With the Super Bowl now having come and gone, the attention of the football world turns to free agency, and arguably no team is better positioned for free agency than the Broncos. Coming off a playoff appearance, few Denver Broncos starters are pending free agents and the team figures to be aggressive this Spring.
The Broncos are set to have roughly $37 million in cap space heading into free agency and can open up some more financial flexibility with a few cap casualty moves, such as a few key defensive players. Denver will need to make a few key additions to be able to compete for an AFC West title next year but could do so by adding names already familiar to them.
Which free agents could the Broncos steal from AFC West rivals?
Chiefs: ILB Nick Bolton
The Kansas City Chiefs have a small village of pending free agents, and somehow each one is more important to the team and their success than the last.
At only 24, Nick Bolton will be arguably the best inside linebacker on the free agent market. Luckily for the Broncos, they need help up the middle badly. Cody Barton is set to hit the market, Alex Singleton missed all of 2024 to a torn ACL and is a cap casualty candidate, and no other Bronco has shown the ability to play strongly at inside linebacker. Bolton makes a ton of sense for Denver and could become one of the faces of their defensive units. The only thing that could scare them away might be the price tag, or possibly a greater interest in former Sean Payton player Zack Baun. Regardless, Bolton almost fits the Broncos like a glove.
Chargers: RB JK Dobbins
The one major area where the Broncos struggled in 2024 was with their ground game. No Broncos running back rushed over 550 yards, and there was no true starting back in Denver throughout the year. Adding JK Dobbins to the Denver backfield can provide stability and consistency that the team has not had. Dobbins ran for over 900 yards last season and hit paydirt nine different times. All running backs for the Broncos finished far and away from those numbers, but adding Dobbins can change all of that fairly quickly. Expect Denver to add multiple backs, and Dobbins could be a strong start to that.
Raiders: IDL Adam Butler
The Broncos are set to have a few starting interior linemen hit the open market, and are going to need to find new rotational tackles. Adam Butler put up a solid year for the Raiders last year and will hit free agency at 30 years old. Given his age and the position he plays, Butler might be available on a relatively cheap deal for Denver and could be a candidate to replace one of DJ Jones or Jordan Jackson, two important rotational pieces for Denver. Butler clogged up the middle for Las Vegas and recorded five sacks on the season. With how Denver plays their defensive interior rotationally, Butler could make a ton of sense as another rotational piece.