Denver Broncos missed out on Nick Scott, CJ Gardner-Johnson
Although it feels like it's inevitable that the Broncos will eventually be bringing Kareem Jackson back into the fold, they have tried to upgrade at the safety position in 2023. At the very least, they've looked into it.
Specifically, the Broncos showed interest in veteran safeties Nick Scott and CJ Gardner-Johnson before they signed free agent deals with other teams.
New #Bengals safety Nick Scott, who joined the team on a three-year, $12 million deal that includes $3M signing bonus, $4.4M first-year compensation, also had offers from #Rams to try to retain him. Drew inquiries later in process from #Broncos #Buccaneers, per a source @KPRC2 https://t.co/ZZNTp2wwP4
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 18, 2023
#Broncos among the teams with interest in #Eagles free agent C.J. Gardner Johnson, per a league source @KPRC2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 16, 2023
The majority of Broncos Country was elated to learn that the team might have interest in CJ Gardner-Johnson following his 6-interception campaign in 2022. It seems like the rest of the NFL was not overly high on Gardner-Johnson as he signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions for a very reasonable $8 million in total money, a $6.5 million base salary.
Right now, it's really not clear what the Broncos' intentions are. As many moves as they have made, they would absolutely have to clear a bit more cap space to get some deals like this done. At the same time, they are pursuing and exploring upgrades at every position.
The timeline of their interest in guys like Nick Scott and CJ Gardner-Johnson isn't exactly known, but the team did eventually bring back PJ Locke after not offering him the restricted free agent tender. Did the Broncos drop out on players like Nick Scott and CJ Gardner-Johnson right after PJ Locke, or were they looking to sign a couple of those guys?
Given Caden Sterns' injury in 2022, it seems a little risky for the team to put all of its eggs in that one basket. That's why bringing back PJ Locke made plenty of sense for the price. The Broncos clearly didn't feel like they needed Scott or Gardner-Johnson badly enough at their respective prices. Or, those players simply chose to go elsewhere.