Recapping every move the Denver Broncos made in NFL Free Agency

Denver Broncos free agency recap: The rest of the backfield

Michael Burton, FB

That's right, the fullback is back in Denver, everyone. Of course, Andrew Beck played some fullback over the last handful of years for the team, but his contributions were few and far between at that position, and he was much more known for his special teams prowess.

Michael Burton is a true fullback, in the sense that he can be a more consistent lead blocker in the running game and offer you a little something as a runner and receiver himself. He's coming off of two years of playing for the Kansas City Chiefs after playing for the New Orleans Saints and Sean Payton in 2020.

Burton was on the field for a lot of special teams snaps for the Chiefs and has done so throughout his career. He played over 200 snaps for New Orleans offensively back in 2020, the second-highest snap count offensively of his entire NFL career. I think Sean Payton has a clear role for him as this free agency class looks loaded with physicality. The Broncos clearly want to run the ball a lot, and they want to set the tone with punishing players.

Tony Jones Jr., RB

When you look at this free agency haul as a whole for the Broncos, you obviously notice a lot of former Saints players and there's a reason for that. Sean Payton discussed it recently.

"Let's talk about the former Saints players. Those are guys that I have a vision for. They're easy reads and guys that were available...The key is to get to the best 90 right now for us. When we're talking about a player, do we have the right vision for what we see this player being?"

- Sean Payton

Tony Jones Jr., a former Notre Dame running back, made his way up in the NFL with the Saints and slowly crept his way into more playing time. By the time the 2021 season rolled around, he was a pretty regular piece of the rotation, playing 11-12 snaps per game. He may not make the Broncos' opening day roster, but then again, he might also be one of these players that Sean Payton has a "vision" for.