Denver Broncos Free Agents: Ranking Re-Sign Priorities for Denver

The Denver Broncos have some tough choices to make in free agency regarding their own players to re-sign. General manager John Elway is not afraid to make difficult decisions, and he faces multiple such situations this offseason.

According to Spotrac.com, the Broncos have more than $116 million committed to 45 players who are under contract for 2015. With the salary cap predicted to rise between $138 and $141 million, per Jarrett Bell of USA Today, Elway will have around $22 million to make additional moves.

So who gets the money?

There are 13 players who are unrestricted free agents for the Broncos this year. They can’t keep everyone, so some players—quality players—are going to have to be let go.

In this article, we examine the best players the Broncos should keep. These are players that are going to be somewhat affordable and help them out the most in 2015.

Here’s a countdown of the top five free-agent re-signing priorities for the Broncos.

No. 5: Will Montgomery

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Protecting Peyton Manning is priority No. 1 in Denver. They will search for help on the offensive line through the draft, and the Broncos could be interested in adding a rookie tackle and rookie guard to the mix.

One position they don’t have to concern themselves with is center—if they decide to re-sign veteran Will Montgomery.

The Broncos signed Montgomery to a one-year contract last April. The thought was he could compete for the center job with Manny Ramirez in training camp. Even though Ramirez won the starting job out of training camp, it was Montgomery who took over around the midway point of the season and played better.

The Broncos named former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak their new head coach on Monday. Kubiak runs a West Coast offense with a heavy emphasis on a zone-blocking ground game.

Elway says Kubiak will be involved in personnel decisions.

“We’re going to have all those meetings, and I guarantee, Gary and I are going to come out of the room with the right decision for the Denver Broncos. Gary’s going to have a great influence on this team and how we shape this team. So yeah, Gary’s going to have a huge influence on that [personnel].”

Montgomery has the athleticism and lateral agility to stand out in such a system. His skill set is perfect for zone blocking, and Montgomery should be able to continue his strong play in the team’s new system.

No. 4: Rahim Moore

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Finding quality players in the secondary can prove to be difficult. The Broncos have done a good job of crafting a fine secondary at the cornerback and safety positions.

Last year, their first move in free agency was to add strong safety T.J. Ward. They followed that move up later in the week by adding veteran cornerback Aqib Talib.

During the regular season in December, the Broncos were able to sign cornerback Chris Harris to a new long-term contract. It was an amazing deal for the Broncos as Harris signed a five-year contract worth $42.5 million with $24 million guaranteed and a $10 million signing bonus.

Three of the four spots in the secondary are wrapped up with incredible starting quality for 2015. The lone spot left unknown at this time is free safety.

The Broncos need to make a concentrated effort to re-sign Rahim Moore.

After a life-threatening leg injury that cut his 2013 season short, Moore came back this season with a vengeance. He played with a chip on his shoulder, and Moore arguably had the best season of his pro career.

Moore finished the 2014 season with 43 tackles and a career-high four interceptions. He looked like the ball hawk he used to be in college at UCLA. Moore is looking to build on the momentum he created this season, and he’s a great fit for the current secondary in place.

Harris and Talib lock things down on the outside, while Ward does a great job as an intimidating force in the box to help stuff the run. This allows Moore the ability to roam and diagnose plays efficiently as they unfold in front of him.

Moore has worked hard to come back from injury, and he’s done a good job of building his confidence each season. Denver needs to keep things the same in the secondary and sign Moore to a new contract.

No. 3: Virgil Green

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The Broncos have transformed Virgil Green into a fantastic blocker during his four-year pro career. Coming out of Nevada, Green was mainly known as a receiving tight end—and a favorite target of his college quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

The Broncos added Green as a seventh-round pick in the 2011 NFL draft, and he’s worked hard to prove that he belongs in the NFL.

Green only has 23 career catches, but his original skill set as a move tight end shows that he can do more if asked. With Julius Thomas and Jacob Tamme unlikely to come back in free agency, this may be the year Green gets a chance to prove that he can do more.

The Broncos will have a new offense under Gary Kubiak. During his time as head coach with the Houston Texans and as offensive coordinator with the Ravens, Kubiak’s offense mostly featured two-tight end sets with players who could block as well as catch. Green is absolutely the perfect fit for this system. In fact, he could be the lead at the position.

Green’s value to the team has no dollar amount. They’re not the same as a rushing attack without Green on the field to help blast open holes. However, with his lack of receiving production, Green’s next contract isn’t exactly going to break the bank.

He’s the perfect fit—and he’ll likely have a great price tag for the Broncos.

No. 2: Terrance Knighton

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The Broncos got a value addition when Terrance Knighton came on board in 2013. After getting benched for C.J. Mosley in Jacksonville, Knighton remade himself as a member of the Broncos.

The big man in the middle can regularly eat up double-teams. Knighton is a disruptive player who can stuff the run with ease. He’s also agile enough to create interior pressure on opposing quarterbacks from time to time.

Knighton has been rejuvenated with the Broncos, and he would like to stay with the team, according to Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post. The veteran values happiness over top dollar. Even though he could get a larger contract with another team, Knighton wants to stay with a winning franchise.

Knighton told me earlier this year about his woes in Jacksonville. “When you’re on a bad team, sometimes you forget how good you are.”

He certainly knows how good he is now. Knighton has turned his career around in two seasons, and he’s arguably one of the top defensive tackles available in free agency. The Broncos may be able to get some sort of hometown discount with Knighton, and they need to wrap him up if at all possible.

No. 1: Demaryius Thomas

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The top priority for the Broncos should come as no surprise. When you have a young superstar at an impact position, a team should work as hard as possible to keep him around.

Re-signing Demaryius Thomas is going to take a lot of money.

The Broncos are likely to place the franchise tag on Thomas this offseason. This guarantees him a salary of around $12.7 million for 2015, but most importantly it gives the Broncos more time to sign Thomas to a long-term deal.

With the franchise tag in place, Thomas will be essentially off the market. Denver will then have until July 15th to work out a new contract. With the likely immense size of this deal, Denver needs all the time they can get.

Thomas may not get the kind of money that both Calvin Johnson ($113 million) and Larry Fitzgerald ($113 million) received, but his contract could be in excess of $75 million. His annual average salary may not approach the $16 million mark like Fitzgerald and Johnson, but Thomas should be signed to a deal that pays him around $12-15 million annually.

He’s going to cost a pretty penny, but Thomas is worth every cent.

With or without Peyton Manning, Thomas is the most important free agent the Broncos must re-sign.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via NFL.com or ESPN.com unless otherwise noted. Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac.com. Transaction history provided by ProSportsTransactions.com.