The NFL free-agent signing period will start in just over two weeks. The Denver Broncos will be looking at every angle from which to improve their roster and a recent prediction has them snagging a linebacker that was once a first-round pick.
Cody Benjamin, writing for CBS Sports, put together his own free agency mock and predicted destinations for all of the top unrestricted free agents that he feels won't be re-signed or franchise tagged by their current team.
In this mock, he gave the Broncos a linebacker who would bring a lot of excitement to Broncos Country. That would be Buffalo Bills linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.
Edmunds was the No. 16 overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft and has spent his first five seasons with the Bills. He has become a tackling machine but he has the tools to do a little bit of everything, including putting pressure on the quarterback and dropping back into pass coverage. He has 565 career tackles, 6.5 sacks and five interceptions.
The most appealing part of signing Edmunds would be that he is only 24 years old. He will turn 25 in May but to get an experienced player who is still that young is almost unheard of.
Edmunds has also been selected for two Pro Bowls.
Edmunds also has great size at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds. But he won't come cheap. Spotrac estimates that the team that signs Edmunds this offseason will fork over an annual salary in the neighborhood of $11 million.
Still, this would be considered an incredibly good move for the team.
But what about one of the teams more talked-about free agents, Dalton Risner? It seems to be considered 50-50 as to whether or not the Broncos will keep the fan favorite offensive lineman or allow him to sign elsewhere.
Benjamin has him signing elsewhere.
In this mock, Risner signs with the Los Angeles Rams, getting a fresh start in the City of Angels after playing for his hometown Broncos since being drafted in the second round of the 2019 draft.
Risner has started 62 games for the Broncos in that time but he's only performed at an average level off the field. He is a favorite of teammates in the locker room and he was the Broncos' nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year this past season. Of course, the most memorable moment from him this past year was an ugly argument with backup quarterback Brett Rypien on the sideline during a humiliating loss on Christmas Day.
The Broncos are going to need to work on beefing up the offensive line regardless of what they choose to do with Risner but there is a thought that keeping him might be a better and more affordable route than trying to bring in a player to replace him.