3 contracts that will pay off big-time for the Denver Broncos
-Boosting the defensive line
The Denver Broncos were crazily active in free agency this year, signing players to fill holes and letting some of their own free agents hit the market. Which 3 contract decisions will pay off for the team? The Broncos did indeed improve their roster this offseason, and their coaching situation got much better as well.
They've set themselves up nicely to have a much-improved 2023 season. In fact, the team has gotten a good bit of national attention as a potential breakout squad, perhaps following the likes of the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Giants from the 2022 season.
Well, they won't get there without some good performances from their returning and new players. The external free agents they signed are under more pressure to perform well, I think. Fortunately, each free agent the Broncos brought in seems to have a distinct role within the team.
In particular, which three contract decisions this year will pay off big-time for the Broncos?
3 contracts that will pay off big-time for the Denver Broncos
1. Broncos not re-signing Dalton Risner was an excellent move
Dalton Risner being a hometown kid influenced the way people within the fanbase thought about him. He's an excellent human being and did a ton of off-field work while with Denver, but his play on the field was sub-par. He was quite good as a rookie, which made a lot of us think that the Broncos had a franchise player at this position.
However, his last three seasons in Denver were quite forgettable, to say the least. Risner was quite bad in pass protection. He got beat with ease but was somewhat competent as a run blocker. Overall, though, Risner was and is a below-average guard that contributed to the Broncos' poor OL play over the last few seasons.
Instead of letting the hometown vibes get in the way, the Broncos smartly let him hit the market and invested a ton of money into his replacement, Ben Powers. Powers was one of the best guards in football last year, so I think not re-signing Risner and signing Powers was an excellent pair of moves.