Broncos Reached Out to Free-Agent Pass Rusher Cameron Wake but No Deal, per Report
Since Von Miller went down with a season-ending ankle injury on Tuesday, the Denver Broncos have been turning over rocks, shaking trees, and kicking bushes in pursuit of pass-rushing help. The team made overtures to free-agent Clay Matthews but were unable to strike a deal and the ensuing fallout on social media was messy to say the least.
The Broncos then brought in ex-Vic Fangio acolyte Isaiah Irving, who is expected to sign to the practice squad once he passes the team's COVID-19 testing protocols. However, Irving is more of a depth move and not necessarily someone the Broncos could expect to step in and make an immediate pass-rushing impact.
GM John Elway continued to roll through the list of available free agents at this position. This close to the season-opener, the pickings are slim.
Cameron Wake was the next target on Elway's list, but according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Broncos weren't able to reach an agreement with the 38-year-old pass rusher.
"Broncos reached out to free-agent pass rusher Cameron Wake, but the two sides were unable to reach agreement on a contract, per source," Schefter tweeted on Saturday.
Wake is entering his 12th NFL season and brings experience in spades. One of only three active NFL players to boast 100-plus career sacks, Wake's resume is impressive. But his 2019 tape with the Tennessee Titans? Not so much.
In nine games last year, Wake totaled just 2.5 sacks and 11 QB hits. The appeal is understandable but there are better options available on the market.
The Broncos weren't able to close a deal with Matthews or Wake and it likely boiled down to the bottom line — money. Elway has likely set his budget for a Miller replacement on the open market and the veteran GM will stick to his guns.
Wake signed a three-year, $23 million deal with the Titans in 2019 but only played out one year of that contract. It's possible he's looking for $7-8M/year, which would likely be a bridge (or two) too far for Elway.
However, hope remains that the Broncos can find some help. Terrell Suggs, who, along with Miller and Wake rounds out the list of three active players with 100-plus sacks, remains on the market. According to KUSA's Mike Klis, the Broncos have not reached out to Suggs quite yet, which is curious, because he's arguably the best option on the market.
Suggs is 37 years old and is coming off a year in which he played for the Arizona Cardinals first and the Kansas City Chiefs second (winning a ring). He totaled 6.5 sacks last year (5.5 ARI/1 KC) in 15 games and ranks No. 8 all-time with 139 career sacks.
Likely a future Hall-of-Famer, Suggs would bring veteran experience and proven pass-rushing prowess to what is now a very young and inexperienced rush linebacker room in Denver. My guess is that the Broncos will reach out but Elway doesn't have much time to waste, as Suggs could be swooped up in the blink of an eye.
As it stands, the Broncos have Bradley Chubb, Jeremiah Attaochu, Malik Reed, and rookie Derrek Tuszka (practice squad) on-roster. Chubb is a young, premier edge defender, but he's coming off a torn ACL. Chubb will play on Monday night vs. the Titans, though.
However, he'll undoubtedly be on a snap count as the Broncos are expected to proceed cautiously with the former No. 5 overall pick. I would expect that snap-count approach to persist throughout the first quarter of the 2020 season.
Elway might be resigned to waiting until after Week 1 to avoid having to pay a fully guaranteed 2020 contract. It's a rent vs. buy proposition.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
