By: Adamo Marinelli
April 27, 2021
After another disappointing season, this time with quarterback Drew Lock at the helm, the Broncos turned to free agency to bring back key players and add new pieces to improve the team in hopes of a playoff appearance next season.
The Broncos brought back:
Justin Simmons, safety - signed a 4-year contract
Shelby Harris, defensive end - signed a 3-year deal
Von Miller, outside linebacker - Broncos picked up Miller’s contract option
Kareem Jackson, safety - signed a 1-year deal
Alexander Johnson, inside linebacker - received a second-round tender
Tim Patrick, wide receiver - received a second-round tender
The Broncos also have exclusive rights over Calvin Anderson, offensive tackle; Trey Marshall, safety; and WR/PR Diontae Spencer. All have received tenders from Broncos.
The Broncos acquired:
Ronald Darby, cornerback - acquired from Washington
Kyle Fuller, cornerback - acquired from Chicago
Mike Boone, running back - acquired from Minnesota
Shamar Stephen, defensive lineman - acquired from Minnesota
The Broncos parted ways with
Jeremiah Attaouchu, outside linebacker - signed by Chicago
Elijah Wilkinson, offensive guard - signed by Chicago
Philip Lindsay, running back - signed by Houston
Jurell Casey, defensive tackle - free agent
A.J Bouye, cornerback, signed by Carolina
Looking at this list, it appears George Paton is really focusing on improving the defensive side of the ball. With these additions and signings, the Broncos could have a top 5 secondary and a top 5 linebacker core in the NFL if they can stay healthy and add some extra depth in the draft.
It looks like they will focus on more offensive weapons to add around Drew Lock, offensive linemen to protect Lock, and/or a franchise quarterback to replace Lock in the draft. However, they do have a lot of young weapons around Lock already like Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Noah Fant, among others. Lock’s future with the team is on him: it depends if he can excel with a strong offense, a good offensive line, and a pretty exceptional defense.
Let’s take a look at some position grades:
CB: A (improvement)
S: A+ (improvement)
DL: B+ (slight improvement)
LB: B (status quo)
WR: B (slight improvement)
RB: B- (slightly worse)
OL: B (status quo)
QB: No sufficient evidence yet. -- Is Drew Lock the guy?
Cornerback: Of course, A.J Bouye is gone, but he missed 9 of the 16 games last season with injury and suspension and was not himself last season. Kyle Fuller is familiar with the Fangio system when he played with the Bears and should be a good schematic fit for the Broncos. Ronald Darby is an excellent cover corner and excels at man coverage - which the Broncos like to do - and can be a good fit as long as he stays healthy. Adding these two guys to Michael Ojemudia and Bryce Callahan is a good group of defensive backs. Huge improvement at cornerback for Denver.
Safety: Justin Simmons is one of the best safeties in the league alongside Budda Baker, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jamal Adams, and Tryan Mathieu. He had 5 interceptions, 4th most in the NFL last season, 9 passes defended, 1 fumble recovery, and 96 total tackles. Justin Simmons with Kareem Jackson is an elite duo. Bringing Simmons and Jackson back is crucial for this Broncos’ secondary. This is a huge improvement for the defense.
Defensive line: After one year, the Broncos cut Jurell Casey, who only played in 3 games before suffering a season-ending injury. This is disappointing because Casey is an elite run blocker and can rush the passer from the interior. However, they brought back Shelby Harris, an integral part of the defensive line. He is an experienced veteran, a mentor for the young players, is great at stopping the run, can shed blocks with ease, and can block passes when the team needs it. They also added Shamar Stephen, who’s had a decent career with the Vikings thus far. Mike Purcell, Shelby Harris, Dre’Mont Jones, and Stephen will improve a great defensive line unit.
Linebacker: They lost Jeremiah Attaouchu to the Bears but they re-signed Alexander Johnson who had a breakout year in 2020 with 124 total tackles, 1 sack, and 2 forced fumbles. They also re-signed Von Miller who missed all of the 2020 season due to injury but is an elite linebacker and is poised for a great comeback season. He was prepping for a comeback season in 2020 after an intense training regimen in the offseason but in 2021, we should finally be able to see the pass-rushing duo of Von Miller and Bradley Chubb, which will be a nightmare for all defenses. They recorded 26.5 sacks in 2018, which was top 10 in the league. This would be an improvement, however, with Miller coming off a serious injury, it will take time to get into form.
Wide receiver: The Broncos are pretty deep at wide receiver. Tim Patrick had a breakout year in 2020. He had 51 receptions, 742 receiving yards, and 6 receiving TDs. He did not have a single drop last season. Cortland Sutton who also missed most of last season due to an injury is slated for a return and Jerry Jeudy, the Broncos’ 15th overall pick in 2020 had an excellent season with 52 receptions, 856 yards, and 3 TDs. With Sutton and Jeudy on the outside and Patrick, Diontae Spencer, and Desean Hamilton on the inside, the Broncos will have a deep and talented wide receiver room to help whatever QB is at the helm. This is an upgrade with everyone healthy.
Running back: Philip Lindsay left in free agency to the Houston Texans. He missed several games due to injury and when he did play he was overshadowed by Melvin Gordon, who recorded almost 1000 rush yards and 9 rush TDs. This is disappointing, as Lindsay is an explosive back who has speed and is elusive, and provides huge sparks to this offense with his long plays. Gordon is a very good running back and Royce Freeman is a respectable third-down back, but the loss of Lindsay is a bit of a downgrade as Lindsay and Gordon on the field together would be unstoppable. I believe the Broncos will draft a running back in the draft.
Offensive line: Left tackle Garrett Boles had a great season in 2020. He was one of the highest-graded tackles according to Pro Football Focus and allowed 0 sacks last season. He also improved his fundamentals and became more disciplined while still playing physically, only causing 7 penalties. Right tackle Ja'Wuan James opted out last season due to COVID-19 and is a great athlete. However, after not playing for nearly 1.5 calendar years, it will probably take some time for James to settle down and regain his position as an elite tackle. On the interior of the line, the Broncos have Dalton Risner at left guard, Graham Glasgow at right guard, and sophomore center Lloyd Cushenberry, who are all improving. This line can be a top 10 unit in the league if everyone can stay healthy. The only thing preventing this line from being improved this offseason is the need for depth which should be addressed in the draft, the uncertainty of James at RT, and Elijah Wilkinson, an experienced veteran also left in free agency, which is a minus for the Broncos.
Quarterback: Finally, no changes were made to the quarterback position this offseason. George Paton has been impressed with Drew Lock’s efforts in improving himself for next season during the offseason. But, Paton has not guaranteed Lock’s starting job next season however, he does not want to force anything and overpay to bring a guy in, and maybe he’s not as good as Lock. He told reporters that they want to make sure they get the right guy and that they have a lot of time to do so. The Broncos were involved in trade talks regarding Carson Wentz, Matthew Stafford, and Sam Darnold but did land any of those guys. The Broncos sent offers for all 3 of those QBs but all of those teams either wanted more from Denver or Paton figured that those guys would not be an immediate improvement over Lock. At pick number 9 in the draft, the Broncos could select a QB in the draft or use that pick to trade down and get more assets, which tells us that Lock will be the day one starter barring a trade later in the offseason or landing a franchise QB in the draft.
George Paton and the Broncos had a pretty decent free agency. If the Broncos address some major needs at QB and OL and some minor needs at RB and LB, this team can be good in 2021. Maybe they can even make the playoffs if everyone stays healthy.
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