The 2024 NFL Draft is over, which means all 32 NFL teams are going to be looking into ways to fill out the rest of their roster, perhaps addressing some areas they missed out on during the draft itself. There are still some really good free agents available, including a number of former Denver Broncos players.
We're going to take a look at a handful of familiar names still sitting in free agency and explore what could be keeping these guys from signing anywhere just yet.
Former Denver Broncos players surprisingly still free agents
1. Justin Simmons, safety
The most surprising name on the list right now is safety Justin Simmons, who was cut by the Denver Broncos prior to 2024 NFL free agency getting started. Simmons has been a staple for the Denver Broncos since he was drafted in the third round back in 2016. Since he came into the league, he has more interceptions (30) than any other player in that timeframe.
Simmons is not just a ball-hawk, either. He's a tremendous leader who is great for the locker room and community. Simmons would bring so much to an NFL franchise both on the field and off of it, which is why his availability at this stage of the offseason is shocking, bordering on laughable.
What are NFL teams doing? The longer Simmons stays a free agent, the more sense it might make for the Broncos to simply ask him about coming back for at least another year. That may be far-fetched, but until Simmons goes ahead and signs with another team, it's worth noting that he's still a Denver resident and he could simply sign a one-year deal to come back to Denver while possibly hitting free agency again next offseason.
I'm just saying.
2. Dalton Risner, guard
Every NFL team is starved for help on the offensive line, and the fact that good offensive linemen could still be signed after the NFL Draft is bordering on unheard of. Teams hoard offensive linemen like doomsday preppers hoard toilet paper, so it's shocking that someone who played as well as Dalton Risner did last season is still a free agent.
Risner pitched a complete shutout in pass protection last season, and even though he's not known for being the most dominant run blocker in the league, there is a place for this kind of production in someone's starting lineup:
Dalton Risner hasn't allowed a sack on 412 pass-blocking snaps for the Vikings this season 😤 pic.twitter.com/3OZERxwHza
— PFF MIN Vikings (@PFF_Vikings) January 3, 2024
Risner being unsigned last offseason was a storyline we were monitoring closely, because even though his time in Denver ended poorly, Risner was still a young player who had started every year in Denver. He was a second-round pick who played well enough that some were projecting him to sign a deal worth north of $10 million per season.
After pitching a shutout in pass protection last year with the Vikings, certainly Risner's value would be effectively rehabilitated and he would sign a big-money deal in free agency. Wrong, and don't call me Shirley.
All kidding aside, the fact that no one has signed Risner to this point in the offseason is staggering.
3. Mike Purcell, DL
The availability of Mike Purcell probably isn't nearly as shocking as some of the others, but he's a good run-stuffing defensive lineman who can be an effective early-down player when healthy.
The issue for Purcell after signing his extension in Denver had been exactly that -- staying healthy.
The Colorado native has played a variety of roles for the Denver Broncos since coming aboard back in 2019, grading out as the league's best run defender that particular season. The Broncos understandably gave Purcell an extension, but he couldn't stay on the field from 2020-21, and missed out on perhaps some of his best years.
Still, that didn't prevent Purcell from bouncing back in 2022-23, and he set a career-high this past season with five QB hits. Over the last four seasons, however, Purcell has just five tackles for loss compared to the whopping eight tackles for loss he had back in that 2019 season.
The Broncos appear to have moved on along the defensive line, but Purcell is probably still capable of playing at least 400 snaps for someone this coming season as an early-down run stopper and gap clogger.
4. K'Waun Williams, CB
The market for nickel cornerbacks going on 33 years of age and coming off of a season-ending injury isn't strong.
Who knew?
As much as we loved what K'Waun Williams brought to the table for the Denver Broncos in that memorable 2022 season (we'll always have London), it's not overly shocking to see him still sitting in NFL free agency. Perhaps as we get closer to training camp, Williams will be able to catch on somewhere, but his time in Denver may have been the end of the line.
5. Fabian Moreau, CB
The fact that Fabian Moreau is still unsigned in May when he seemed like an absolute godsend for the Denver Broncos last year should be indicative of just how bad things were at the cornerback position.
To his credit, Moreau did do a good job coming in after the Broncos dealt with injuries to Riley Moss and Damarri Mathis in training camp before Mathis really struggled early last season. Moreau stepped in and raised the floor of the position, but it wasn't good enough to earn him a new deal with any other team up to this point.
He may have to follow a similar path as last season, where he signed with the injury-plagued Broncos during camp.
6. Frank Clark, EDGE
The whole Frank Clark saga with the Denver Broncos was an embarrassment from the very start. The initial idea of signing Clark struck a very positive chord in Broncos Country. Sign a veteran away from the Chiefs who might be able to help you end the streak against his old team.
Clark has been a productive pass rusher throughout his NFL career, especially in the postseason for the Chiefs. Unfortunately, he came into Denver and was consistently in the headlines for the wrong reasons. He was calling the Broncos and Chiefs a non-rivalry due to Kansas City's dominance. He was playing into the fourth quarter of preseason games. He was missing practiices on a non-excused basis.
Ultimately, Clark's incompetence on the field led to one of the worst defensive performances in Denver Broncos history. When he was let go by Denver, folks were acting like he had escaped from Alcatraz, but it was really the Broncos who escaped Clark, not the other way around. He signed with the Seahawks last season but remains unsigned in 2024.
7. Kareem Jackson, safety
Kareem Jackson hopes to play 15 seasons in the NFL, but it remains to be seen which team will give him the opportunity to play a 15th year.
The Houston Texans were such a good landing spot last year after Jackson was let go by the Denver Broncos. His career was coming full-circle and Jackson was teammates once upon a time with Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans. Perhaps at some point, the Texans will give him the chance to come back, but Jackson has been under the NFL's microscope and labeled a dirty player by many.
It could be difficult for teams to really try and rely on him for anything in 2024, as good as he still is at delivering hits.