1,168

He has never missed a start and has never rushed for fewer than seven touchdowns in a season. He's also never finished with fewer than 1,206 scrimmage yards and eight scrimmage touchdowns in a season. Najee Harris may not have the top-end speed of certain backs and does not come with the "pizzaz" that others do, but again, the consistency is there.

The Broncos must field a consistent running game around Bo Nix. He's had to have a bit too much on his plate during his rookie season due to the RB room's up-and-down nature. Getting someone like Najee Harris to pair with Audric Estime and Jaleel McLaughlin is a legitimate RB room that would wear down opponents.

Chris Godwin, WR

In my opinion, and upon further thought, the Denver Broncos have a need for a WR more like Chris Godwin and less like Tee Higgins. Godwin is a free agent in 2025 and was off to an insane start with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024. He was on pace for 1,399 yards before a lower-leg injury ended his season.

He's got four 1,000-yard seasons and would have likely had his fourth 1,000-yard season in a row had he been able to stay healthy. Godwin has been playing alongside Mike Evans for years in Tampa, so with him probably only having one more chance to get a large payday, he probably also wants to sign with a team where he can be featured a ton.

To me, pairing Chris Godwin with Courtland Sutton and Devaughn Vele would be a top-end WR room in the NFL and would give opposing defenses a lot to gameplan for.

BJ Hill, DT

Current starting defensive tackle DJ Jones is a free agent in 2025. Jones has had a very good year, but in my opinion, the Broncos should try to find a DT who has more of a pass rush threat, and BJ Hill could be that player. Over the last four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, Hill has played in 59 regular season games.

In those games, he's amassed 14 sacks, 205 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, and 50 QB hits. He's earning almost one QB hit per game, which is definitely more than DJ Jones has brought to the table.

Now to be fair, DJ Jones was initially signed to help the Denver Broncos stop the run, so he's never really been known for being a good interior rusher, but being that the Broncos DL is the best in football, why not try to improve it?

Budda Baker, SAF

Budda Baker played the best football of his career with Vance Joseph. From 2019-2022, the years that Joseph was the defensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals, here is what Baker was able to do:

-4 Pro Bowls
-1 All-Pro
-7 Interceptions
-26 Passes Defended
-4.5 Sacks
-474 Total Tackles
-21 Tackles for Loss
-10 QB Hits

Budda Baker is a very good player in this league and has been among the top safeties in the NFL for years now. While Denver's safety play has been good this year, I do see room for an upgrade over PJ Locke III. Baker would form a lethal duo with Brandon Jones and would give the Denver Broncos yet another physical DB, which is paramount for Joseph's defenses.

If Denver wants to make an all-in push, they should strive to make some high-profile signings.