4 bold predictions for Denver Broncos 2024 offseason

Defensive changes

3. The Broncos make one of free agency's biggest moves for a defensive star

The Broncos had one of the worst pass rushes in the NFL last year: only six teams finished the year with fewer sacks than Denver did (41). In a division with Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and whoever the Raiders pay a ton of money for, that's just not going to fly. 2023's defense rode a wave of turnover luck to kinda-misleading stats, and depending on that to happen two years in a row would be, politely put, foolish. Luckily for Denver, there are ton of intriguing pass rushers available to them on the free agent market – which is great news considering they'll need to work quite a bit of cap magic to make any sort of deal happen. Minnesota's Danielle Hunter has already been a rumored target for them this offseason, and guys like Bryce Huff, Jadeveon Clowney, and Josh Uche could be intriguing adds. Making a move for Hassan Reddick, who was given permission by the Eagles to find a trade, could also be an interesting, slightly-outside-the-box idea.

4. Justin Simmons is back on the team next year

Simmons has been with the Broncos for his entire career, so it'd be hard to blame him if he wanted to, you know, go make the playoffs somewhere else. His name has been brought up in a lot of offseason trade/cut conversations this year, and it makes sense: he's owed a fair bit of money, only has one year left on his contract, and at 31, is getting up there, age-wise, for an NFL player. But he's still one of the better safeties in football, and a staple of this team's defense. Now this isn't to say that he ends next year on the Broncos, but bringing him back to start the season isn't a terrible idea by any means. If things go south next year because, say, the Broncos drafted JJ McCarthy and Sean Payton doesn't have the patience for a young QB, there will always be playoff contenders looking for secondary help. For now, Simmons stays put – and at this point, it feels like a bold prediction to even suggest that.