How George Paton Hire Alters Prospects of Broncos' 11 Unrestricted Free Agents
The Denver Broncos have 11 unrestricted free agents who could hit the open market in March — unless they sign new contracts.
New general manager George Paton has said he plans to be "aggressive but not reckless," which likely means he'll want to keep the players who make sense to retain, but not overpay.
I've talked multiple times throughout the season about the Broncos bound for unrestricted free agency, but with Paton now on board, the question is whether or not any of these players saw a change to their chances of staying with the Broncos.
Let's go over the unrestricted free agents and see who has the best chance of staying.
Justin Simmons, S
Every Broncos fan should know the story about Simmons, in which the Broncos were unable to come to terms on a new deal last year and he played under the franchise tag.
The question is whether the Broncos will come to terms this time around. Given that Paton has stressed that keeping young players the team has developed is important and that Simmons will be 28 years old, I would expect Paton to make sure he gets a deal done with Simmons.
I'll talk more about a possible deal for Simmons later on (that is, unless the Broncos come to a deal before that), but one should expect Simmons to be among the highest-paid safeties in the NFL.
Verdict: Likely re-signed.
Elijah Wilkinson, OT
Wilkinson started most of 2019 at right tackle and struggled, then missed some time in 2020 because of injuries. When he played in 2020, he was better than in 2019, but still not good overall.
At first, I believed Wilkinson would be allowed to walk, but given the uncertainty with the Broncos' thoughts about Ja'Wuan James' future with the team, they may decide to keep Wilkinson after all. He may not be good, but he's been committed to the team, and he's just 26 years old.
If Wilkinson is retained, the Broncos need to be careful with the contract length. The Broncos have given three-year deals to players such as Donald Stephenson and Menelik Watson, and both proved to be costly mistakes.
A one-year deal for Wilkinson is preferable, but a two-year deal would be fine so long as the Broncos could get out of the contract after one year.
But with all that said, what happens with Wilkinson likely hinges on what happens with James.
Verdict: 50-50 chance he's re-signed.
Shelby Harris, DL
After failing to find offers elsewhere to his liking, Harris came back to the Broncos in 2020 on a one-year deal and had another productive season, though he missed time after testing positive for COVID-19, then the final game of the season with a knee injury.
Harris has played well enough to get an extension, but it remains to be seen if he will. There hasn't been any report of Harris needing surgery on his knee — and given how popular of a player he is, you would think if he had surgery, that reports would be all over the place.
That's important because, if Harris did require surgery, he wouldn't be getting a contract extension that quickly. Because it appears the injury isn't significant, it shouldn't be a factor.
However, Harris turns 30 and that could be the factor that causes the Broncos to move on. If Paton would rather focus on players who are less than 30 years old, he might not be so quick to extend Harris.
This is truly a decision that can go either way.
Verdict: 50-50 chance he's re-signed.
DeMarcus Walker, DL
The 2017 second-round pick took time to develop and, though he never became a starter like some may have hoped, he proved to be a good depth and rotational player.
Walker will likely be allowed to test the market, similar to what happened with Harris last year. However, it wouldn't be surprising if he returns to the Broncos on a short-term deal.
While there aren't a lot of attractive options among interior defenders in free agency, it should mean that prices don't get driven up. That should allow the Broncos to keep Walker on a reasonable deal, assuming he doesn't find one elsewhere.
Verdict: 50-50 chance he's re-signed.
Will Parks, S
Parks signed with the Eagles as a free agent in 2020 and missed a few games before being released. The Broncos claimed him off waivers, needing defensive back help for the final few games of 2020.
Parks is a player plenty of Broncos fans like, but I'm not sold that Paton will consider him a priority to retain. The Broncos didn't retain him last season and Parks hasn't shown any indication that he can be a starter in this league,
There is always the chance he is brought back as a depth player after testing the market and not finding a deal he likes. But I don't see the Broncos committing to him for the long term.
Verdict: Likely gone.
Jeremiah Attaochu, OLB
The Broncos added Attaochu in 2019 and he was a pleasant surprise. He was brought back on a one-year deal for 2020 and was solid as a rotational player when healthy.
The emergence of Malik Reed this season, though, may mean the Broncos will allow Attaochu to depart. The Broncos also have younger players on the depth chart they may want to give a shot at an increased role.
It's possible Attaochu sticks around if the Broncos release Von Miller. Otherwise, he may be moving on.
Verdict: Likely gone.
Joseph Jones, LB
The Broncos retained Jones on a one-year deal last year. I thought there was a chance he might be cut in training camp, but he proved otherwise, making the final roster and continuing to play an important role on special teams.
What happens with Jones now remains to be seen. He didn't play much on defense, sticking mostly to special teams, so it's worth asking if he's going to be brought back for 2021.
I've been wrong before about Jones, so I won't rule him out. But something tells me the Broncos might look elsewhere for special teams help this time around.
Verdict: Likely gone.
Demar Dotson, OT
After James opted out of the 2020 season because of his concerns about COVID-19, the Broncos signed Dotson. He took over the right tackle job when Wilkinson was injured, played well in pass protection but wasn't as good in run blocking.
Dotson is 36 years old and doesn't fit the idea that Paton may have about focusing on younger players. Even if James is gone, I don't see the Broncos keeping Dotson around.
Verdict: Definitely gone.
Sylvester Williams, DL
The Broncos' 2013 first-round pick was re-signed in 2020 after spending four-plus years away from the organization and added to the practice squad, thanks to the modified rules in place because of the pandemic. Williams went to the active roster when others were lost to injury or placed on the COVID-19 list.
While it was fun to see an old friend return, there's no reason for the Broncos to keep a defensive lineman who will be 33 years old. We can thank Williams for the memories, but the Broncos will move on.
Verdict: Definitely gone.
Anthony Chickillo, OLB
Chickillo was another player brought in because of injuries to other players. The Broncos mostly used him as an edge rusher and he played a little special teams.
Like Williams, Chickillo was simply brought in to fill out the roster when the Broncos needed healthy players on the field. While it was good to have the depth, the Broncos will move forward without him.
Verdict: Definitely gone.
De'Vante Bausby, CB
Bausby showed some promise in 2019, but a neck injury cut his season short. He came back on a one-year deal but went through a roller-coaster ride this season, in which he went from getting cut by Denver, to the practice squad, to the active roster, to cut again, to signing with the Arizona Cardinals, to cut again, to coming back to the Broncos.
When Bausby did play for the Broncos, though, he didn't do enough to show that he can be a starter. And given that he isn't good on special teams, the Broncos are likely to look elsewhere for cornerback depth.
Bausby may have given some fans hope, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.
Verdict: Definitely gone.
In the next installment, I'll look at the restricted free agents.
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