The Denver Broncos have a ton of their former players on other teams and thriving, but some are still on the free agency market and might not even sign with a team this year. What we have seen in the Sean Payton era thus far is them ushering in a new beginning.
A ton of former players were traded or cut, and there has been a good bit of roster turnover with this team in the few years Payton has been with the franchcise. Well, the Broncos do have at least one notable former players who is still out on the open market.
And, honestly, it's a bit of a surprise. Well, this NFC contender just lost a key player that this former Broncos' draft pick could replace for the remainder of the season.
Eagles have a void in the secondary, and former Broncos' safety Justin Simmons could make sense
Rookie safety Andrew Mukuba, who has started 10 games this year and who had appeared in all 11, is at risk of missing the rest of the season due to a fractured ankle:
#Eagles S Andrew Mukuba, their promising 2nd round rookie, will undergo surgery to repair a fractured ankle suffered in Sunday’s game, per me and @MikeGarafolo.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 24, 2025
It will be determined during surgery whether or not there is potential for him to return this season. pic.twitter.com/d7KL7p8f5Z
Enter, Justin Simmons? Simmons was drafted all the way back in the 2016 NFL Season and enjoyed a very successful career with the Denver Broncos. It's an understatement to say that Simmons was a ball hawk with the Broncos. He played the 2024 NFL Season with the Atlanta Falcons and has 32 career interceptions and 666 career tackles.
Well, the Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator is Vic Fangio, who was the Broncos head coach from 2019-2021. In those three seasons Fangio and Simmons overlapped in Denver, Simmons had 14 interceptions, 36 passes defended, and 269 total tackles in just 49 games.
He was named to his first Pro Bowl during this stretch and also had two second-team All-Pro nods as well. Simmons was also great in coverage during this time, according to Pro Football Reference, allowing a 72.2 rating. The former Broncos defensive centerpiece is 32 years old and surely has some good football left in him, and I am a bit shocked he was not able to sign on with a team this year.
Simmons could be at the point of his career where he might only be willing to sign if the right team comes calling. Well, he's never played in the postseason and has only been on one winning team during his career, so you'd have to imagine that he would sign with the Eagles, and the fit makes a ton of sense.