The Denver Broncos are reportedly bringing back key defensive piece Justin Strnad, officially starting one of the more important free agencies in team history. The Broncos are fresh off a deep playoff run, in which they had a chance to go to the Super Bowl until roughly the final two minutes of the AFC Championship Game. The Broncos can't miss their chances this spring, and they started their period with a re-signing instead of an external move.
Denver is bringing Strnad back on a three-year contract, and just enough money to consider him a starter next year. Strnad has said on the record that he only saw himself returning to Denver as a starter, and his new contract could lead someone to believe he is the new starter up the middle. In the now reasonable scenario that he could be the starter, this could lead the Broncos to a tough decision on the rest of their roster.
In this new scenario, the Broncos need to pick between Alex Singleton and Dre Greenlaw. The Broncos have realized they need some changes heading into this spring, and running the same inside backfield group would be a colossal mistake. Assuming they don't go down this path, the Broncos now need to pick between Singleton and Strnad.
The Denver Broncos need to find a way to trade Greenlaw back to his former team
The Broncos now find themselves in a scenario where they can try to find a trade for last year’s major free agent signing in Greenlaw. Luckily for both parties involved on the Broncos side, his former team requires help at his position. The Broncos should enter a full-court press to get this deal done.Â
If there is one thing that can be said about the San Francisco 49ers, it’s that they love their own players. The 49ers would very reasonably welcome an extension of Greenlaw, especially after how poorly their defense played last year in the playoffs. He would be entering the final season of his contract and would be an immediate answer for their defensive woes.Â
It's also worth wondering just how badly the 49ers wanted to bring Greenlaw back last offseason, as they were surely at least in communication with their former hard-hitting backer. Furthermore, the 49ers endured a ton of injuries at the position last year and might covet some familarity.
As for Denver, this would help them retain Strnad and Singleton, which appears to be their goal. It would also allow them to add another inside backer through the draft, where they could badly use to add some youth. This might create a scenario in which all involved parties end up happy, and Denver needs to push this as far as it can go.Â