We are just days away from teams reporting for training camp in the 2024 offseason, and there are still a number of notable free agents waiting to be signed. A number of former Denver Broncos players are among the more noteworthy available free agents and players who could legitimately help a lot of teams in the 2024 regular season.
Let's take a look at which former Broncos are still out there with training camp on deck and what the future might hold for each player.
5 former Broncos still free agents ahead of training camp
1. Justin Simmons, safety
We've written on Justin Simmons' surprising availability a number of times at this point, and the longer he lingers in free agency, the more surprising it gets. Last offseason, we were all a little taken by surprise when former Broncos starting guard Dalton Risner sat around in free agency, but that situation almost felt justifiable based on other circumstances.
Someone needs to make this one make sense.
Yes, Simmons is 30 years old. So is Kevin Byard, who signed a two-year deal worth $15 million in Chicago earlier this offseason. The fact that Simmons is still available is an embarrassment to the rest of the league. Is he holding out for too much money? I don't know that any player is holding out for too much money in the right situation.
Simmons is a veteran leader who has more interceptions (30) than any other player since 2016. When you have someone who can create turnovers like that, you usually see NFL teams prioritize those guys. At this rate, Simmons is going to join some contending team right before the start of training camp and hopefully enhance one of the best rosters in the NFL.
We can only hope at this point that it doesn't end up being the Kansas City Chiefs.
2. Kareem Jackson, safety
While Justin Simmons' availability at this stage is undeniably weird, the availability of fellow former starting safety Kareem Jackson is a little more understandable.
The Broncos signed Kareem Jackson back in the 2019 offseason, the first year of Vic Fangio's time as the team's head coach, and he made the seamless transition to the safety position in Denver after playing outside corner and nickel corner with the Houston Texans. Jackson became a productive player at the safety position for the Broncos where his physicality was put on display, but that physicality has been a double-edged sword as far as the NFL is concerned.
Jackson's physicality led to discipline from the league on a variety of occasions, including fines and suspensions, and the Broncos ultimately let him go late last season. Jackson resurfaced with the Texans last year and had hoped to play 15 seasons in the NFL. If signed, this would be his 15th NFL season in 2024.
3. Cam Fleming, offensive tackle
Good offensive line help in the NFL is hard to come by, so it's a little surprising that former Broncos swing tackle Cam Fleming is still available with training camp looming.
Fleming started at both tackle positions for the Denver Broncos and actually played quite well in the opportunities he was given. He originally signed in Denver after the whole Ja'Wuan James fiasco. Good times, eh?
Fleming is going to be 32 years old at the start of the 2024 NFL season, but he undoubtedly will provide some value to a team. Especially with the veteran practice squad allowances, it would seem wise for a team to get Fleming in the building to get up to speed on the offense quickly so he can provide necessary depth this season.
4. Jamar Johnson, safety
Former Denver Broncos safety Jamar Johnson is one of those, "What in the world happened to that guy?" stories. Johnson was a fifth-round pick out of Indiana in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Broncos, and there were a lot of people who felt like he was one of the team's stop steals in that outstanding draft class.
Johnson was picked after fellow 2021 classmate Caden Sterns, and people were thinking the Broncos got the better player later in the 5th round when they took Johnson. While he was at Indiana, Johnson showed outstanding ball-hawking skills and figured to become a factor at the NFL level because of those skills. Ultimately, it never worked out.
He was only with the Broncos for that 2021 season and has tried his hand professionally in a number of other leagues including the XFL, USFL, and CFL.
5. Mike Purcell, defensive lineman
Mike Purcell is a really cool success story for the Denver Broncos, a player who was cast away by the NFL and found his way back into the league after a strong showing in the now-defunct AAF. Purcell's emergence for the Denver Broncos led to a second contract with the team, which expired after the 2023 season.
The Broncos struggled as a team with run defense last year, but Purcell set a career-high with 5 QB hits. He also played 462 snaps last year, the second-most snaps in a single season for his entire NFL career.
Purcell still has something to offer some NFL team out there, but he's going to have to settle for a team-friendly one-year deal at this point.