Derek Wolfe, Shelby Harris 'Unlikely' to Return According to Broncos Insider
When the 2019 NFL season opened, Derek Wolfe, Shelby Harris, and Adam Gotsis represented the Denver Broncos' entire starting defensive line. Fast forward to the 2020 offseason, and it's unlikely that any of the three will return to Denver, according to a new report by 9NEWS' Mike Klis.
Fans were already aware that Gotsis was being let go. An unrestricted free agent, Gotsis had the unhappy luck of requiring an ACL surgery at the end of a contract year and is not expected to be ready in time for the season-opener. The Broncos are letting Gotsis walk, the team's 2016 second-round draft pick.
Meanwhile, the situation for Wolfe and Harris was more fortuitous, as it related free agency. Both are unrestricted free agents, both are healthy and are coming off a strong 2019 campaign in Vic Fangio's defense.
It's been reported previously that Harris is likely to sign elsewhere in his pursuit for top-of-the-line money, which left fans pining for Wolfe to be the one homegrown D-lineman the Broncos bring back. But according to Klis, that's unlikely to happen, despite the 'positive' conversations that took place between Wolfe's camp and the Broncos at the NFL Combine.
Unlikely either returns but with Elway never say never. The only chance of a return is if one of them finds to have a disappointing market.
If one of them is bound to find a less-than-enthusiastic market, it's likely to be Wolfe, who finished the 2019 campaign on injured reserve. Leading up to Week 13 when he suffered that season-ending elbow injury, Wolfe led the Broncos in sacks with seven. He'd been dominant in a contract year, telegraphing to the front office that he was born to play in Fangio's defense.
Despite his eight years with the club, and a World Championship won, the Broncos seem to be at peace with the probability that Wolfe departs in free agency. Whatever his ask has been up to this point, it's been too rich for John Elway's blood, Wolfe's phenomenal fit in Fangio's scheme notwithstanding.
I understand the Broncos' reluctance to pay Wolfe $10-plus million per year. It has nothing to do with his play, his character, or his leadership. It has to do with his injury history and age. Wolfe has battled the injury bug consistently throughout his eight-year career in Denver.
The Broncos are open to bringing him back — but on their terms and at a price the team can live with relative to the risk. Wolfe wants to stay in Denver, in a perfect world, but he also knows this could be his last chance to cash in and provide for his family long-term post-football.
At age 30, Wolfe wants a 'fair' deal but what is fair depends on the eye of the beholder. In the Broncos' estimation, whatever Wolfe is asking for isn't fair. If he can find it on the open market, the Broncos are willing to let him take it.
But I'm telling you right now, letting Wolfe go would be a mistake for the team. This defense needs him, especially if the Broncos want to see Von Miller return to form in 2020 and Bradley Chubb to bounce back from his ACL injury with gusto.
Like the 80s rock band Cinderella once crooned: 'You don't know what you've got, 'til it's gone.'
Meanwhile, Klis reports that Elway will be active in negotiations on Monday when the legal tampering window opens. Since December, Mile High Huddle has been preparing our readers for the D-line exodus the Broncos are facing, and have highlighted a handful of outside free agents to keep an eye on.
Unsurprisingly, Klis' most likely D-line targets for the Broncos fall in line what MHH has been reporting for months. Keep an eye on Pittsburgh's Javon Hargrave, Buffalo's Jordan Phillips, Houston's D.J. Reader and New York's Leonard Williams as the top options for Denver.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
