The Denver Broncos have a ton of players who are outperforming their contracts, but they also have some players who are being overpaid as we head into 2024. Being overpaid is not a great label to have, but here we are. No NFL team is perfect, and even the best teams have players who are making a bit too much.
This impacts the Denver Broncos as well, as they have, by my count, at least four players on their roster for the 2024 NFL Season who I would consider to be overpaid. Maybe their performances can improve enough in 2024 for their large contracts to be worth it.
Who are the four most overpaid players on the Broncos roster?
4 most overpaid players on the Broncos roster for the 2024 NFL Season
Mike McGlinchey, RT ($17.5m per year)
Mike McGlinchey ended up being mostly average for the Denver Broncos in his first year with the team in 2023, but definitely struggled at times. Right now, he is one of the most highest-paid right tackles in the NFL, but his performance after year one just does not warrant this contract, which is nearly $90 million in total value.
According to Pro Football Reference, McGlinchey was called for a whopping seven false starts in 2023, and according to PFF, he gave up six sacks. Neither of those numbers is ideal, so if McGlinchey wants to remain with the Denver Broncos for the long-term. he needs to simply play better.
Perhaps being in year two in this offensive system and also having a more efficient quarterback can raise the play of the entire offensive line, because on paper, it's a very strong unit.
Ben Powers, LG ($13m per year)
Another highly-paid offensive lineman, Ben Powers is the 13th highest-paid guard in the NFL, but was quite average himself in 2023. PFF gave him a poor 61.5 grade and credited him with three penalties and four sacks allowed. Powers effectively replaced former Broncos guard Dalton Risner, who is now back for a second year with the Minnesota Vikings.
In 2023, PFF credited Risner with three penalties but zero sacks allowed, so you could argue that Risner was simply better than Powers in 2023. With stud right guard Quinn Meinerz needing a new deal at some point, the Broncos may have already moved on from Powers in their heads, as Meinerz could easily touch $20 million per year on a deal.
Several guards make that much on their extensions, and Meinerz could be the next. Nonetheless, Powers is reliable, but if this $13 million per year figure was around, let's say $8 million, he'd be fairly compensated.
Brandon Jones, S ($6.6m per year)
Brandon Jones is making $6.6 million per year from the Denver Broncos. He spent the first four years of his career with the Miami Dolphins, starting just 30 of 54 games. Jones doesn't fill up the stat sheet, but he did have five sacks, 79 total tackles, and 10 QB hits in 2021. I'm assuming the Broncos are hoping to get some of that production from Jones in 2024.
Jones can play close to the line of scrimmage, which is a must for defensive backs in Vance Joseph's system. Broncos safety PJ Locke III excelled at this in 2023, so I suppose they hope that Jones can do what Locke did, but a bit more efficiently.
I largely disagree with this signing, as better safeties like Kamren Curl and Jordan Whitehead signed for less than what Brandon Jones got. I hope he proves me wrong, but this is an overpay.
DJ Jones, DT ($10m per year)
DJ Jones signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the Denver Broncos before the 2022 NFL Season, and did not play up to that $10 million per year number in 2023. Over the Cap assigns a "Valuation" number to each player based on performance based on the rest of the league, and in 2023, they gave Jones a valuation of just $3.4 million. So effectively, Jones was playing at a level less than half of what we makes, which is not ideal.
In 2024, he'll be in the last year of his deal with the Denver Broncos, and does have some better personnel around him, so perhaps his play could improve. The Broncos signed Malcolm Roach and Angelo Blackson in free agency, and also traded for John Franklin-Myers, so Jones may be able to settle more into his own role as a run stuffer.
This would be the most ideal scenario for DJ Jones and the defensive line, but $10 million per year is just way too much for this player.