4. Signing FB Michael Burton
The Denver Broncos want to be physical on offense this year. That much is clear when you look at their free agent signings on the whole. It doesn't get clearer than making the fullback position a priority in free agency, which is exactly what the Denver Broncos did here with former Saints and Chiefs fullback Michael Burton.
Andy Benoit of The 33rd Team put out a post this offseason looking at the X-Factor for every NFL roster. He gave that distinction to Michael Burton for the Denver Broncos.
Let's see why...
"This is less about Michael Burton and more about what he represents: Sean Payton’s commitment to base personnel. For years, people thought of Payton’s Saints as a wide-open, aggressive, high-octane offense. But they were just an extremely balanced and proficient offense. It started with featuring a variety of base personnel, including the fullback.Andy Benoit
Only four teams (Baltimore, San Francisco, Oakland/Las Vegas and Atlanta) played more snaps with a fullback than Payton during his 15 seasons with the Saints. Featuring a fullback (or an extra blocking tight end) is the smartest way to play with Russell Wilson. A run-heavy offense sets up the two things Wilson does best: bootlegs and downfield throws off play-action."
The Denver Broncos need Michael Burton to come in and do exactly that -- bring as much balance to the offense as possible. What Burton does isn't going to be recognized often in the stat sheet, but he's going to help the Broncos be able to feature base personnel and run the ball aggressively.
Not only that, but Burton is historically a very valuable special teams player. If you can be a core special teamer for Dave Toub (Chiefs STC), you can play for anyone. He played more than 50 percent of the Chiefs' special teams snaps each of the last two seasons.