The Denver Broncos could end up losing Dre'Mont Jones in free agency. The bad side of that? Well, you would be losing one of your best defensive players and a young player at that, someone who general manager George Paton recently called a "core player" on this roster. On the other side of that coin, letting Dre'Mont Jones walk in free agency could mean more money invested at other positions, specifically offensively, where the Broncos have invested among the least in the entire NFL the last handful of years.
Given the Broncos are now dealing with Walmart money, I don't think anyone really wants to hear any more financial, penny-pinching types of excuses when it comes to this team being built. Cap space is certainly a factor, but in the end, it's also not, really.
The Broncos are apparently letting Jones hit the free agent market coming up in a couple of weeks. They are also apparently not using the franchise tag on him. So, what if the 26-year-old hits the market and decides to take an offer elsewhere? Who is going to try to steal him from the Broncos? Let's look at three possibilities.
3 teams that could steal Dre'Mont Jones away from the Denver Broncos in 2023 free agency
1. Miami Dolphins
When you look at Dre'Mont Jones hitting free agency, I think you have to start with the Miami Dolphins and their new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, right? Fangio was the head coach of the Denver Broncos in 2019 when the team drafted Jones out of Ohio State in the first place. Jones got his shot in the NFL under Fangio and his staff, and he grew into a stud playing in Fangio's defense.
That obviously continued this past year under Ejiro Evero, who ran a similar defense to what Fangio had been running, but familiarity often comes into play when it comes to NFL free agency. Not that Jones would scoff at the chance to play for the Panthers, but I think playing for Fangio again in Miami has its appeal for a couple of reasons.
1. Florida is income tax free as a state, so Jones could maximize his money there
2. He would be able to reunite with Bradley Chubb
Jones was pretty outspoken about the Denver Broncos' decision to trade Bradley Chubb to the Dolphins last year, and I think it's reasonable to assume that he would not mind reuniting with Chubb who signed a big-money deal with the Dolphins shortly after the trade.
Is there enough cash to go around in Miami? No doubt. Cap space? That's another question, but teams can almost always find ways around that.