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Report: Broncos' Have Interest in Re-Signing Free-Agent LB Jeremiah Attaochu
The Denver Broncos were decimated by the injury bug last year, which is one of the reasons the team's 7-9 finish under first-year head coach Vic Fangio was modestly impressive. The defensive side of the ball was hit hardest by injury, especially the cornerback and outside linebacker position.
When Bradley Chubb went down with a season-ending ACL tear in Week 4, the Broncos had to scramble. Behind Chubb and Von Miller, all that separated the Broncos' edge defense from oblivion were two rookies — Justin Hollins and Malik Reed.
Naturally, in the wake of Chubb's injury, the Broncos sought veteran reinforcements. The club signed Jeremiah Attaochu, who would go on to make a sizable impact in Fangio's defense.
The fly in the ointment is this; even though Chubb is expected back for the 2020 regular season, the depth behind him still remains sketchy and Attaochu is an unrestricted free agent. Will the Broncos seek to re-sign Attaochu? 9NEWS' Mike Klis provided an answer this week.
Getting Attaochu re-signed would go a long way toward mitigating the Broncos' depth at outside linebacker. The former second-round pick of the Chargers', Attaochu bounced around the league before landing in Denver mid-season.
He would finish 2019 having started five games for Denver, posting 21 tackles (14 solo), five tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks while hitting the QB five times. Not numbers to blow your mind but it was above-average production considering the sample size.
Attaochu could find a more bullish market for his services than the Broncos currently project. If so, they'll have to be willing to spend some money to get him back. But with as many cap dollars as the team has invested in Miller and Chubb, GM John Elway will have to use discretion in how much he's willing to budget to bolster the depth of the position.
Reed and Hollins shined at times, though the former was far more consistent. There's a good chance one — if not both — develop nicely in year two and can become more impactful depth pieces.
If not, keeping an eye on Attaochu in free agency and exploring a new contract would make a lot of sense for the Broncos. Attaochu is only 27 years old and is entering just his seventh NFL season.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
