Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Report: A.J. Bouye Trade Takes Broncos out of Byron Jones Sweepstakes
The Denver Broncos kicked off the offseason about two weeks early, agreeing to a trade that'll send a 2020 fourth-round draft pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for veteran CB A.J. Bouye.
In the wake of the trade, it leaves two questions; 1.) What does this mean for Chris Harris, Jr.? 2.) Does that take Denver out of the running for Byron Jones?
We've received conflicting information in terms of Harris, Jr. implications. The player seems ready to say goodbye, while the Denver Post's Ryan O'Halloran reports that Harris is still on the table for the Broncos.
As for Jones, according to NFL insider and KOA radio host Benjamin Allbright, Broncos fans had better remove him from the free-agent wishlist.
Keep in mind, Bouye arrives in Denver with two years left on his deal. He's scheduled to make $13 million in base salary in 2020 and 2021. None of the money is guaranteed, and there is a chance Bouye could agree to an extension with Denver that could loosen up his cap hit, but for now, it's set to shave $13M off the team's cap space.
Best-case scenario, the Broncos have around $57M in cap space in the wake of the Bouye trade. In theory, that's more than enough money to get a defensive lineman like Derek Wolfe re-signed and splurge a little on the free-agent market. After all, GM John Elway had about $30M in cap space in 2014, and he still found a way to fit DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, Emmanuel Sanders and T.J. Ward under the cap.
Where there's a will, there's a way. Still, it might not be a dollars-and-cents proposition for the Broncos. Ostensibly, at worst, the Broncos view Bouye as a starter, if not as the projected No. 1 corner. With Bryce Callahan penciled in as CB2 in base defense, only to move inside to the nickel in sub-packages, the top-two corner slots are filled in Denver.
At CB3, the Broncos have a trio of on-roster options; Isaac Yiadom, Davontae Harris, and Duke Dawson. And even though the Broncos don't plan to tender RFA De'Vante Bausby, there is interest in re-signing him. If that happens, there's really no reason to pursue a bona-fide CB1 like Jones.
Plus, there's a chance — listening to other plugged-in reporters like O'Halloran — that the Broncos could make an 11th-hour push to re-sign Harris, Jr., though that seems increasingly unlikely. More probable yet, the Broncos could save a few dollars by approaching Prince Amukamara, who was just released by the Chicago Bears.
All indications are that Amukamara would be very amenable to the idea of reuniting with Vic Fangio, Ed Donatell and Bryce Callahan in Denver, and he would come at half the cost of Jones or Harris, at worst.
Over the years, I've learned that when it comes to Allbright's reporting, just accept it. It's about as close to Broncos gospel as you're going to find.
The Broncos will use their remaining cap space to plug other holes, especially on defense. I'd be shocked if the team doesn't make one more cornerback signing, whether it be Bausby, Amukamara, or (more of a hail-mary) Harris, Jr. But spending top dollar? Probably not.
It's quite possible Jones is going to re-set the market at cornerback. Some other team will be the bank-roll for that feat.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
