5 lower-priced free agents Broncos could sign to get the most bang for their buck

The NFL free-agent signing period will open in just over two weeks and all eyes on Broncos Country are going to be on what the team does to improve a roster for a team that needs to hit big this offseason.

While the recent news of the NFL increasing the annual salary cap to $255.4 million per team for the 2024 season is big for the Broncos, the team still currently sits in the negative in terms of cap space and will still need to be fairly frugal this offseason.

We have all heard of the big names on the market and those that the Broncos could be interested in. But what about some players who are flying under the radar who won't cost as much and could still provide a big return?

Here are some of those options for the Broncos to consider and each of these would help the team at current positions of need.

Greg Gaines, Defensive Tackle

2023 salary: $3.5 million

Even if the Broncos don't release D.J. Jones in order to create more cap space (a move they absolutely should make), they need a lot more depth on the defensive front.

Greg Gaines is not a name that jumps off of the page when you look at the available free agents at the defensive tackle position but he makes a lot of sense for the Broncos. He really should have been a target for the team last season as well in addition to signing Zach Allen, but chose to sign a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A fourth-round pick in 2019, Gaines spent his first four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and was a starter for the team in 2021 and 2022. He played sparingly this past season with the Bucs, starting just two games.

For his career, he has 146 tackles and 11.5 sacks. He's still on the right side of the age department at 27 years old. He is not going to be an every-down player but he can be a nice depth piece that could be had at a decent price.