7 free agents the Denver Broncos need before the 2023 NFL Draft

6. Sign a veteran CB like Marcus Peters or Shaquill Griffin

The Denver Broncos already made a move at the cornerback position, signing free agent Tremon Smith. When asked about the Smith signing, head coach Sean Payton was quick to note that he's an "elite" special teams player and we'll certainly see him play a big role there for the Broncos in 2023.

But what about adding depth at the cornerback position? Is Smith going to be able to help in that regard, or do the Broncos not exactly plan on that?

Here's one of the biggest reasons I think the Broncos need to look into adding a veteran cornerback like Marcus Peters or Shaquill Griffin: Growth in the NFL is not exactly linear. Although the Broncos have every right to be excited about what they saw last year from Damarri Mathis, what happens if Mathis regresses or gets hurt in 2023? What happens if Pat Surtain gets hurt, for that matter?

In today's NFL, you need to try to build your team -- especially at important positions -- saying "we're one snap away from ____________ playing major snaps this year." At the cornerback position, who are the Broncos currently even going to slide into one of those spots if they suffer an injury?

With guys like Peters and Griffin (not to be confused with Peter Griffin) still sitting on the market, the Broncos would not be making a bad choice by bringing one of them in on a one-year deal. Heck, maybe they could even try to re-sign Ronald Darby when he is healed up from last year's ACL injury.