Broncos Load Up, Fill Roster Holes in Mock Free-Agent Haul

The Denver Broncos could fill the big roster holes long before the NFL draft rolls around.

Dec 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson (83) catches the ball a touchdown pass during the second half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos are in a good position as free agency approaches. The Broncos got a good look at their young players last year with Marvin Mims Jr. emerging, Devaughn Vele leading all rookie receivers drafted after the second round in yards, cornerbacks Riley Moss and Ja’Quan McMillian looking at least serviceable in the secondary, and, of course, quarterback Bo Nix.

There are some key holes the Broncos need to fill, and free agency would be the best way to go about it. You don’t want to draft for needs outside of landing a franchise quarterback. 

The goal of this free agency mock is to show how the Broncos can work around their salary cap. Denver is well off, sitting at $41 million per Spotrac. However, the salary cap can be circumvented to an extent, especially with wealthy owners.

Today, we'll use Spotrac to measure the market value of players, and use them as the basis for contracts given out.

The Broncos have some significant holes to fill, needing a tight end, running back, wide receiver, interior defensive lineman, linebacker, and safety, at least in free agency. Let’s look at what Denver can do to reload the roster. 

When it comes to contract, it's worth remembering that the annual average is not the same as the cap hit. 

Restructuring Contracts

The first step is internal work on contracts on the books already. There are multiple-player contracts the Broncos can restructure to create some additional cap room. For this, we only touched the contracts of right tackle Mike McGlinchey and left guard Ben Powers.

This will lock the duo in Denver through the 2026 season, growing the Broncos' salary-cap space to $49 million to work with, with $3.2 million set aside for the rookie class. The Broncos would also like to hold onto some cap space for later signings, and some will be taken up in pay increases.

Impending Broncos Free Agents

The Broncos keep all their impending free agents except defensive tackle D.J. Jones, running back Javonte Williams, linebackers Cody Barton and Zach Cunningham, and quarterback Zach Wilson. Jarrett Stidham and Riley Dixon are extended on multi-year deals, two and three years, respectively. The rest are extended at the minimum or near minimum deals. 

Long-snapper Mitchell Frabroni is the lone restricted free agent. He wasn’t tagged but extended for three years on a fair deal for long snappers. 

After all this, the Broncos are left with about $40 million for free agency. 

Tight End: Juwan Johnson | New Orleans Saints

Market Value Deal: $30 million over three years

Year 1Cap Hit: $4.5 million

The first signing is a tight end that Sean Payton is familiar with. Johnson is small for a tight end, weighing about 230-240 pounds, which is reflected in his blocking, but he's a quality receiving option that would be an upgrade over what the Broncos currently have in their room.

Johnson put up 548 receiving yards and three touchdowns last season compared to the Broncos' 455 yards and five touchdowns by their three tight ends combined. Can Johnson be the ‘joker’ Payton has been searching for?

Linebacker: Jamien Sherwood | New York Jets

East Rutherford, NJ -- September 29 -- Jamien Sherwood of the Jets chase Bo Nix of Denver in the first half as the Denver Broncos edged the New York Jets 10-9 at MetLife Stadium. | Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Market Value Deal: $30 million over three years

Year 1 Cap Hit: $4.5 million

While Zack Baun was likely Denver's preferred target, his re-signing with the Philadelphia Eagles changed the plan. The reports are that the Broncos are prioritizing coverage from the linebacker position, and Sherwood fits the bill there. He's slightly undersized as he played around 220 pounds, it didn’t hinder his run defense with the New York Jets, as he had the 12th-most stops against the run among linebackers last season.

The issue of Sherwood's weight comes into play as a tackler, as he had the 10th-most missed tackles among linebackers last season. The linebacker market is seemingly set to boom this year, largely thanks to the Baun extension of $17 million annually, so if the Broncos want an upgrade, they'll likely have to spend. 

Safety: Camryn Bynum | Minnesota Vikings

Dec 29, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Camryn Bynum (24) celebrates his fumble recovery against Green Bay Packers in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. | Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

Market Value Deal: $40 Million over four years

Year 1 Cap Hit: $6 million

There have been multiple reports about the Broncos wanting to upgrade the safety spot currently occupied by P.J. Locke. One name that has been mentioned numerous times is Bynum.

Bynum would be a natural fit next to Brandon Jones, as he is a better version of what the Broncos have in Locke. Bynam is adept at making plays on the ball and was one of the better ball-hawking safeties in the NFL last season. 

Running Back: Aaron Jones | Minnesota Vikings

Jan 5, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) avoids a tackle from Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell (46) during the second half at Ford Field. | David Reginek-Imagn Images

Market Value Deal: $14 Million over two years

Year 1 Cap Hit: $4 million

It isn’t easy to pay an older running back a lot of money, but there has been plenty of recent success in teams doing so. Jones is coming off a great season, even though he will be 31 years old later this year.

Even with a strong draft class for running backs, the Broncos may decide to go ahead and get their mismatch back in free agency with Jones, who has been linked to Denver this offseason. This wouldn’t keep the Broncos from drafting a back, as Jones is only a short-term solution, with the drafted back being the long-term guy, but it would provide security if they can’t land the backs they're eyeing.

Wide Receiver: Allen Lazard | New York Jets

Jan 5, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Allen Lazard (10) catches the ball during the second half against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Market Value Deal: N/A

Year 1 Cap Hit: N/A

Lazard is an exception to the rest of the signings, as he is still under contract. The Jets are expected to release him, and if they do, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Broncos jump in.

Payton and the Broncos made an effort to land Lazard as a free agent in 2023 and as part of a trade in 2024. Lazard would be brought in as an upgrade over Lil’Jordan Humphrey in the big slot role that Payton has been using. 

Defensive Line: Poona Ford | Los Angeles Chargers

Nov 17, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Poona Ford (95) reacts after sacking Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Market Value Deal: $6.6 million over one year.

Year 1 Cap Hit: $6.6 million

Jones had a good year, but his market value per Spotrac is over $10 million. That's a bit much for a defensive tackle who played less than 41% of the defensive snaps.

Ford is a targeted signing to significantly boost the Broncos' run defense, which faltered down the stretch, including in the playoff game. While Jones wasn’t the only issue, his issues hurt those around him, and Ford is a far superior run defender. The Broncos have the pass rushers to compensate for the slight drop-off from Jones to Ford. 

Tight End: Austin Hooper | New England Patriots

Dec 15, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New England Patriots tight end Austin Hooper (81) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Market Value Deal: $4 million over one year

Year 1 Cap Hit: $4 million

Nate Adkins came along as a blocker while Adam Trautman struggled, and Lucas Krull offered nothing there. Hooper can help, as he had a great year working as a blocker and is still a capable receiver.

This would give the Broncos plenty of options heading into the draft by rebuilding the tight end room. That was a goal, as Tyler Warren (Penn State) and Colston Loveland (Michigan) may not be there for the Broncos at 20th overall. If one of them is there at No. 20 overall in the draft, the Broncos will have rebuilt the tight end room 100% in one offseason.

Bottom Line

This leaves the Broncos with plenty of cap space to work with, and they still can touch the contracts of a few players. Extensions with wideout Courtland Sutton and defensive lineman Zach Allen could help the salary cap this year. Safety Brandon Jones, rush linebacker Jonathon Cooper, and inside linebacker Alex Singleton could have their contracts restructured. 

Even with Wilson’s dead cap hit still lingering, the Broncos can still make moves in free agency. That isn’t something Broncos Country needs to worry about.

The question is whether Sean Payton and GM George Paton use free agency to attack the immediate needs on the roster to help build the nest around Nix and look to the draft to develop and build a dynasty. 

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