Look: Broncos Lauded by Football Outsiders for Free-Agent Haul
The Denver Broncos have been more active in free agency than in years past, to the point they have spent more cash in free agency than any other NFL team.
While the Broncos made effort to improve the roster, particularly given the lack of capital in the 2023 NFL draft, the question that remains unanswered is how that will translate to the upcoming season.
Plenty of opinions have been made about what the Broncos did, and among those are from Football Outsiders, who evaluated each team's free agency approach in three categories and gave an overall grade.
What did they think of the Broncos? Analyst Brian Knowles evaluated the AFC West and graded the Broncos thusly:
Improved Roster: A
Used Resources Well: C
Coherent Plan: A
Overall Grade: A-
Knowles' concerns dealt with the money paid to Mike McGlinchey and Ben Powers, but he recognized that the Broncos did so to give quarterback Russell Wilson the best possible chance for success. After all, the Broncos' offensive line was a major issue in 2022, between injuries and inconsistent play from several players.
As for other moves, Knowles called the switch from Dre'Mont Jones to Zach Allen on the defensive line a "downgrade, but not a significant one." Knowles noted that Allen fits new defensive coordinator Vance Joseph's scheme.
Knowles liked the moves to bring back Alex Singleton and add Samaje Perine. The question, of course, is whether all that spending will translate to success, but Knowles understood the Broncos' position.
"The team that pays the most money in free agency doesn't always end up with the most improvement, but I generally prefer a team doing lots of things rather than sitting and twiddling their thumbs, and the Broncos have certainly done a lot of things."
One could also note that the Jacksonville Jaguars spent a lot of money in 2022 and saw noticeable improvement. The Jaguars, of course, were coming off a disastrous 2021 season and shared some similarities with the 2022 Broncos, particularly a head coach who was in way over his head.
And like the Broncos, the Jaguars ultimately turned to a veteran head coach who wasn't reportedly their first choice. Unlike the Broncos, though, the Jaguars were in a weaker division, whereas the Broncos have to contend with the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and a playoff team in the Los Angeles Chargers.
Still, if the Jaguars showed improvement after massive free agency spending and hiring an experienced head coach, the Broncos could do the same. We'll find out if things pay off once the 2023 football season arrives.
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