There are still a ton of quality free agents left on the market, and I think a few of them could come in and immediately start for the Denver Broncos. Just because free agency is largely over does not mean teams still can't add quality players.
There are still quite a few players left on the market who could provide a significant boost to whoever was to sign them. The Denver Broncos did dabble quite a bit in free agency this year, spending more money than any other team in FA.
It's clear that the club is gearing towards a win-now mindset, and I don't think there's room to disagree there. They believe that they can win in the AFC this year or they wouldn't have spent over $200 million in free agency. I do think with the number of players left on the market, we can find a few who could come in and start immediately for the Denver Broncos.
And honestly, something like that at this point feels rare. Unless a team suffers an injury to a starter, there really isn't much they could do to improve their roster outside of depth signings. There are instances here and there where a free agent of note is holding out for a good offer, and we see that now with players like Dalvin Cook and DeAndre Hopkins.
Let's look at three free agents who could come in now and immediately start for the Denver Broncos.
3 free agents who could immediately start for the Denver Broncos
1. John Johnson III, safety
John Johnson III is one of the better safeties in the NFL and has spent his six-year NFL career with the Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns. He's played both strong safety and free safety but is someone who the Broncos could play close to the line of scrimmage if they wanted. He's in the mold of Kareem Jackson and Budda Baker in that regard.
He's got three seasons of at least 101 tot tackles and has also added 12 interceptions and 41 passes defended. He was a 17-game starter for the Browns last year, and he came over to Cleveland on a free agency deal for the 2021 season. Set to turn just 28 years old at the end of the 2023 season, John Johnson III and Justin Simmons would form the best safety tandem in the NFL.
3 free agents who could immediately start for the Denver Broncos
2. Robbie Gould, K
I'm trying to avoid the super obvious names here because we've covered them quite a bit on this website. Right now, the Denver Broncos have someone named Elliott Fry signed as the lone kicker. Fry has attempted just six field goals over his career and has made five of them between the Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, and Kansas City Chiefs.
He's 28 years old and doesn't appear to be someone who should be considered a viable starting kicker in the NFL. However, Robbie Gould is a borderline Hall of Fame kicker who is a free agent. He's attempted a whopping 517 kicks in his career and has made a remarkable 447 of them for a percentage of 86.5%. His longest career field goal is 58 yards.
Gould has kicked in 266 regular season games and has consistently proven to be one of the very best in the NFL and has three seasons making at least 90% of his kicks, and a whopping 10 seasons making at least 85% of his field goals.
Gould is 40 years old and is definitely on the back nine of his career, but Gould fits the mold if the Broncos wanting to win now. He's one of the best in the NFL an would put the finishing touches on a new-look specialists group with Riley Dixon at punter.
3 free agents who could immediately start for the Denver Broncos
3. Dalvin Cook, RB
I know I just got done saying that I was trying to pick some players that we haven't talked about on this website, but I had to include Dalvin Cook, because he might be the best possible free agent and best remaining fit for the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos' roster is solid from top to bottom, but one of their most uncertain positions at this moment is their running back spot. Samaje Perine is a fine backup, but that's it. He's never had a true, full workload as an RB1 in the NFL, and his 4.0 yards per carry as a backup is right on the cusp of viability in the NFL.
Javonte Williams' rehab appears to be going well, but there is no guarantee that he'll be ready for week one and if he'll bounce back to his old, tough-running ways. There is a clear need for Dalvin Cook on this roster and the Denver Broncos should make this move tomorrow.
Cook has made four straight Pro Bowls and is coming off of four straight 1,100-yard rushing seasons. He is much more capable of holding an RB1 role while Javonte Williams slowly gets back up to full strength. Signing Cook would also very quietly give the Broncos one of the very best groups of offensive skill players in the entire NFL, perhaps the best in their division at least.
The Broncos do have cap space and have the ability to create a bit more if they'd need to. If I had to choose from these three players, I'd love for the Broncos to pursue Dalvin Cook.