Deciding what to do with each of Broncos' in-house free agents
- Lloyd Cushenberry could be in line for a nice pay day
- Big decisions loom at inside linebacker
- Several former Saints players are in line to hit the open market
Josey Jewell, Linebacker
This is perhaps the biggest name the team has on this list and it is hard to determine which direction to go in. However, it seems that the team may have already hinted at what it will do when it signed Jonas Griffith to an extension earlier this week.
Showing some confidence in the oft-injured Griffith may be seen as a surprise but it can also be seen as the team doing the best it can with what it has to work with.
Jewell is a defensive leader who has over 450 career tackles, nine sacks and two interceptions in his career. He is consistent but he doesn't do anything that tips the scales. So while the $7.6 million annual salary that Spotrac predicts Jewell will receive isn't a massive number, it's money that the Broncos can save and apply elsewhere.
The team can lean on Alex Singleton and a hopefully healthy Griffith while looking for a young player in the draft or the undrafted free-agent process to shore up the position.
Decision: Allow Jewell to leave via free agency
Justin Strnad, Linebacker: The Broncos have held onto Strnad since drafting him in 2020 but he's only shown himself to be a special teams player. He has played behind a consistent duo in Singleton and Jewell but if the team had to rely on him as an every-down player, that might not go well.
Still, if the team allows Jewell to find a new deal with another team, he should probably be kept around for depth.
Decision: Re-sign Strnad to a one-year, low-dollar deal
Ben Niemann, Linebacker: The Broncos brought in Niemann for depth during the season and he played in seven games for the team. If they choose to bring Strnad back, they can move on from Niemann.
Decision: Niemann can be left out of team's future plans