Josey Jewell's next team after Broncos seems obvious

The Denver Broncos don't have a ton of prominent pending free agents in 2024 but the ones they have, they could very well lose to other teams in the next handful of weeks. A few of the bigger names are center Lloyd Cushenberry III, safety PJ Locke, and linebacker Josey Jewell. Of those players, Jewell has been with the Broncos the longest, and his time in Denver may be coming to an end.

The former fourth-round pick out of Iowa has provided a really strong handful of seasons in Denver, earning a second contract with the team in the 2022 offseason and endearing himself to a variety of different defensive coaches in Denver. Even though Jewell was drafted by the Broncos while current defensive coordinator Vance Joseph was the head coach of the team, he has other connections around the league right now that could lead to his next destination being obvious.

If you were trying to guess which team it could be and you guessed the Philadelphia Eagles, you guessed correctly.

Broncos LB Josey Jewell could land with Eagles in free agency

Former Denver Broncos front office executive Matt Russell is currently a senior personnel executive for the Philadelphia Eagles, who have brought in a number of former Denver Broncos players in recent years. The most recent would be tight end Albert Okwuegbunam, who was acquired in a trade at last year's roster cuts, but there are a variety of others and it extends beyond player personnel into the coaching side of things.

The most substantial connection at this point is new Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who was the Broncos' head coach from 2019-2021. Under Fangio, Jewell really broke out as a second contract player and it wouldn't be surprising to see the Eagles prioritize Jewell in free agency.

Jewell won't break the bank, he's an experienced veteran, and he raises the floor at a key position in Fangio's defense while also being able to take all of the calls and communicate as a coach on the field. The Eagles lost both of their starting linebackers (TJ Edwards, Kyzir White) in 2023 free agency, and those losses turned out to be much more impactful than I think they really anticipated.

All of this should lead to the Eagles eventually making Jewell an offer, and the Broncos needing to find another starting inside linebacker, if they don't have that figured out already.

The Broncos drafted Drew Sanders last year likely in anticipation of potentially losing Josey Jewell in 2024, but the vision for Sanders may be complicated by the fact that he was more impressive to the team as an EDGE player as opposed to an off-ball linebacker. The Broncos recently re-signed Jonas Griffith, but Griffith hasn't played a full-time role since 2021 when he was first acquired by the team and has dealt with injuries the past two seasons.

The Broncos may want to bring Jewell back, but he might have a chance to go reunite with Vic Fangio on a contending Eagles roster with plenty of other familiar faces.