3 moves the Broncos may regret not making in the 2024 offseason

There's no such thing as a perfect roster in the NFL, but you certainly work as hard as you can every offseason to make the most upgrades you possibly can within the confines of the NFL salary cap. In that case, the Denver Broncos have had a harder job than most. The Broncos are taking on a $53 million dead cap hit in 2024 because of their decision to release Russell Wilson, which necessitated a budget-friendly approach to NFL free agency.

Even on a budget, the Broncos have made a ton of moves and could have absolutely gone after some players who ended up signing for cheap elsewhere in the league.

Whether it was free agency or trades, what moves might the Broncos regret not making in 2024?

1. Broncos might regret NOT trading WR Courtland Sutton

Given what we know right now, are the Denver Broncos right to be holding onto wide receiver Courtland Sutton like they have been? There's been a purge of the roster since Sean Payton arrived, but Courtland Sutton is someone the Denver Broncos simply refuse to let go of.

They have received trade offers, but Sutton remains a Bronco for the time being. At this point, the value in return on a trade might be way too low to even justify getting rid of Sutton. If the Broncos were going to trade Sutton, it should have happened much earlier in the offseason.

With Sutton now holding out (at least for the voluntary portion of OTAs), you could argue that not trading him could end up being a regrettable move.

2. Broncos might regret NOT signing CBs Jeff Okudah/CJ Henderson

The NFL Draft and NFL free agency are both a crapshoot in a variety of ways. There will always be risk involved. One of the ways a team like the Denver Broncos could minimize the risk of free agency and maximize the process is by signing former high draft picks who have been given up on by their former teams.

Not that your goal for every NFL free agency should be to sign NFL Draft busts or only players looking for prove-it deals, but signing those kinds of players in bulk, you never know when something's going to stick. Jeff Okudah was the third overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and signed for less than $5 million on a one-year deal with the Texans. CJ Henderson was the 9th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and signed a one-year deal worth just $2 million, also with the Texans.

These guys are still very young and have all the upside you could hope for at a crucial position. Given the Broncos were in on a player like Kristian Fulton (former Titans 2nd-round pick), why were they not in on these two former top-10 picks? These guys would have been worthwhile risk/reward options for the price.

3. Not making a play for DL Javon Kinlaw

Another former first-round pick who wound up signing on the cheap was former 49ers first-round pick Javon Kinlaw. Kinlaw was supposed to replace DeForest Buckner with the San Francisco 49ers when he was drafted back in 2020, but injuries prevented him from realizing his full potential.

And you know that there are people still in love with his potential because of the fact that he signed with the New York Jets where his old defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is now the head coach. He landed a one-year deal worth just over $7 million.

That would have been the highest AAV for any Broncos free agent this offseason (pretty easily) but if he was willing to sign a one-year deal, the Broncos should have competed a little harder for a player like this.