The Denver Broncos have made their first big signing of 2023 NFL Free Agency, bringing in free agent offensive guard Ben Powers, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens. The four-year deal was first reported by Mike Klis of 9News in Denver.
The deal has since been reported to be worth $52 million over the next four years with $28.5 million guaranteed. The last time the Broncos dipped into the free agent market at the offensive guard position was in 2020 when they signed Graham Glasgow for four years, $44 million. So this seems like pretty fair market value for Powers considering inflation in the league the last handful of offseasons.
3 big splash moves for the Denver Broncos early in 2023 Free Agency
1. Ben Powers, LG (4 years, $52 million)
Of course, we need to mention what this means for the here and now with the Denver Broncos. Ben Powers has been a starter for the Baltimore Ravens and a very good one. He's going to come into Denver and start at the left guard position which means that the incumbent -- Dalton Risner -- is undoubtedly leaving in free agency. At the time of this writing, we don't know where that will be.
What we do know is that the Broncos had to address the offensive line in a big way, and they have done exactly that. The Broncos allowed 63 sacks last season, most in the NFL, and Ben Powers has been tremendous for the Ravens in pass protection. That's also a team that runs the ball a ton, so Powers should bring some nice balance to the position in place of Dalton Risner.
2. Mike McGlinchey, OT (5 years, $87.5 million)
Here's the biggest one so far. The Denver Broncos have had major issues at the right tackle position since Orlando Franklin left for the Chargers a handful of years ago. And when I say major issues, we're talking some colossal problems.
We're talking historically bad free agent pickups like Donald Stephenson, Menelik Watson, and who could forget Ja'Wuan James? Those free agent pickups failed miserably for the Denver Broncos and they desperately need this one with McGlinchey to hit.
RT Mike McGlinchey is expected to sign with the Denver Broncos, per sources.
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) March 13, 2023
McGlinchey signed with the Denver Broncos to a massive five-year deal worth $87.5 million in total money. At $17.5 million per season, McGlinchey is not only going to be expected to play well for the Broncos at the right tackle position, he's going to need to totally erase that bad curse.
A former top-10 pick out of Notre Dame, McGlinchey has been a starter for the 49ers the last handful of years -- 69 games, to be exact. That 49ers team was obviously a very well-oiled machine, but they had other priorities in free agency (Javon Hargrave, so far) versus re-signing McGlinchey especially with an in-house replacement in Colton McKivitz.
The Broncos don't really have the luxury of waiting for the NFL Draft to address these issues. They are paying market value for big-name free agents because they have desperate needs and also no picks in the first two rounds.
That kind of "desperation", if you want to call it that, can often result in bad decisions being made in free agency, but you also hope that the infrastructure Sean Payton has in place with his offensive staff will help these free agent pickups work out well.
The McGlinchey move is one that will now be heavily scrutinized for years to come. It needs to work out well for George Paton, Sean Payton, and the Broncos.
3. Jarrett Stidham, QB (2 years, $10 million)
The Denver Broncos were undoubtedly in the market for a backup QB this offseason, but Jarrett Stidham was, quite frankly, not on my radar all that much. Was it an option that existed? Yes.
The Broncos have seemingly been a great landing spot for potential reclamation project QBs, and I guess to a degree, you could say Jarrett Stidham was one of those. He was a fourth-round pick out of Auburn in 2019 and some expectations were heaped on him even then, but he really didn't get much of a chance to play until this past year in the final couple of weeks with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Just two QBs have thrown for three passing TDs in a game this season against the 49ers: Patrick Mahomes and Jarrett Stidham. pic.twitter.com/sanC3Dg1GM
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 1, 2023
Stidham doesn't move the needle for me personally as much as someone like Sam Darnold would have, but apparently Stidham is reuniting with Broncos QBs coach Davis Webb.
Sources: Former #Raiders QB Jarrett Stidham is signing a 2-year, $10M deal with the #Broncos, choosing to play for Sean Payton over other options. The deal, which includes $5M guaranteed and $4M more in upside, reunites him Davis Webb – who he has known since he was a teenager.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 13, 2023
The fact that the Broncos signed Stidham to a two-year deal is certainly not insignificant here. There are implications about Russell Wilson's future, as minimal as you want to make them. But there are implications, nonetheless. Although Stidham is not a former top-five pick, he's someone that this coaching staff and front office obviously prioritized. They brought him in not only as Wilson's backup and as an upgrade to Brett Rypien, but as a contingency plan in case the team has to move off of Russ in 2024.
There's no guarantee it's going to all work out according to plan, but quarterbacks have generally done well in Sean Payton' system and there's really plenty of reason to believe it could happen agains with Stidham. Also with Russell Wilson, for that matter, but obviously Wilson is a bit of a wild card after his weirdly bad 2022 season.
Now, Stidham enters the fray and we'll see what the Broncos now do when it comes to the 2023 NFL Draft at the position.