Roster moves are being made across the NFL, as the cap casualties stack up. The Broncos should be in the market for one or more of these players.
Two players that I think the Broncos should have interest in are Donovan Smith and Leonard Fournette, who both have been released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. These are somewhat obvious moves as the Bucs entered the 2023 offseason tens of millions over the cap.
It's not that Smith and Fournette aren't talented, but they are veterans who were on larger contracts and did take up some hefty cap hits. Both are 30 or under and set to hit the open market where they will surely have suitors.
***NEW #Bucs Expected To Release LT Donovan Smith, Shuffle O-Linehttps://t.co/9R6dG60W8s
— PewterReport (@PewterReport) February 28, 2023
Fournette was drafted in 2017 by the Jacksonville Jaguars where he put up two 1,000 yard seasons in his three years as a Jaguar.
He then found himself on the Buccaneers to begin the 2020 season and was not getting nearly as big of a workload, but he still managed 812 yards on the ground in 2021. For his career, he's had 1,132 rushes for 4,478 yards, and 34 touchdowns, along with 312 receptions for 2,219 yards.
He's a dual-threat back and has averaged 4.0 yards per carry and 7.1 yards per reception. He just turned 28 years old and is a fierce runner. To me, this could be a low-cost, high-reward situation for the Broncos.
I don't think I'd trust him to carry the bulk of the load week to week, but forming a nice 1-2 punch with a potential Latavius Murray re-signing or even a rookie draft pick sounds stellar to me.
Since he was released, he likely isn't going to cost much at all, so throwing a few million at Fournette makes a ton of sense.
As for Donovan Smith, he did have the worst year of his career in 2022, but Smith is a solid player.
Think about this for a second: Smith has been in the league for two more years than Garett Bolles, but Bolles is an entire year older. He's missed just 6 games in his eight years in the NFL. He's never been elite, but he's put together a longer and more consistent career than Bolles.
He's also not going to be coming off of a major injury. Furthermore, since he was just cut, he'll likely be cheaper than what the Broncos have Garett Bolles for now. I like the potential of signing smith, re-signing Cameron Fleming as the swing tackle, and adding a left tackle in the NFL Draft to shore up that position.