The Denver Broncos are clearly turning the page and entering into a new era. It's extremely needed, but it hasn't come with a few huge mistakes to this point. Cutting Russell Wilson has been the biggest move of the team's offseason thus far. Denver has also re-signed many of their own guys and have brought in some external free agents like Brandon Jones, Malcolm Roach, and Josh Reynolds.
It's obvious that Denver might be laying the groundwork for a rookie QB to take over in 2024 and eyeballing 2025 as the beginning of a window opening. Now to be fair, no team has had a perfect offseason, and no such thing exists. The Broncos have a clear plan, but they've made a few mistakes along the way.
1. Not signing a low-risk, high-reward cornerback
I am specifically referring to three players; Jeff Okudah, CJ Henderson, and Sean Murphy-Bunting. All three players are talented in their own right, and Denver has a need at the CB2 spot opposite Patrick Surtain II. Damarri Mathis was a disaster in 2023 and was benched for veteran Fabian Moreau. The team was likely hoping Mathis could have taken a step forward.
The team also rosters Riley Moss, one of their 2023 rookies who could see more playing time in 2024. However, even if you think Mathis or Moss can be a CB2 in 2024, the unit as a whole isn't talented enough, and with the Broncos being more mindful of their financial situation, it would have made a ton of sense to sign Okudah or Henderson, two former high first-round picks who have bounced around and haven't really found their footing in the NFL.
And both ended up signing with the Houston Texans. At worst, Denver could have signed them for depth. At best, though, Henderson and Okudah are plenty talented enough and still young enough to find their footing as solid starters in the NFL, and it's weird that Denver didn't add one of them.