Broncos Urged to Make a 'Splash' With Former Chargers First-Rounder

NFL free agency is approaching, and there are some questions about how the Denver Broncos will approach it. Will the Broncos be aggressive and take advantage of Bo Nix's rookie contract, or will they be more passive and calculated?

If Sean Payton’s history is any indicator, the Broncos will be aggressive with the money and cap space available.

NFL.com's Jeffri Chadiha included the Broncos among five teams that need to make a splash. It makes sense, as the Broncos have Nix on a cost-controlled contract and don’t have to spend big money on the quarterback position for a few years.

The Broncos have the cap space, even with Russell Wilson’s dead cap hit.

“Even with Wilson's dead money, the Broncos have more than $41 million to play with this offseason,” Chadiha wrote.

Indeed, the Broncos' financial situation isn't going to force them to sit out of the first wave of free agency, as it did last year, because of Wilson's dead cap hit. The Broncos need tight end and running back reinforcements, and while the draft offers many such 'joker' options, free agency would allow the team to fill some of the immediate roster holes.

"When it comes to making splashy moves, Paton needs to boost Nix's supporting cast. The Broncos must find a more viable option at tight end, as the team's top three players at that position combined for 46 receptions and 455 yards in 2024," Chadiha wrote. "Payton also would love to find a running back who can make life easier on his young quarterback. He specifically covets a player who can fill the 'Joker' role of runner/receiver that turnedAlvin Kamarainto a star during Payton's tenure in New Orleans. It's not a great market for running backs in free agency -- especially after last year's crop included impact performers like Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs -- but a player like J.K. Dobbins could be an intriguing fit. The draft also is flush with talent at running back."

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Dobbins is an option for Denver. He's coming off a career-high 905-yard rushing season with nine touchdowns, and he also caught 32 passes for 153 yards.

The Broncos have been linked with the top tight ends and running backs in the draft, but there is no guarantee that those prospects will be there, so making that signing in free agency to give them that option would be wise. Even if the Broncos add a tight end and/or a running back in free agency, that wouldn’t preclude them from taking one in the draft, even at No. 20 overall. A free-agent signing would fill the immediate need, while the draft would give Denver a long-term answer.

However, while Chadiha focused on the offensive side of the ball, reports closer to Denver have suggested the Broncos will make a splash on the defensive side of the ball — at linebacker or safety (maybe both). Bolstering those two positions is just as essential as tight end and running back, even though linebacker and safety aren’t garnering the same level of offseason scrutiny.

That said, Chadiha is right. The Broncos need to make a splash this offseason — possibly two splashes — and they have the resources to do it.

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