The Denver Broncos free agent period could be described as modest, but that doesn't mean they aced their various free agency moves. Denver taking this modest approach is needed due to the financial fallout of the Russell Wilson release. Denver will be taking on an NFL-record $85 million in dead money between the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
But after 2025, the contract is totally off the books. The Broncos invested modestly into the free agency market, which is much different than their approach last season. With that being said, they still could have done some things differently, and that's what we will cover here.
Let's look at three free agency do-overs for the Denver Broncos,
Free agent do-overs for the Denver Broncos during the 2024 Offseason
Broncos should have signed DT Sheldon Rankins
A former Sean Payton draft pick, Sheldon Rankins made a ton of sense for Denver. He's a very good and very consistent defensive tackle that signed a two-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals. In 2023 for the Texans, Rankins had six sacks, 37 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, and 10 QB hits.
Denver would have loved to have had that production from the defensive tackle position. Now yes, the Broncos did add guys like Malcolm Roach, John Franklin-Myers, and Angelo Blackson along the DL, but none of those three are as good as Rankins.
This might just be a situation where the Broncos did not want to pay over $10 million per season for a free agent. Denver's 2024 offseason was likely always going to be on the more modest side as soon as the Broncos front office decided that Russell Wilson was getting cut.
However, there was plenty of room to bring someone like Sheldon Rankins on board.
Broncos should have signed CBs Jeff Okudah and CJ Henderson
This might be one of my biggest personal gripes of the Broncos 2024 offseason. It's not that Jeff Okudah and CJ Henderson are some elite duo of cornerbacks, but both are young, former top-10 picks in the NFL Draft that simply could have used a change of scenery to get their careers back on track.
Well, somehow, the Houston Texans were able to sign both of these players, and honestly, that should have been Denver. With the Broncos taking a much more modest financial approach with their cap situation, signing Okudah and Henderson for pennies would have been a smart move.
These would have been a couple of reclamation projects that the Broncos could have taken on, and it's not like this team entered the 2024 NFL Offseason with a ton of certainty in the secondary. Denver signed veteran CB Levi Wallace and took Kris Abrams-Draine in the 2024 NFL Draft, so they did bring in some new faces.
But two of those new faces should have been Jeff Okudah and CJ Henderson.
Broncos should have signed TE Gerald Everett
Gerald Everett would have been a nice addition to the Denver Broncos TE room, which currently features Greg Dulcich, Adam Trautman, and Lucas Krull as the top three players. Not great. Everett isn't some world-beater by any means, but he's proven to be a consistent and modest producer at the position.
Across a 17-game season, Gerald Everett has averaged 45 receptions, 450 yards, and three touchdowns. Denver actually doesn't have anyone close to that type of production at the position. For whatever reason, the Broncos did not make a free agent move at TE.
Perhaps Sean Payton and the rest of the offensive coaching staff is expecting one of Dulcich or Krull to somehow take a huge leap in 2024, but to me, it's not likely. Dulcich has hardly played through two years, and Krull is an extremely developmental prospect.