I was so eager to see how aggressive the Broncos were planning on being in free agency, and boy have they been aggressive. To be fair, George Paton did literally say as much, so we should not be surprised.
There were several significant expected signings and contract extensions by the Broncos on Monday.
Their first major deal was signing* (can't be official until Wednesday) Ben Powers to a four year deal.
Powers is an insane run blocker and has gotten much better in pass protection.
They followed that up by signing road grader Mike McGlinchey to a five-year deal. McGlinchey is an above average right tackle who is insanely dominant in the run game and has also greatly improved as a pass blocker. Already, two of the best free agent offensive linemen were off the board and on their way to Denver.
They also signed a new backup quarterback in Jarrett Stidham, signed a huge blocking tight end in Chris Manhertz, and in the late hours of Monday, agreed to a deal with former Arizona Cardinals' defensive linemen Zach Allen, who was projected by many to land in Denver.
The Broncos attacked their most urgent needs on day one of the legal tampering period and got above-average players at each position. I don't think the team is close to being done, either.
They also took care of their own, signing Alex Singleton to a three year contract extension.
The Broncos spent the most money of any team on day one, and they can still spend more. George Paton, Sean Payton, and CEO Greg Penner are clearly going as all-in as they can for 2023 and beyond.
It was silly to suggest that Denver wouldn't try to be competitive or wouldn't be aggressive in free agency. I would occasionally see people across social media suggest that, and to me. they could not have been more wrong.
Why wouldn't George Paton, someone who is likely fighting for his job this season, not want to improve the team as quickly as possible?
Why wouldn't Greg Penner, who is on record stating his impatience, not want to fix his $4.65 billion investment as soon as possible?
Guys, this is not rocket science. Teams have made complete 180 turn arounds before, and the Denver Broncos are trying to be the latest team to do so.