Denver Broncos need to target this specific group of players in free agency

With the likely financial tidal wave coming from the aftermath of Russell Wilson's contract, the Denver Broncos are probably not going to be big spenders in free agency. And sometimes, this is what teams have to deal with. Russell Wilson is not the first nor the last player in the NFL to have a bloated contract.

The Broncos surely did not want to find themselves in this position, but oh well. They are in this position, and have to dig themselves out of it. I think the ideal scenario here is that the Broncos and Wilson agree to some sort of revised contract that lowers his cap number and gives the Broncos an "out" after this coming NFL season.

And they'd also probably have to guarantee that Russell Wilson starts the 2024 NFL Season under center for the Broncos. However, that might not be the case, and the Broncos just might have to cut the QB, who did bounce back statistically this year to the tune of 29 total touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Even if they do that, the Broncos still might not have a ton of cap space to use, as they currently have negative cap space. I think we'll soon see news of the Broncos restructuring and extending some contracts to get some financial breathing room. Well, there is a clear group of players that the Denver Broncos should target this coming offseason.

They need to target cheap, veteran players who fell out of favor with their prior teams. What does this mean, though?

I can give you a few examples of players who fit this category. The first one is New York Jets DE Carl Lawson, who hardly played for the Jets this year, as the Jets defensive front was simply too good for Lawson to get substantial playing time. However, Lawson has been a very productive player before.

From 2019-2020, Lawson totaled 54 QB hits and 10 TFLs in 28 games with the Cincinnati Bengals. He was a very good pass rusher at one point, but because of him hardly playing in 2023, will also be very cheap in free agency. Another player who fits this category is Jeremy Chinn, the hybrid S/ILB from the Carolina Panthers.

Across the 2020-2021 seasons, the first two years of his career, Chinn totaled 10 passes defended, three forced fumbles, 224 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, and 10 QB hits. Chinn fell out of favor a bit in 2023 and is going to have to reset his value a bit in 2024.

There are other examples of players like this across the NFL who were productive at one point but perhaps just need a fresh start with a willing team. Former Broncos guard Dalton Risner actually fell into this category in 2023, signing with the Minnesota Vikings after the season had begun. Risner played very well and is in line to cash in.

Because of the Denver Broncos limited cap space at this point, they are going to need to angle toward this category of players in 2024.