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Broncos Named Best FA Fit for Former Colorado Star
A 17-game starter for the Rams last season.
A quiet yet calculated free agency period has screeched to a halt for the Denver Broncos, whose sights now are deadlocked on the 2024 NFL Draft later this month.
Nevertheless, there remains unsigned talent that can aid Sean Payton's club at its most vulnerable areas. One of those areas is cornerback, and among the unsigned talent is ex-Rams starter Ahkello Witherspoon — an ideal pairing, according to Bleacher Report.
"While the Broncos have an excellent No. 1 corner in Patrick Surtain II, they could use an upgrade on the other side of Surtain," BR's Matt Holder wrote Sunday. "Currently slated as the team's other starting corner is Damarri Mathis, who allowed a 135.9 passer rating when targeted and earned a 36.7 coverage grade last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Meanwhile, PFF is projecting Witherspoon to receive just a one-year, $3 million contract after he posted figures of 76.7 and 61.6 in the same metrics during the 2023 campaign."
A 2017 third-round pick and former Colorado standout, Witherspoon is coming off a one-and-done campaign in Los Angeles, where he made 43 solo tackles, 14 pass deflections, and three interceptions across all 17 games, finishing as Pro Football Focus' 69th-ranked CB out of 127 qualifiers.
Prior to joining the Rams, Witherspoon spent 2021-22 with the Pittsburgh Steelers and his first four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, racking up 77 career appearances and 3,932 defensive snaps, per Pro Football Reference.
Witherspoon, 29, is nobody's idea of a long-term CB2 solution for the Broncos — and his signing wouldn't preclude the team from addressing the position in the draft, perhaps even at No. 12 overall — but could provide an experienced shot in the arm to an otherwise young and inexperienced corps.
Running behind Pro Bowler Patrick Surtain II on Denver's offseason depth chart are Damarri Mathis, Riley Moss, Art Green, and Reese Taylor.
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