Is the writing on the wall for these three Denver Broncos players approaching the 2025 NFL Season?
I am sure that the Denver Broncos are looking ahead to a certain degree, as they have projected free agents for next offseason and always have to keep being proactive to field to the best roster possible.
And unfortunately for a few players, their fates may have been sealed already and the writing may already be on the wall as we get closer to the 2025 NFL Season.
Is the writing on the wall for these Broncos players?
Ben Powers, LG
It is truly rare to see an NFL team investing big-time contracts into four different offensive linemen, but the Denver Broncos are doing that with Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, Quinn Meinerz, and Mike McGlinchey. Well, both Bolles and Meinerz are the two stalwarts of this offensive line, so neither of them are going anywhere.
Mike McGlinchey has stabilized the right tackle position, and while Ben Powers has played pretty OK, he's not been great, and I am not sure he is playing up to the contract he signed with the team. Furthermore, the Broncos may have a tough decision to make next offseason, as center Luke Wattenberg is slated to be a free agent.
If Wattenberg breaks out in 2025 and turns into one of the more complete centers in the NFL, Denver may want to re-sign him, which could force them to have to make a tough cut. Ben Powers would be that player who gets the axe along the offensive line in the event that they do need to make a cut-down there.
John Franklin-Myers
The Denver Broncos defensive line is so talented that they simply might not be able to pay everyone. They have paid both Jonathon Cooper and DJ Jones, and could also still pay Nik Bonitto and Zach Allen before or during the 2025 season.
Well, John Franklin-Myers might end up being the odd-man out here, as the team also used a 2025 NFL Draft pick on Sai'vion Jones, a defensive end who is actually quite similar to JFM. While I would personally love to see Denver extend Franklin-Myers' contract by another year, they simply might not be willing to invest that much money into the DL.
PJ Locke III, SAF
PJ Locke III was replaced in free agency when the team signed Talanoa Hufanga, and the Broncos safety room also has a ton of other names in it as well including Sam Franklin, JL Skinner, and Devon Key. Being that the Broncos can save a few million on their cap for 2025, it really would not be all that unlikely to see the team moving on from Locke before the 2025 season begins.
Now sure, he could absolutely stick around, as he would be the team's best backup, but his roster status seems a lot more uncertain now than it did just a few months ago.