Report: Broncos Lose ILB Josey Jewell to Evero, Panthers
The Bash Brothers are no more.
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Broncos free-agent inside linebacker Josey Jewell agreed to terms Tuesday on a three-year, $22.75 million contract with the Carolina Panthers, where he'll reunite with ex-Denver defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.
Jewell's deal includes $10 million fully guaranteed, per Fowler, as well as a $7 million signing bonus that will become official Wednesday at the start of the new league year.
A 2018 fourth-round pick, Jewell largely outperformed expectations across 58 starts in the Mile High City. Though never elite in coverage, the former Iowa stud was a longtime tackling machine at the heart of Denver's defense, tallying 453 combined stops (263 solo) and 21 tackles for loss — many of which came alongside ILB Alex Singleton, the aforementioned Bro who stumped for Jewell's return.
"It's been awesome," Singleton said in January, via Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post. "It's been the best duo I've been in, and that's saying a lot because I think me and T.J. Edwards played really well together in (Philadelphia). I definitely hope it's not the last time. I'm going to bank on that."
Unfortunately for Singleton, the Broncos' lack of bank rendered Jewell expendable. They were unable (or unwilling) to match what Carolina offered and signaled their intentions quite clearly by re-signing veteran ILB Jonas Griffith at the onset of free agency.
Denver will move forward with Singleton and either Griffith, second-year man Drew Sanders, or an impending draft selection as its starting off-ball 'backers.
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