The hype of free agency has come and gone and now it’s time to look at what teams have gained and lost since March 16th and where they stand as they prepare for the upcoming draft. Let’s dive in to the winners of the offseason, the Denver Broncos.
Denver Broncos
Key acquisitions: QB Russell Wilson, DE Randy Gregory, DT D.J. Jones, LB Alex Singleton, CB K’Waun Williams, OL Billy Turner, G Tom Compton, TE Eric Tomlinson, QB Josh Johnson
Re-signed: S Kareem Jackson, LB Josey Jewell
Departures: QB Drew Lock (Seahawks), DL Shelby Harris (Seahawks), TE Noah Fant (Seahawks), QB Teddy Bridgewater (Dolphins), G Austin Schlottmann (Vikings), WR DaeSean Hamilton (Texans), OLB Stephen Weatherly (Browns)
Remaining free agents: RB Melvin Gordon, LB Alexander Johnson, CB Bryce Callahan, CB Kyle Fuller, OT Bobby Massie, LB Kenny Young, OT Cameron Fleming
Analysis: Arguably the biggest winner of the offseason so far, the Denver Broncos have completely changed their franchise around. For years the Broncos have been trying to find their franchise quarterback. They had success with Peyton Manning for four seasons in 2012-2015, but haven’t had a long term answer since 1998 with John Elway, but now they do. In the first big move that kicked off the most insane offseason of all time, the Broncos acquired 9x Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson after 10 seasons with the Seahawks. At 33 years old, Wilson is still playing at a high level, but you could see in the last two seasons it was starting to get stale in Seattle. The offense would be hot to start, and then fall drastically from grace. Then there was the whole thing with the thumb injury and how it was a “miracle” how it healed so quickly and yet he still didn’t play well. I don’t know it was a weird situation. But enough of Seattle, the future is in Denver and he’s set up very well. He goes from Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf to Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, K.J. Hamler, Albert Okwuegbunam, and Javonte Williams. It’s a quality to quantity scenario, but maybe that’s the change Russ needs.
The compensation for Wilson was quite a pretty penny, with picks and players a plenty. While acquiring the star QB and a fourth-round pick, the Broncos gave up two firsts, two seconds, a fifth, Drew Lock, Noah Fant, and Shelby Harris. Lock was a second-round pick in 2019 with 21 career starts through three seasons, including 13 in 2020, but hasn’t proved to be a capable starter, but he’ll have a chance to compete with Geno Smith, and maybe a rookie. Fant was a first-round pick in 2019 who’s been productive with over 1,900 yards through three seasons. Harris turned into a very good defensive lineman in his five seasons in Denver. These are three prominent players with either high upside and/or are proven talent.
Now that the Broncos made the big move on offense, it was time for some big moves on defense. The first move was signing former 49ers defensive tackle D.J. Jones to a three-year deal. Jones is a former sixth-round pick who was an unsung hero on the 49ers defense as a premier run stuffer on a defensive line featuring so many first-round picks, but it is Jones who has been a full-time starter the last three seasons.
While Jones was the first big signing, the biggest signing almost didn’t happen with pass rusher Randy Gregory. The former Cowboy had agreed to a deal to re-sign with the team, but language in the contract made him back out and sign the same five-year, $70 million contract. Gregory slides in as a starter alongside Bradley Chubb, replacing Von Miller on a young defensive line.
Also added on defense is former Eagles leading tackler Alex Singleton, who pairs with recently extended Josey Jewell, while taking the place of Alexander Johnson, who is still a free agent coming off a torn pec. In the secondary, nickelback K’Waun Williams signs a two-year deal, taking the place of free agent Bryce Callahan. He joins veteran Kareem Jackson, who really turned his career around since converting to safety when he signed with Denver in 2019. There appears to be a hole at cornerback with Kyle Fuller a free agent, but not really because you still have Patrick Surtain, Ronald Darby, and Michael Ojemudia as starters with Pro Bowl free safety Justin Simmons.
Conclusion: The Broncos won the offseason. They finally got their franchise quarterback and set him up in a very good situation. They have a ton of young pass catchers and Javonte Williams shined his rookie season while paired with Melvin Gordon, who is still a free agent. The defense is young, but the added veteran talent of D.J. Jones and Randy Gregory is just what they needed. The trade acquisition of Russell Wilson kicked off the ripple effect of the rest of the AFC West to made the big moves to challenge the Kansas City Chiefs for the division title. This is the most entertaining division in football now, will Denver’s big moves pay off?
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