According to George Paton, Dre'Mont Jones will hit the free agency market. Even though he should be brought back, not re-signing him might not be a big deal. I think most of Broncos Country would like to see Dre'MontJones back in the orange and blue.
He's a third-round pick back in the 2019 NFL Draft and has gotten better each year. He's a threat against the run and is one of the better interior pass rushers in the NFL. He and DJ Jones made a formidable duo in 2022 and it would be nice to see that continue in 2023 and beyond.
However, if Jones is asking for too much money, perhaps more than $15 million per year, the Broncos might be wise to let him get paid by another team.
The most urgent need for the Broncos is on offense. The team does need to infuse the offense with more quality talent. The offensive line needs quite a bit of help. The Broncos also need a running back and another pass catcher, in my opinion.
Denver's offense was one of the worst in the NFL last year, but their defense was one of the best. The idea of taking from the defense to fix the offense makes a lot of sense. The Broncos may not have an elite defense in 2023, but that's OK.
What if the Broncos' offense improved to a top 12 scoring unit? The team wouldn't necessarily need to field an elite defense if that's the case. Not re-signing Dre'Mont Jones could make a ton of sense if the team is confident that the offense can get back to competent levels and if they think they could use the money he'd make for other positions.
Let's say, for example, that Dre'Mont Jones wants $17 million per season on a new deal. The Broncos might not be comfortable with paying that much.
Think about it. Couldn't the team go out in free agency and sign two interior offensive linemen starters for $17 million per season? What if they allocated $9 million per season to sign someone like Connor McGovern and the other $8 million per season to sign someone like Ben Powers, a free agent guard from the Ravens?
The Broncos might feel like they can sign two quality starters on offense for the price of one interior defensive player. To me, that might make more sense.